Castles of Germany
map viewGermany is a castle country, and this list brings together 24 castles, palaces and fortified towns we have visited and mapped. Start in Bavaria with Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, the fairy-tale palaces of King Ludwig II, then follow the Rhine and Moselle to Eltz, Marksburg and Reichsburg Cochem. Heidelberg's red-sandstone ruins, hilltop Hohenzollern and the Wartburg in Eisenach are classics, while Königstein Fortress and Schwerin Palace are rewarding detours in the east and north. Walled towns such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber are free to explore; castle tickets range from about €6 to €29. June to September brings the warmest and driest days.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
King Ludwig II’s fairytale castle in the Bavarian Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the model for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Eltz Castle near Koblenz, Germany
A romantic medieval castle rising straight from a forested valley near the Moselle, owned by the same family for more than 850 years and, remarkably, never destroyed.
Heidelberg Castle, Germany
The romantic red-sandstone ruins of the Electors Palatine above Heidelberg's Old Town — Renaissance façades, the giant wine barrel and sweeping Neckar views.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber old city and fortress, Germany
Germany's most famous medieval town on the Romantic Road with a complete ring of walls and towers.
Hohenzollern Castle, Germany
The hilltop ancestral castle of the Prussian kings and German emperors, rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style in 1850–1867 above Hechingen, with the Prussian royal crown and wide views over the Swabian Alb.
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, Kassel, Germany
Europe’s largest hillside park with the Hercules statue and gravity-fed water features (May–3 Oct); UNESCO site, park free, day ticket €8.
Tangermünde old city & castle, Germany
A jewel of North German Brick Gothic on the Elbe — a near-complete medieval wall, an ornate town hall and Charles IV's imperial castle.
Ludwigsburg Palace, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Germany's largest Baroque palace, the 452-room “Swabian Versailles” of the Dukes of Württemberg, surrounded by grand gardens famous for their “Blooming Baroque” flower show.
Wartburg castle, Eisenach, Germany
Hilltop castle above Eisenach where Luther translated the New Testament in 1521–22; UNESCO site, courtyards free, interior €13.
Holsten Gate of Lübeck, Germany
Lübeck's iconic twin-towered brick-Gothic city gate, a leaning survivor of the Hanseatic city's medieval fortifications and one of the most recognisable landmarks in Germany.
Wernigerode castle & old city, Germany
A colourful half-timbered town in the Harz mountains crowned by a romantic hilltop castle, with a famous Gothic town hall and steam trains that puff up to the Brocken.
Linderhof Palace, Bavaria, Germany
The smallest and most intimate of King Ludwig II's fairy-tale palaces and the only one he lived to see completed, a gilded Rococo villa set amid fountains, grottoes and an exotic Moorish pavilion in the Bavarian Alps.
Burghausen castle and old city, Germany
The world's longest castle, a kilometre-long chain of towers, gates and courtyards running along a ridge above the old town of Burghausen and the river Salzach on the Austrian border.
Porta Nigra roman city gate, Trier, Germany
Best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps, built around AD 170; part of Trier's UNESCO site. Adults €6, open daily.
Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl, Germany
Rococo palaces of the prince-archbishops of Cologne with Neumann's grand staircase and Baroque gardens; UNESCO site. Park free, palace from €9.50.
Dinkelsbühl old city and fortress, Bavaria, Germany
One of Germany's most complete medieval towns on the Romantic Road — an intact ring of walls, towers and gates around a great late-Gothic minster.
Büdingen old city and fortress, Hessen, Germany
A near-complete ring of medieval walls and towers in Hesse, guarding a half-timbered old town and the Ysenburg family's castle.
Marksburg Castle in Braubach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
The only hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine never to have been destroyed, standing perfectly preserved above the town of Braubach in the UNESCO-listed Rhine Gorge.
Reichsburg Cochem castle, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
A romantic neo-Gothic castle towering on a vineyard hill above the Moselle town of Cochem, rebuilt in the 19th century from the ruins of a medieval imperial stronghold blown up by French troops.
Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin, Germany
Berlin's largest and grandest palace, the Baroque and Rococo summer residence of the Prussian royals, set in sweeping riverside gardens with a teahouse, a mausoleum and dazzling state apartments.
Schwerin Palace, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
A fairy-tale neo-Renaissance palace of the Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg, rising from its own island in Lake Schwerin and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and seat of the state parliament.
