Castle Tours Europe
The best castles in Germany split into two easy groups for visitors. Around Munich sit King Ludwig II's palaces in Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau and Linderhof. Around Frankfurt sit Heidelberg Castle, the great ruin above the Neckar, and Eltz Castle, the medieval fortress in the Moselle hills. This guide picks the strongest German castles and the castle day trips that cover them. For the full shortlist, see the castle tours in Europe.
Quick answer Germany's best castles and tours
The most visited German castles are Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Linderhof, Heidelberg and Eltz. Bavaria has the highest density of castle sights and both Munich and Frankfurt run day tours covering the big names. Pick a two-palace coach day from Munich for Ludwig II, or a half day to Heidelberg from Frankfurt.
Key takeaways
- For Ludwig II in one day, our pick is the Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace day trip from Munich, admission on the inclusive option.
- From Frankfurt, the Heidelberg Castle and City Day Tour covers the castle, the Great Tun and the old town in 5.5 hours.
- For the Moselle, the Eltz Castle day trip from Frankfurt includes the guided indoor visit and a light meal.
- Full itineraries are on our castle day trips page and the Neuschwanstein guide.
Which German castle fits your trip
Compare the five castles we cover in depth, what they are and how you visit them. Entry figures appear where a tour here includes admission.
| Castle | What it is | Region | Visit by | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neuschwanstein | Ludwig II's 19th-century Romanesque palace, UNESCO listed since 2025 | Bavaria, near Füssen | Timed 30-minute guided or audio tour, 14 rooms | $23.50 (€21) |
| Hohenschwangau Castle | Maximilian II's neo-Gothic summer residence, Ludwig's childhood home | Bavaria, same village as Neuschwanstein | Same ticket centre in Hohenschwangau | $26.30 (€23.50) |
| Linderhof Palace | Ludwig II's small palace, the only one finished in his lifetime | Bavaria, the Ammer valley | Combined with Neuschwanstein on Munich day tours | Covered by tour options |
| Heidelberg Castle | Renaissance ruin, among the most important north of the Alps | Baden-Württemberg | Funicular from Kornmarkt, courtyard and Great Tun | $12.31 (€11) |
| Eltz Castle | Medieval castle owned by the Eltz family since the 12th century, never destroyed | Rhineland-Palatinate, Moselle hills | Guided 35 to 40 minute interior tour, in season | $15.67 (€14) |
Eltz opens only from late March to 1 November. Neuschwanstein and Heidelberg hours differ by season, check each guide before you book.
Castles in Germany worth your time
Numbered picks by region, with the practical constraint for each. Three of the five have a dedicated guide and bookable tours on this site.
Castles near Munich
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Neuschwanstein Castle
Castle from $23.50 (€21)about 30 minutes inside
Ludwig II's unfinished fairy-tale palace above the Pöllat gorge, open to the public since 1886 and now drawing over 1.3 million visitors a year.
Tip: Entry is timed and slots sell out, so book ahead and reach Hohenschwangau village 1.5 to 2 hours early.
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Hohenschwangau Castle
Castle from $26.30 (€23.50)guided visit
The neo-Gothic palace where Ludwig II grew up, finished in 1837 as the summer residence of his father Maximilian II.
Tip: Same ticket centre as Neuschwanstein, so plan both visits around two separate timed entries.
-
Linderhof Palace
Palace short visit
Ludwig II's small palace in the Ammer valley, the only one of his building projects finished while he lived.
Tip: There is no direct public transfer from Munich in most day plans, so a coach tour is the simple way.
Castles near Frankfurt
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Heidelberg Castle
Castle ruin from $12.31 (€11)2 to 3 hours
A red-sandstone Renaissance ruin 80 metres up the Königstuhl hillside, partly destroyed by wars and lightning fires in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Tip: Interiors are seen only on a guided tour with an extra fee, the palace ticket covers the funicular, courtyard, Great Tun and Apothecary Museum.
-
Eltz Castle
Castle from $15.67 (€14)35 to 40 minute guided tour
A medieval Ganerbenburg on a 70-metre rock spur above the Elzbach, held by branches of the Eltz family since the 12th century and never destroyed.
Tip: Open daily only from late March to 1 November, closed in winter.
Names to know, no tour on this site
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Hohenzollern Castle
Castle
The third hilltop castle on this site, built from 1846 to 1867 as a Prussian family memorial and now drawing over 350,000 visitors a year.
Tip: We list no tour for Hohenzollern Castle on this site, plan it independently from Stuttgart.
-
Reichsburg Cochem
Castle
The hilltop castle above Cochem on the Moselle, a common pairing with Eltz Castle for travellers in the valley.
Tip: We list no tour for Cochem on this site, see our Eltz guide for the nearby tour option we do cover.
