A Must See Fairytale Castle in Germany: Burg Eltz

Last updated on November 22nd, 2022 at 02:02 pm

Germany is full of amazing castles that were built over hundreds of centuries all the way up to late 1800’s. Many of these castles are still in tact or have been restored and preserved for visitors to enjoy. With so many wonderful choices, it can be difficult to narrow down the options when planning your trip. But, if you are a romantic who also loves history, then Burg Eltz should definitely be on your must see castle list. Just one look at photos of this imposing monument and you will be swept into visions of valiant knights, beautiful maidens, and deeds of valor.

Five Quick Facts About Burg Eltz

Construction began before 1157, but the castle was not completed for about 500 years.

The castle is located in a strategic trade location along the Eltzbach which connects to the Mosel River.

In the 1330s the castle was besieged during the “Eltz Feud”. The knights of the castle surrendered in 1336 and the castle has not seen any war action since.

For many centuries, Burg Eltz was inhabited and maintained by three factions of the Eltz family: Kempenich, Rübenach, and Rodendorf.

As of 1815, the Kempenich family has become the sole owner of the castle. They inhabit their section of the castle and visitors are permitted to tour the Rübenach and Rodendorf sections of the castle.

When to Visit This Beautiful “Must See Castle”

Burg Eltz is breathtaking and extremely photogenic in all seasons. But, if you want to visit the inside of the castle, it is important to note that it is closed to visitors each winter. If this is your first time to see the castle, you absolutely must visit the interior. Therefore, I highly recommend that you plan your visit between the months of April-October.

The good news is that these months are also great months for visiting Germany. After having lived in Germany for the past 3.5 years, I would say that my favorite months here are September and October. Not only is the weather nicer (since the summer heat waves are over), but there are so many fun fall festivals to attend throughout Germany (not just Oktoberfest in Munich).

Check out this post for more information on these excellent Autumn Fests: Amazing Fall Festivals to Experience in Germany (Not Oktoberfest)!

Planning Your Burg Eltz Visit

Opening Hours:

Burg Eltz is open from 9:30am – 5:30pm from April to early November each year.

I would highly recommend arriving early, especially if you want to take your own iconic photos without having a line of people in your shot. When we visited in the summer, we arrived at 9am and you can see from the photo above, that there was already a substantial line. I personally suggest arriving at 8:30am or possibly even earlier. Also, if you are trying to avoid crowds, a weekday is always better than a weekend. However, I would like to add that public transportation are better on the weekENDS vs. weekdays.

Guided Tours:

If you want to visit the interior of the castle, the only option is via a guided tour. These leave every 10-15 minutes and are available in German, English, French, and Dutch. If you cannot join a tour in your own language, translations are available in Chinese, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish.

Castle Restaurants:

Should you get hungry or thirsty during your visit, there are two small restaurants at the castle: the “Unterschänke” and the “Oberschänke”.

For more information to help you plan you trip, you can always visit the official Burg Eltz Website.

How to Get There:

Via Car:

Burg Eltz is a “must see castle” that is best accessed by car, but it is possible to get here by by public transportation as well. It is just over a 30 minute drive from Koblenz, about a 2 hours drive from Frankfurt, and about a 1.5 hrs. drive from Cologne.

If you decide to drive, it is important to have cash on you to pay for the parking!!

1. The upper parking lot for the castle is located next to the Kapelle St. Antonius and it costs 2 euros. From here, there is a steep 10 minute downhill walk to the castle entrance (remember that will be an uphill on the way back to your vehicle!). For those who don’t care to walk, there is a shuttle and it costs 2 euros per person each way.

2. There is also a lower parking lot which also costs 2 euros. From there, it is about a 30 minute walk to the castle.

Via Train/Bus/Walking:

If you plan to arrive via public transportation, I would strongly recommend planning your visit on a weekend or German holiday because you will have the option to take the bus as opposed to walking 90 minutes. Please note that the bus operates from May to October.

If you plan to hike to the castle, the ideal train stop for you will be Moselkern. This is the traditional stop for Burg Eltz and from here it is a 90 minute scenic walk to the castle.

If you are planning your visit on a weekend or German holiday and you would like to take the bus to the castle, the ideal train stop for you will be Hatzenport. You can get more information for the BurgenBus on their website. Please note that the bus number is 330. You can view the bus timetable here.

In order to plan your train trip, you can use the Deutschbahn website or download the free Deutschbahn App. Just input which of station you would like to arrive at (depending on if you plan to walk or take public transport). You will then see all the options for the day including which platform to be on and if/where you need to change trains. In my opinion, the best train route is the most direct train route (fewest number of changes en-route).

Must See Things to Do Near the Castle

1. Eltzer Burgpanorama (Burg Eltz Panorama Walk)

If it is a nice day and you enjoy being in nature, I highly recommend this Traumpfad (translation: dream path). It is a 12.6 km route that will take about 4 hours to complete. It is rated as moderately difficult. After hiking it, I can say that there are some definite steep places along the trail. If you plan to go on this hike, be sure to have good shoes (tennis shoes or hiking shoes), water, and some snacks on you before you head out.

This path technically begins in Wierschem and leads through the peaceful Eltzer Forest and across the vast Mosel Plateau. However, you start your hike at multiple places along the path, including at Burg Eltz. We personally began our journey at the Landhotel Ringelsteiner Mühle because this was a short walk from the apartment we were staying at.

Important Information For Your Hike

If you are driving and you decide to start your journey at either Ringelsteiner Muhle or one of the Burg Eltz parking lots, there is a fee for parking. Be sure to have cash on you!

For more information to help you plan for this hike, please visit the Traumpfad Website.
To see a map of the route as well as more landmarks along the route, please visit this website.

Also, if you don’t mind adding a little extra walking to your journey, I would recommend a stop in Lasserg. There is a cute little place to eat here called Gaststätte zum Küppchen. We loved both the food and the location. For us, it was worth extra 20-30 minutes in each direction.

Sunflowers on Traumpfad Eltzer Burgpanorama

2. Visit Reichsburg Cochem

Beilstein is a picturesque village on the Mosel. It is much smaller than Cochem, but still a lovely place to walk around, relax and enjoy a beautiful day. If you are traveling by public transportation, this one will be a little trickier to get to and I don’t think I would recommend it.

In Conclusion

Have I convinced you that you must see this castle? If so, I hope you enjoyed this post and found some helpful information for your trip to the beautiful Burg Eltz!

Let me know what you think about a visit to this gorgeous castle in the comments below!

Happy Travels,
<3 Christine