Quedlinburg abbey and castle, Germany
Hilltop abbey church of the first German kings above Quedlinburg’s UNESCO old town, with Henry I’s tomb and a famous treasure; entry €6.
Roman fort Saalburg, Bad Homburg, Germany
Roman fort on the Limes, rebuilt in 1897–1907 under Wilhelm II; UNESCO site with a museum near Bad Homburg. Adults €8, closed Mondays.
Königstein Fortress, Saxon Switzerland, Germany
One of Europe's largest hilltop fortresses, never conquered in eight centuries, spread across a sheer sandstone table mountain high above the Elbe in the heart of Saxon Switzerland.
Nuremberg Castle, Bavaria, Germany
The great medieval Imperial Castle on a sandstone hill above the old town of Nuremberg, Germany, where German emperors once lived.
Castles in Germany on the map
Numbers match the ranking above. Click a pin to open the place.
Best time to visit castles in Germany
When sightseeing is most pleasant: comfortable 18–26 °C daytime temperatures and more dry days. Averaged over the places on this page.
ERA5 climate data 2015–2024 (Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), averaged for the places on this page.
Tickets: what it costs to visit castles in Germany
Adult entrance prices, cheapest first. What the ticket includes and what you can see for free.
| Place | Region | Adult ticket | Ticket includes | Free without a ticket | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porta Nigra roman city gate | Rhineland-Palatinate | €6 | Inside the gate | — | Reduced €5; ages 6–18 €3; family €12 |
| Quedlinburg abbey and castle | Saxony-Anhalt | €6 | Collegiate church, crypt and treasury | Under 18 | Reduced €4.50; closed on Mondays |
| Wernigerode castle & old city | Saxony-Anhalt | €7 | Castle museum | Old town | |
| Burghausen castle and old city | Bavaria | €7 | Main castle museum | Castle grounds | |
| Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe | Hessen | €8 | Palace, Löwenburg and Hercules (April–October) | Park and water features | Reduced €5, under 18 free |
| Holsten Gate of Lübeck | Schleswig-Holstein | €8 | Holstentor museum | Gate from outside | |
| Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl | North Rhine-Westphalia | €8–21 | Augustusburg with guided tour €15; Falkenlust €8 | Palace park | Combined ticket €21; free for students and trainees up to 25 |
| Reichsburg Cochem castle | Rhineland-Palatinate | €8–9 | Guided castle tour | — | |
| Roman fort Saalburg | Hessen | €8 | Roman fort and museum | — | Reduced €6; ages 6–17 €3; family €16 |
| Schwerin Palace | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | €8.50 | Palace museum | Gardens | |
| Heidelberg Castle | Baden-Württemberg | €9 | Funicular, courtyard, Great Tun, Pharmacy Museum | — | Interior tour extra |
| Ludwigsburg Palace | Baden-Württemberg | €9 | Palace tour | — | Baroque gardens €11.50 |
| Marksburg Castle in Braubach | Rhineland-Palatinate | €9 | Guided castle tour | — | Visits by guided tour only |
| Linderhof Palace | Bavaria | €10 | Palace | Park | With Venus Grotto €18 |
| Eltz Castle near Koblenz | Rhineland-Palatinate | €12–14 | Guided castle tour | — | Visits by guided tour only |
| Wartburg castle | Thuringia | €13 | Castle interior and museum | Courtyards and outdoor areas | Pupils 7–18 €5, children up to 6 free; family €31 |
| Königstein Fortress | Saxony | €13–15 | Fortress | — | |
| Charlottenburg Palace | Berlin | €19 | Palace (charlottenburg+ ticket) | Gardens | |
| Neuschwanstein Castle | Bavaria | €23.50 | Palace tour | — | |
| Hohenzollern Castle | Baden-Württemberg | €26–29 | Castle grounds, showrooms, parking and shuttle bus | — | €26 online, €29 at the cash desk (summer 2026); winter season from 20 November €29/€32 |
| Rothenburg ob der Tauber old city and fortress | Bavaria | Free | — | Old town and town walls | |
| Tangermünde old city & castle | Saxony-Anhalt | Free | — | Old town and castle grounds | |
| Dinkelsbühl old city and fortress | Bavaria | Free | — | Old town and walls | |
| Büdingen old city and fortress | Hessen | Free | — | Old town and town wall | Castle by paid guided tour |
Prices checked: 10.2026. Always check the official website before you go.
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