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Wartburg
Castle
The castle above Eisenach where Luther translated the New Testament in ten weeks and the model that inspired Ludwig II's Neuschwanstein.
Tip: We list no tour for the Wartburg on this site, it sits well east of the Munich and Frankfurt circuits.
Numbers match the list — tap a pin for the guide.
Germany castle tours compared
Every Germany castle tour you can book through this guide, from Munich and Frankfurt, with what the price actually covers.
Are you starting in Munich or Frankfurt, and do you want the castle entry included in the price?
| Option | Price | Length | Includes | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Munich: Neuschwanstein & Linderhof Castle Full-Day TripMunich visitors wanting both palaces with a guide | from $85 | 10 - 10.5 hours | Coach, guide, castle tickets on the inclusive option | Check Availability |
| Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace Day Trip from MunichBest-rated two-palace day from Munich | from $82.20 | 10.5 hours | Coach, audio guide in the castle, admission on the inclusive option | Check Availability |
| From Munich: Neuschwanstein Castle Full-Day TripTrain travellers who want lunch included | from $89 | 10 hours | Rail day, guide, lunch, entry optional at about €24 paid that morning | Check Availability |
| Neuschwanstein Castle Tour from MunichVisitors who want entry guaranteed | from $90.20 | 10 hours | Guided train day, reserved tour time, entry €24 paid at check-in | Check Availability |
| Neuschwanstein Castle Skip-the-Line Ticket with Audio GuideTravellers already in Füssen or the Allgäu | from $50 | 1 hour | Timed entry and audio guide, no transport | Check Availability |
| From Frankfurt: Heidelberg, Castle and Old City Guided TourFrankfurt visitors with half a day | from $145 | 5.5 hours | Castle and Great Tun admission, guided old town walk | Check Availability |
| Heidelberg Castle and City Day Tour from FrankfurtSmall-van comfort from Frankfurt | from $142.72 | 5.5 hours | Van, castle and wine barrel admission, German and English guide | Check Availability |
| Heidelberg: Discover Heidelberg CastleTravellers already in Heidelberg | from $44 | 2 hours | Funicular, courtyard, Great Terrace and Apothecary Museum | Check Availability |
| Frankfurt: Day Trip to Eltz CastleThe Moselle in a day from Frankfurt | from $320 | 8 hours | Van, admission and guided indoor visit, light evening meal | Check Availability |
| Eltz Castle Small-Group Tour from Frankfurt with DinnerSmall groups who want dinner included | from $325.39 per person | 8 hours | Small group, admission and guided visit, dinner on the way back | Check Availability |
Heidelberg and Eltz tours include admission in the listed price. For Neuschwanstein from Munich, check each option, some leave the castle ticket to pay on the day. Figures current in Q4 2026.
Tours from Munich: Ludwig II's Bavaria
Day trips from Munich covering Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau and Linderhof, the classic castles in Bavaria.
from $82.20
Top rated on Viator
Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace Day Trip from Munich
Coach day from Karlsplatz to Linderhof Palace, Oberammergau and Neuschwanstein with an audio guide inside the castle.
Check Availability
from $85
Most reviewed
From Munich: Neuschwanstein & Linderhof Castle Full-Day Trip
Coach from Munich to both of Ludwig II's palaces in one day, with a guide and optional timed castle tickets.
Check Availability
from $89
Train, not coach
From Munich: Neuschwanstein Castle Full-Day Trip
A guided day by regional train from Munich to Füssen, then up to Neuschwanstein with time at Marienbrücke.
Check Availability
from $90.20
Entry guaranteed
Neuschwanstein Castle Tour from Munich
A guided train trip from Munich with a reserved Neuschwanstein tour time and a stop at Mary's Bridge when the weather allows.
Check Availability
from $50
Ticket only
Neuschwanstein Castle Skip-the-Line Ticket with Audio Guide
A timed entry to Neuschwanstein with an audio guide, collected in Füssen, for travellers already in the Allgäu.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Tours from Frankfurt: Heidelberg and the Moselle
Half-day and full-day departures from Frankfurt covering Heidelberg Castle and Eltz Castle.
from $142.72
German and English guide
Heidelberg Castle and City Day Tour from Frankfurt
Van tour from Frankfurt with castle entry, the giant wine barrel and time in the old town, guided in German and English.
Check Availability
from $145
Half day from Frankfurt
From Frankfurt: Heidelberg, Castle and Old City Guided Tour
A guided half day from Frankfurt: the castle ruins, the Great Tun barrel and a walk through Heidelberg's old town.
Check Availability
from $44
In Heidelberg
Heidelberg: Discover Heidelberg Castle – Experience history up close
Two hours with a guide: the funicular up, the courtyard, the Great Terrace view and the German Apothecary Museum.
