What a great historical landmark! The directions to the castle led us the wrong way, but we…read moreultimately figured it out. Once we got to the top, we walked around, took some photos and admired the view of the town from the top of the castle ruins.

Fantastic true Frankenstein Castle with the graveyard located at the base of the mountain on top of…read morewhich the castle arises from a natural rocky outcropping. You can see the black scorch marks where the castle burned and Frankenstein fell five stories when the floors collapsed inside the main castle structure. Wild approach through a tiny tunnel. Easy to miss the access point. Looks like you can't get up there but you can! Long healthy hike up hill that will make you feel great when you reach the castle on top. Goats run out to greet you as you walk up the hill. Park at the front of the church. Then start walking. One of the most exciting experiences you will ever have!

It was cold cold cold as we drove up the curvy road to the castle and parked the car in a snowy…read moreparking lot. Schloss Lichtenstein is a privately owned castle but it's open for tours. The location dates back to around 1100 and despite being destroyed in twice in the 13th century, a new castle was built adjacent in 1390. It was eventually acquired by King Frederick I of Württemberg in 1802 who rebuilt it into a hunting lodge. The modern castle was added to it in 1840-1842. It has been updated and restored in the 20th century. Despite the cold, it was a clear and dry day. We did the guided tour (in English!) and had a great walk throughout. Our guide pointed out several of the interesting features including the main dining hall, some of the entertainment areas and of course, the tremendous view of the valley. Note that photographs inside the castle are not permitted. The castle is stunning and well worth walking the grounds and trying for a tour. [Review 21243 overall - 247 in Germany - 208 of 2024.]

We were driving from Munich to the edge of France, so this was somewhat at the halfway point, so we…read moreused it as a place to stretch our legs. It is pretty amazing to see it up close, and there are many vantage points on the grounds to view the surrounding countryside. We chose not to do the tour, since it is only given in German and we didn't speak the language, so we just walked around the grounds and took pictures. There was scaffolding up on part of it, but it was still neat to see. There are many better castles in terms of larger grounds, well furnished interiors and tours in English, so I would say go to Coburg or others if you could only go to one. But if you have time to visit other castles on your trip, this is a pretty stop.

After a solo tour of Schloss Lichtenstein, we arrived at Burg Hohenzollern to find that they're in…read morefull Christmas Markets season. The place was crowded and lively and quite busy. You'll park in a lower parking lot adjacent to the gift shop. A shuttle van will bring you almost to the entrance of the castle. From there, it's a bit of a walk. It is barely handicapped accessible though the castle itself is not at all wheelchair friendly and many rooms require transiting a number of stairs. The current castle was built between 1846 and 1867 in a Gothic Revival style and influenced by the Châteaux of the Loire Valley. The exterior is regal, dominating the hill it resides on. Inside, each room is decorated with period furniture and artifacts that were owned by Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. The vault in the basement contains the Crown of Wilhelm II and a uniform that belonged to King Frederick the Great. No photographs allowed in that room but the rest of the castle, absolutely. [Review 21244 overall - 248 in Germany - 209 of 2024.]

Beautiful castle! Pretty views from the top. But getting there from Stuttgart was really…read morebreathtaking as well. We took public transportation which is not recommended. It took 3 hours one way to get there by trains and bus. If you have a car it takes an hour. I would say it was worth it, but we were exhausted by the end of the day. The castle had a cafe that actually tasted pretty good.

We were here in February, so the gardens are bare, but still a great place for a nice walk…read more We took the English language guided tour. Our guide was knowledgeable, entertaining and very friendly. Disappointed that only a small area was included on the tour. Our guide said that much of the palace was under renovation. I really enjoyed the collection of clothing - this was very unusual and interesting.

As a study-abroad-student back in the 90s, I spent a good six weeks, or so, living in…read moreaccommodations just a stone's throw away from the grounds of the Ludwigsburg Palace. The residence, initially built as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Wuerttemberg, Eberhard Ludwig, in 1704, was expanded upon throughout the first few decades of the 18th century, and, eventually replaced the palace in Stuttgart as the residence of the royal family of Wuerttemberg. It is a gem to behold. There is much to see both around the grounds of the palace and inside the palace itself. Years ago, I had taken a tour of the palace interior, but had forgotten both its beauty and deep history. Some rooms have been preserved in the original baroque style-opulent parquet flooring and gold accented walls-but most other rooms had had their baroque flourish covered up with somewhat demure wall paper and (in my opinion) rather unimaginative wood flooring in later years. The building is surrounded by well-manicured grounds which then bleed out into, sort of, more wild bits and overlap with the Maerchen Park that has become a part of the Bluehendes Barock* experience one undertakes when purchasing an entry ticket to tour the palace grounds only. The Maerchen Park is home to a small variety of anamatronic fairytale figures that are both known and not to non-German audiences. As one attempts to open the gate of the Gingerbread House the witch living inside looks out through her curtains and speaks sinister words to you! At the tower of Rapunzel children cry out, "Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let your hair down!" And she does! Also housed within the palace is an amazingly extensive ceramics museum charting the rise of pottery in Germany from Bartmann jugs to Meissen tea sets. Unbeknownst to me, Ludwigsburg porcelain was and is of some renown. I'd imagine that Karl Eugen and his ilk were sipping tea out of Ludwigsburger tea cups back in the day... During our look-see of the museum, we were able to spy a, sort of, 'finishing room' where folk were placing unfinished jugs on open shelving units. Ooooh! If one is keen on buying the finished product, then pop on into the ceramics shops also on the palace grounds. A tea cup and saucer might cost you somewhere in the range of 200 euro. *Flowering Baroque: a beautiful garden show within the grounds of the Ludwigsburg Residenzschloss. If a trip to Germany includes parts of the SW, then I would strongly suggest a trip to the palace in Ludwigsburg. Bonus: the first King of Wuerttemberg, Friedrich der Dicke, is the grandfather (x8) of our Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.

Beautiful area to explore and walk. We had an elderly woman with us that had a walker and the paths…read morewere nice and wide. Great to navigate and some fun outdoor music even during the rain. Lots of great stops for families and benches to relax. Very, very clean.

When visiting Mannheim, you will most definitely find yourself at the Wasserturm (Water Tower)…read moresince it's located in the square downtown. It's a beautiful piece of architecture. It is a well-known and very popular landmark. The water tower was built in the 1800s in the square. The tower is approximately 60 meters high, and it was Mannheim's first water tower. You can read more history about it when you visit.