Nestled into the countryside and hidden from streetview is the storybook Burg Eltz…read more To start, visiting Burg Eltz takes a bit of planning. You'll want to either hire a tour company to drive you there from a bigger city like Frankfurt (about an hour drive), or rent a car. We went on a small tour and while it was really fun to hear the guide talk to us about the countryside and what we were seeing etc. I do think we could have handled the drive had we decided to rent a car. Once you arrive, if you are American and familiar with the National Parks here in the states, it's going to remind you a lot of US National Park Service parking lots. It's not a massive lot, but in general big enough for tourists and busses to offload people as they arrive. I'm not sure if it costs anything to park but my gut says it probably does as I think I saw some euros exchanged from our driver to the parking attendant. Once you are parked, you have two choices: to either walk directly to the castle along a street, or take the hiking path. I cannot stress how much I encourage everyone to take the hiking path. It's a very easy hike through meandering forest and once you can get the castle into view it's breathtaking. Kind of like how I imagine the castle from Beauty and the Beast to be hidden in the film, is how this is tucked away. It takes a while before it will come into view which adds to the general charm and mystique of the place. All of this being said, the road is great for the walk back if you don't want to hike uphill, there is a shuttle bus that will take you up the road if you are tired, and because of the shuttle and the fairly even path of the road, it makes this castle much more accessible to those who have mobility needs. While at the actual castle there are two lines for tours - one for a German speaking tour, and one for an English speaking tour. This is important to note because we were there on a German holiday and the German speaking line was over an hour wait, while the English speaking line was only about 20 minutes. So, make sure you inquire about which line you are in! The tour itself is very good. The tour guide we had clearly took his job very seriously and had a lot of interesting information to share. My biggest takeaways were that this is one of the most intact medieval castles in Europe, largely due to its remote location as it avoided many bombs that impacted other parts of the continent, and that it is still occupied by descendants of the original owners. Knowing that this is still in the family was really remarkable and added to the general uniqueness of this historic location. Overall, it was a gorgeous castle to visit, and as many others have noted it's well nestled into wine country, so make a day of it and sample some riesling at one of the nearby villages on your way back to the city!

Wish I'd read more about the castle prior to the trip, because I was not expecting such a hike! The…read moreBurg Eltz castle is hidden deep in the hills, surrounded by miles of woods. Off of the street is a large, dirt parking lot with ample parking. From there is a trail head, that begins the hike to the castle. It's muddy, so bring good shoes... and probably water, too. Keep in mind that this castle doubles as somebody's home. It's pretty quiet, and many spots are blocked off from tourists. We paid for a guided tour, which ended up being a lot of fun! The little section we walked through was actually big. It's hard to imagine just how big the rest of the castle is. They, fortunately for me, hold tours in English. It was very educational and kept my interest. Not my favorite castle, not my favorite hike, but it was a good experience nonetheless!

One of the Mosel's gems! No matter how many times we've visited here we still enjoy coming back…read more We brought a friend from the US for a walk through. He too loved this beautiful village. Lots of shops (mostly touristy, but still), restaurants, cafes, and hotels to stroll around/through. For a look at a wonderful, touristy but beautiful, 1/2 timbered village, it's hard to beat Bernkastel.

This is one of Europe's oldest mustard mills, around since 1810. Today they continue to produce…read moremustard from centuries old recipes. The cold grinding process, using a 525 kg millstone, make sure that all the essential oils and natural ingredients, is fully preserved. They offer a guided tour of their museum exhibit, at 11am, 2, 3, and 4pm. We did not participate, but we did have fun sampling all the different varieties of mustard and condiments they have.