Check Availability
from $320
Light dinner included
Frankfurt: Day Trip to Eltz Castle
A van day from Frankfurt to the Moselle valley and Eltz Castle, with the guided indoor tour and a light evening meal.
Check Availability
from $325.39
Small group
Eltz Castle Small-Group Tour from Frankfurt with Dinner
Small-group day from Frankfurt to Eltz Castle with the guided interior visit and dinner on the way back.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Why German castles are two different trips
Germany has no single castle circuit. Where you base yourself decides what you see.
The Bavarian palaces near Munich
The south has the palaces of King Ludwig II, built in the 19th century in a Romantic image of the Middle Ages. Neuschwanstein stands above the Pöllat gorge near Füssen, begun in 1869 and opened to the public shortly after Ludwig's death in 1886. More than 61 million people have visited since. Hohenschwangau Castle in the village below is the neo-Gothic palace where Ludwig spent his childhood. Linderhof, in the Ammer valley, is the only one of his palaces finished in his lifetime.
These three are the castles near Munich, and every one of the Munich tours here covers at least Neuschwanstein. Since 2025 the palaces form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering Ludwig's buildings.
The Rhine and Moselle castles near Frankfurt
The west is medieval. Heidelberg Castle is a Renaissance ruin, first mentioned before 1214, wrecked by the Thirty Years War and by lightning fires, and left partly rebuilt ever since. Eltz Castle is the opposite story, a intact medieval fortress on a rock spur above the Elzbach, one of the only castles in the Eifel never destroyed, and still owned by the Eltz family after more than eight centuries.
Both are reachable as day trips from Frankfurt, Heidelberg in 5.5 hours door to door, Eltz as an 8-hour van day in season. If your base is neither city, our European castle tours hub has the wider picture.
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau: the strictest planning job
Neuschwanstein is the most visited and most rule-bound castle in Germany. Get the ticketing right and the day works.
Timed entry and the ticket centre
You cannot wander Neuschwanstein freely. Entry is only on a guided or audio-guided tour of about 30 minutes through 14 rooms, at a fixed time. Adult entry is $23.50 (€21), reduced $22.40 (€20), with a $2.80 (€2.50) online booking fee per ticket even on free under-18 tickets. The Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau sells same-day tickets from 08:00, but they are limited and often gone by late morning in high season.
The castle keeps seasonal hours, 09:00 to 18:00 from late March to mid October and 10:00 to 16:00 in winter, closed on 1 January and 24, 25 and 31 December. The official advice is to be in Hohenschwangau village 1.5 to 2 hours before your entry slot.
Which Munich tour to pick
Our pick is the Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace Day Trip from Munich at from $82.20. It is the best rated of the two-palace days, and you must take the option with admission, because the cheaper option leaves about €37 of castle tickets to pay. If you want one operator handling the ticket risk, the Neuschwanstein Castle Tour from Munich guarantees an entry slot to every booked guest, with the 24-euro entry paid at check-in.
Already in the Allgäu? The skip-the-line ticket with audio guide is a ticket only, you make your own way to Füssen and the castle. Full detail is on our Neuschwanstein page.
Heidelberg Castle: the easy half day
Heidelberg is the simplest big castle visit in Germany and the natural day trip from Frankfurt.
What your ticket covers
The palace ticket, $12.31 (€11) for adults, includes the funicular railway up the hill, the courtyard, the Great Tun, the enormous 18th-century wine barrel, and the German Apothecary Museum. Courtyard and Great Tun run 09:00 to 18:00 in the main season with last admission at 17:30. The castle interiors are different, you see them only on a separate guided tour for an extra fee, with English tours on a fixed weekly schedule from late March to early November.
This makes Heidelberg forgiving. There is no timed slot race as at Neuschwanstein, and the view from the Great Terrace over the old town is included in the ticket.
From Frankfurt or from Heidelberg
From Frankfurt, our pick is the Heidelberg Castle and City Day Tour at from $142.72, a 5.5-hour van day with castle and wine barrel admission and a German and English guide. The ETS Touristik version runs the same length with admission included and back in Frankfurt by mid-afternoon. Hotel pickup on the Fux van costs €50 per person extra, so the Le Meridien meeting point is the priced option.
Already in Heidelberg? The two-hour NiceGuides walk at from $44 starts at the Kornmarkt and covers the funicular, courtyard and Apothecary Museum, though not the interiors. Our Heidelberg Castle guide has the full picture.
Eltz Castle: the season-bound medieval day
Eltz is the most medieval castle on this list and the most limited by season and transport.
A castle never destroyed
Eltz stands on a 70-metre rock spur with the river Elzbach on three sides, in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier. It is a Ganerbenburg, a castle built and shared by several family branches, which is why its eight towers rise 30 to 40 metres from one compact footprint. Around 100 family members once lived in its more than 100 rooms, and a branch of the Eltz family still owns it.
