Gutenfels or Schonberg
 

Need opinions on which castle hotel to stay in. We have two kids (ages 10 & 14) who love castle ruins to explore. We are looking for a castle experience, not necessarily pristine and fancy accomodations.

I think your kids would prefer Gutenfels. It is much more rustic, with ruins, battlements, and lookouts to explore. Much more of a "castle" experience than Schonberg which is quite "upscale", though a delightful hotels. Keep in mind that Gutenfels does not offer dinner, though breakfast is served in a large, elegant, medieval banquet hall.

Charlie - Thank you so much for helping me decide. Gutenfels is what I was leaning toward, but with all the postings on Schonberg I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on something.

Is two nights enough for exploring the Rhine Valley?

"Is two nights enough for exploring the Rhine Valley?"

Not in my opinion. On the Gutenfels side of the river, you'll want to head north to Braubach for a tour or the rustic, never-destroyed Marksburg Castle. There's a birds-of-prey show 2 or 3 times per day at Burg Maus castle just north of St. Goarshausen. North of Koblenz is Linz, a very picturesque little town with lots of half-timbered buildings. On the opposite side of the river and to the north is Remagen - a WW II museum built into the old Luddnedorf bridge supports that still stand there at the point where Allies first crossed the Rhine. South of Koblenz on the left bank, Rheinfels Castle (a ruined castle in St. Goar) is worth a walk-through; there's a terrific hike from there south through forest, pasture and vineyards along the cliffs to Oberwesel if you're energetic. The wine towns of Boppard and Bacharach make for interesting visits (cool chairlift ride to a viewpoint over the Rhine in Boppard.) Also, a nice bike trail runs between towns on the left bank for much of the way.

A boat ride between towns on the Middle Rhein eats up 2-3 hours, usually. Lots of people do only the boat ride and miss the fun stuff.

I'd plan on at least 3 nights there if you want to really soak the place up.

One note on Gutenfels: I hope you have a car. It is a grueling walk from the train station dragging suitcases. There are no taxis from the station. It is definitely rustic and the breakfast is NOT included in the overpriced rate (at least it wasn't when we stayed 5 years ago). Considering the service as well, I would not go back.

Gutenfels would be more of an adventure for your kids than Schonberg. Only part of the castle has been restored, the remainder is available for exploring and wandering. I stumbled upon the "Spanish Cemetary" late on night. The advice about the car should be heeded, however. During our stay, the road to the castle was closed due to a small landslide. Although it was not too difficult to carry our luggage up the hill, we started considerably closer to the castle than someone arriving at the train station. As an unexpected bonus, the walk up the hill provided some spectacular views of the surrounding vineyards with the Rhine in the background.

Russ already suggested this castle, but for my money you can't beat Rheinfels for the kids.
It is the largest castle "ruins" on the Rhine. The view is great, but the place is just one huge labrynth of caves and places to explore. Be sure to bring a small flash light.
Also, take a day trip down the Mosel to Burg Eltz and Cochem. Many, many people consider Burg Eltz the nicest castle in Germany. Cochem is a nice village with a nice castle just a few K's downt the road.
I think the Rhine can be done easily in 2 FULL days.
Let us know what you have planned for the rest of the trip.
The best web sight for advice on Germany is http://www.bensbauernhof.com
I have a few reports with pics under the name Asbachnate.
Have fun.

Rheinfels is indeed a spectacular castle. We were there last summer and agree that it is a must see. When we visited there was a medieval fair in progress in the courtyards with jousting matches, handicrafts and mead booths and music and theater venues (delightful if you understand German). It is very touristy during the day, and though we did not spend the night, the restaurant and food venues were "modern" and I felt they distracted from the medieval ambiance.

Thanks everyone for your great insights. We will have a car for the entire trip, so that is not a problem. I, too, think Rheinfels looks spectacular for the kids (and us). We are definitely planning on Burg Eltz. Our plans are to go to Rothenberg, then head to Schwabisch Hall to visit my family that live there. Then Heidelberg, Trier, up the Mosel and down the Rhine. We have a few days open between Heidelberg and Trier - any suggestions? Would love to know tips or advise on any of our destinations (i.e., hotels, restaurants, things to do.) Thanks again everyone - you are a huge help!!! :0)

I agree on Burg Eltz - a must-do if you have the time.

Don't know how much time you have planned for Heidelberg; I'd suggest a full day at most and spend extra time in the other attractive places nearby. Bad Wimpfen on the Neckar River east of Heidelberg is an attractive old town. Michelstadt to the northeast is great too. If you have time and the weather is good, stop in Hirschhorn, just east of Heidlelberg, and have lunch at Castle Hirschhorn on the large open terrace overlooking the Neckar River (it was my 10-year-old-daughter's favorite stop in this area, and an excellent setting for a meal.)

Between Heidelberg and Trier: Idar-Oberstein is a nifty little town known for its semi-precious gem industry. There's an amazing chapel built into the cliffside there that's worth a look. This town is in the pretty Nahe river valley, a major wine-producing region. Near Trier, Bernkastel on the Mosel is a gorgeous little place with tons of Fachwerk (half-timbered buildings), crooked little houses, and narrow cobblestoned streets. Saarburg, just south of Trier and not far from where the Mosel meets the Saar river, is also very attractive - a few remnants of the old town wall and a waterfall crashing through the town center make it a nice place to stop for lunch on the way to somewhere else.

Trier is just a thirty minute drive from one of the great "secrets" of Europe - Luxembourg City.

The Luxembourg countryside also has a lot to offer, including some outstanding castles (although after the Rhine and Mosel you may be tired of castles), and some of the quaintest towns imaginable. Imagine the cultures, food and architecture of Germany, France and Belgium combined and confined to an area the size of Rhode Island, and you will have a picture of Luxembourg.

I'm in kiel right now
we stayed at Gutenfels last sat night
just okay, expensive and not much for amenities.
definitely need a car
consider Liebenstein as well
its on the east side of the Rhine north of gutenfels
we visited schoenburg briefly
walked around marksburg
we were pressed for time so didnt explore too much
there are so many castles
check www.rhinecastles.com

we got a rental car at FRA sat thru Gemut
they gave us a mercedes c220 diesel - fast and cheap
drove the mittleRhine sat, from bingen up to koblenz then down to Gutenfels
then to köln, munster and now kiel.
good luck