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.

Architecture is superb and in great condition since their maintenance is top notch in these…read morecountries to preserve their history. Every inch of the castle is detailed and colorful. A children's movie was also being filmed here in 2011. They provide audio in English for the tours as well.

Visiting for the Christmas markets and what an enchanting city. It's very walkable with so much to…read moresee. There is a museum of cultures that we didn't go into but we had a late lunch there at the cafe. Nice to have a place to sit and eat. At the market there are sausages and such that are offered along with gluhwein and hot chocolate but we also always want the convenience of a toilette!

Would you like to climb the largest waterfall in Europe? Experience the Rhine Falls in all of its…read moreglory and take a boat tour along one of the Rhine's most beautiful river landscapes? We took the train from Zurich to Rheinfall on Swiss National Day. Swiss National Day is celebrated every year on August 1 to commemorate the 1291 alliance of the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. This is considered the foundation of the Swiss Confederation. It was a beautiful day and since most businesses were closed, our unexpected planning for this daytrip was timed perfectly. After arriving at the station, we bought a pass and climbed to the base of the waterfall and then bought a combination of two tours. The Ferry Tour is a fast connection between the two banks of the Rhine, Schlössli Wörth and Schloss Laufen. You will need this to catch the next boat tour. We opted for the 30-Minute Round Trip. The boats are literally labeled 15-minute tour and 30-minute tour. I would recommend the longer tour. Our captain was great at getting us up close and personal to the giant waterfall. It is the largest in Europe. Be prepared to get a little wet but not soaked. He also took us along the Rhine River where you can go swimming. Afterwards, we had a lovely late lunch on a terrace balcony overlooking the waterfall at Schlössli Wörth. A nice way to end the day before taking the short ferry back to the other side. Climbed back up the course along the waterfall and then took the train back to Zurich. A very easy and beautiful DIY daytrip from Zurich.

Rhyfall Mändli is a boat service that operates along Rhine Falls. And they have a ton of different…read moreoptions, depending on what you're in the mood for. You can either buy tickets ahead of time to secure a spot or buy it in-person day-of. Depending on which line you're going for, it might be better to just buy day-of for flexibility because there are no refunds if you buy online. We took the Red Line which is a boat service between Schloss Wörth and Schloss Laufen. It's the quickest way to get to the other side and we bought it in-person for 3 CHF each. I think this might have been a group discount because online says it's for 6 CHF. This is one of the instances where buying in-person is fine. The boat goes every 15 minutes so it shouldn't be too hard getting a spot. What we really wanted to do was the Yellow Line because it takes you right up to the falls and you can get off on a rock in the middle of the falls. Seems like a pretty impressive experience but because of all the storms, the water levels were too dangerous for the boat to get close so the service was suspended. An alternative is the Blue Line which is more of a tour of the falls but it doesn't get you as close as the Yellow. The Yellow Line is best booked ahead of time online because of its popularity. A great activity which also can serve as a means of transportation. Two birds with one stone! I'd love to come back and get to the middle of the falls for some unique views.