It survived the wars that flattened the Rhine castles, notably because its lord in the late 17th century was an officer in the French army and had the castle struck off the demolition list. Admission is $15.67 (€14) and includes the 35 to 40 minute guided tour from the upper courtyard, the courtyard and the Treasury. Children up to 6 enter free.
Season and the Frankfurt tours
The castle opens daily only from late March to 1 November, 09:30 to 17:00 with last admission at the gate. Closed in winter. There is no easy rail link into the Eltz valley, which is why a van day from Frankfurt is the practical plan.
Two options run. The Frankfurt Day Trip to Eltz Castle at from $320 includes admission, the guided indoor visit and a light evening meal, with few reviews so far. The small-group version with dinner at from $325.39 per person caps numbers and runs the same 8 hours, drinks extra. Our Eltz Castle guide covers the visit itself.
Building your Germany castle itinerary
Most visitors have two to four days. Here is how the castles combine.
Two days, Munich base
Day one, take a two-palace coach day to Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. It is a 10 to 10.5-hour day, so keep the evening free. Day two, visit Hohenschwangau Castle and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings in the village, or add Hohensalzburg Fortress across the border as a rail day from Munich, an easy extension our Salzburg page covers.
Book Neuschwanstein entries before you leave home. Summer slots sell out, and a tour built around a fixed entry time is wasted if you arrive without one.
Adding Frankfurt and the west
From Frankfurt, give Heidelberg a half day and Eltz a full day, they do not combine comfortably into one. If you are touring more widely, Prague Castle connects by train from the east and the Loire châteaux are a different trip again, covered in our castles in France guide.
For a longer list of one-day plans across Europe, start at our castle day trips page and the best castles in Europe shortlist.
Castles in Germany: your questions
What are Germany's most famous castles?
Neuschwanstein is the most famous, with over 1.3 million visitors a year, and it sits beside Hohenschwangau Castle near Füssen. Heidelberg Castle is the best-known ruin and Eltz Castle the best-known intact medieval fortress. All three have guides on this site: Neuschwanstein, Heidelberg and Eltz.
How many castles are there in Germany?
A precise count is not published in the sources we use for this guide. What matters for planning is that the visited castles cluster in two areas, the Ludwig II palaces in southern Bavaria and the Rhine and Moselle group near Frankfurt, which is exactly how the bookable day trips are organised.
Which part of Germany has the most castles?
Our guides focus on Bavaria in the south, with Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau and Linderhof, and Rhineland-Palatinate in the west, with Eltz Castle and Reichsburg Cochem on the Moselle. Both are served by day tours from Munich and Frankfurt, the two practical bases for German castle trips.
Can you visit Neuschwanstein Castle without a tour?
No. Entry is only by guided or audio-guided tour of about 30 minutes through 14 rooms, at a timed slot, and late arrivals lose the tour. Under-18s enter free but still need a ticket. Book a timed entry in advance, as on the skip-the-line ticket with audio guide, if you are travelling independently.
Is Eltz Castle open all year?
No. The 2026 season runs daily from late March to 1 November, 09:30 to 17:00 with last admission at the gate, and the castle is closed in winter. The Frankfurt day trip to Eltz runs only within the castle season, so plan it between spring and 1 November.
What does the Heidelberg Castle ticket include?
The palace ticket, $12.31 (€11), covers the funicular railway, the courtyard, the Great Tun and the German Apothecary Museum. The castle interiors need a separate guided tour for an extra fee, with English tours on fixed days and times from late March to early November. The Frankfurt day tour includes castle and barrel admission.
Which castle day trip from Munich is best?
Our pick is the Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace Day Trip from Munich, the best rated two-palace day at 4.8 stars, from $82.20 with admission on the inclusive option. Take that option, since the cheaper one leaves about €37 of castle tickets to pay on the day.
Do I need to book German castle tours in advance?
For Neuschwanstein, yes, summer entry slots sell out and same-day tickets at the Hohenschwangau ticket centre are often gone by late morning. Heidelberg and Eltz are more forgiving, but booking any Germany castle tour ahead secures your place and most carry free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
Castles in Germany on film
Three short films that show Castles in Germany and the way in, worth a look before you pick a tour.
We Show You the Most Visited Castles, Palaces, and Fortresses in Germany
Filmed by DW Travel: Castles in Germany as you will see it on the day.
Video: DW TravelExploring GERMANY'S Amazing CASTLES: Road Trip Through Mosel Valley (Part 1)
Filmed by Zoe and Simon: Castles in Germany as you will see it on the day.
Video: Zoe and SimonEltz Castle in Germany: Would you like to live here?
Filmed by DW Travel: Castles in Germany as you will see it on the day.
Video: DW TravelPrices, hours and terms are set by the venue or operator and confirmed at checkout.
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