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Hiking to Drachenfels
I want to visit both the “new” castle and castle ruins at Drachenfels. The rail car will not be operating in late November, when I’ll be in Germany. I have not been able to get a good sense of the hiking trail. As a solo female traveler, I want to be safe. I plan to arrive on a Sunday morning. Taking the train from Cologne to Bonn and then taking the tram to Königswinter. Are the trails well signposted? Will enough people be on the trails to provide some semblance of safety? Does the town have taxis? I’d be open to taking a cab up and then walking down. Thanks for your help! |
I’ll take the liberty of answering my own post since I did the hike yesterday.
The town has done a decent job of signposting. There’s more than one trail, but I followed the one that was posted. As it was a Sunday with beautiful weather, there were tons of people on the trail. It’s a very safe, family oriented place. This was a cardio intensive climb because the incline is pretty steep for much of it. There’s a beautiful 19th century castle open for self guided tours (7€). I enjoyed it very much. From there, it’s about 20 minutes more on the trail to the top of the “hill” where there is a remnant of an old castle. i highly recommend this as a day trip from Cologne or Bonn. |
I thought your question quite sensible. Just couldn’t answer it. I don’t like walking on difficult trails, or those with few hikers, or steep ascents/ descents, and if travelling solo would want the reassurance that there’d be people around if I fell, for example. Glad you you enjoyed it, Aggiegirl. |
Even the most rural, tranquil places can be trouble. I have travelled the world solo and thought aggiegirl's question logical and prudent. (And, as Adelaidean mentioned, safety concerns DO include falling, etc.)
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I appreciate the supportive responses. I have been places before that turned out to have no trail signage and no one around. One time in Austria, I wanted to hike to see a castle ruin. Turns out there was no one around except two men hanging out near the beginning of the trail giving me the eye. My gut told me to abort the hike. I’m an adventurous person, clearly evidenced by my numerous solo adventures and I’m not frantic nor paranoid. I just like to be prepared. Anyways, I’m just back this evening from my latest adventure that included London, Winchester, Amsterdam and a couple of places in Germany. It was a great trip. |
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