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Burg Eltz Castle, or just Burg Eltz in German, is the stuff fairy tales are made of.
About Burg Eltz Castle
Nestled in the hills atop the Mosel River between Koblenz and Trier in Germany, this fortified medieval castle is absolutely dreamy with its turrets and tall spires.
Burg Eltz Castle dates back to the 12th century. Its claim to fame, aside of course from its glorious fanciful facade, is how it has never been destroyed—a characteristic made difficult with the onset of World War 2. Today, it is still owned by the same branch of the family that inhabited it some 850 years ago. The present owner belongs to the 33rd generation of the Eltz clan.
A Castle on the Mosel
Burg Eltz Castle sits atop a jagged cliff surrounded by the winding Eltz River amidst a lush wooded valley.
Despite that its strategic location provides an excellent defense against invading enemies during medieval times, Burg Eltz was actually designed more for economic reasons than for fortification (and judging by its fairytale look, probably for aesthetic considerations as well). Mosel and Rhine Rivers were important trade routes during that period and castles then were used to protect these routes from attackers and served too as bases to collect taxes and tithes from passing merchants.
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Three Castles in One
Burg Eltz was originally composed of three castles. During the olden times, castle-building was an expensive endeavor, so different families would share the same area and build separate homes on the land, with the courtyard and other amenities being shared among them. Members of the Eltz family did the same, but in 1815 one branch of the family unified and combined all the structures into one, so the present castle now appears as one huge manor.
How to Get to Burg Eltz Castle
Hiking is one of the ways you can get to Burg Eltz. There’s a good hiking trail designed for this purpose. Driving is also an option, but if you love to hike, going on foot is a glorious experience. The enchantment of taking the trek and seeing nothing but trees for many minutes, then turning a corner and catching that first magnificent glimpse of this stunning castle is simply a wonderful experience you’ll always remember and treasure!
Hiking
Burg Eltz is near the Mosel town of Moselkern. If you’re staying in this town or other neighboring Mosel towns such as Cochem like we did, you can start your hike at the Moselkern train station. That station, however, is unmanned so tickets can be bought only from the vending machine. There are also no lockers or storage facilities where you can leave your bags, so I suggest you leave them at your hotel and bring a lighter pack instead while you visit Burg Eltz.
Moselkern
It is 2 kilometers from the train station to the actual hiking trail path. From the train station, you pass through the Moselkern town, a rather sleepy little village with nothing much afoot. If you want to skip these first 2 kilometers and save time, you can ride up to the actual trail hike. We didn’t see any taxis while there, so if you don’t have your own car, you can probably hitchhike.
Hiking Trail to Burg Eltz Castle
If you decide to do the hike from the train station, the path to Burg Eltz is dotted with many marked signs so it’s difficult for you to get lost. Just follow these signs along Oberstrasse down to Hotel Ringelsteiner Mühle. From there, you follow a small path to the actual wooded hiking trail. From that point on, it’s another 2-kilometer hike to Eltz Castle (as it is known in English).
The wooded hiking trail is a narrow path amidst a lush forest and overlooking a steep creek. The path goes uphill and sometimes downhill. It can get slippery and rather tricky to navigate especially during autumn when the weather can get inclement, which was the case when we were there last.
There was nothing much to see except trees, fauna, and the creek during our 45-minute trek along the forest path. The surrounding area was quiet. Now and then, though, we came across other hikers who just finished their visit to Burg Eltz and were already on their way home. It was mostly just us, the forest, and our thoughts—a nice time to reflect, I would say.
First Magnificent View of the Castle
After carefully plowing on, we turned a corner and then caught our first glimpse of this magnificent castle. Standing tall on a hill surrounded by the winding and glistening Eltz River, it was a glorious sight. And, admittedly, a welcome one after a long hike.
Burg Eltz Castle Tour
Burg Eltz is accessible to the public via 45-minute tours in German and English. These guided tours take you to many different rooms of the castle and give you a glimpse of life during the medieval period. Taking pictures is not allowed inside the main castle, but permitted in the Treasury. There’s a souvenir shop at the entrance and an outdoor restaurant nearby. In the latter, you can enjoy a nice view of the surrounding valley.
We took the English tour along with another couple. The inside of the castle was impressive and gave us a peek at the life of German nobility in the Middle Ages. The tour took us to several different rooms displaying a variety of furniture and artifacts from the period. It was fascinating, all in all. The tour guide shared a lot of interesting facts and was oftentimes funny. Since we were just a small party and didn’t ask that many questions, the tour finished a bit early.
We dropped by the souvenir shop and got ourselves a few knickknacks on our way out before we made our way back to the train station.
Activities
A guided vineyard tour with wine tasting.
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Where to Stay
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Booking.comFinal Thoughts
In summary, Burg Eltz Castle, in all its original and undistorted glory, is one of the most beautiful castles in Germany and a must-see when you’re in the Rhine and Mosel region of the country. It’s a wonderful sight and visiting it is just as amazing and worth the long hike.
Let us know if you visited Burg Eltz Castle and how you found it!
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Without question Burg Eltz is one of the best castles to visit in that part of Germany.
It is. Original and still intact. 🙂
I had the pleasure of touring Burg Eltz Caslle last April with my wife it’s stunning one of the most majestic places I’ve ever been will visit again
That’s wonderful! I’m glad to know you feel that way too. I would like to go back as well.
It must have been really fun to explore, and the hike to the castle sounds really lovely when you’re rewarded with an awesome castle at the end! Thanks so much for sharing and linking up with #WeekendWanderlust!
It was a memorable experience. It’s always a pleasure to link up with #WeekendWanderlust.