Burg Eltz – owned and cared for by the same family line since it was built
Can you consider a trip to Germany complete without a castle visit? I think not, so I spent longer than I care to admit researching different castles that were close to Frankfurt via train to complete our long weekend. After many hours I discovered Eltz Castle or Burg Eltz which is hidden in the Eltz Forest and a perfect castle to visit in the autumn.
While looking at all the available castles, I narrowed it down to ones that would be accessible without a car. Eltz Castle is feasible without a car with a few additional steps. There are three options that I found, the easiest being option 1 drive and park in one of the two car parks. Option 2 take the train to Moselkern and then hike the 5 kilometers up to the castle which AllTrails was saying was about 80-90 minutes of walking. Option 3 take the train to Hatzenport, catch bus 365 and take the Burg Eltz bus stop which drops off at the car park.
Originally I was swayed by option 2 since I thought the hike would consist mainly of a path through the forest. After a deep dive I discovered the route is along a paved road for the majority until you get closer to the car park and enter the forest. Option 3 became the solid winner since the walk from the car park to the castle is roughly 15 minutes through the forest and will shave off about 10 kilometers of walking for the day.
On arrival to the train station, we followed everyone exiting the station after realizing all six of us were headed to the exact same place. The bus stop is directly across the street from the train station and the bus runs every 30 minutes. The bus only runs while the castle is open for visitors April through the end of October; it closes for the winter months. The bus had a few local stops on the way to the castle but was the clear winner as it wound its way up the tight curvy road through the fog and cloud layer that was lying a few feet above the ground.
There are two paths to the castle from the car park, one paved that a shuttle bus takes down to the castle and the other through the forest. Without realizing there were two paths, I picked the forest option and was not disappointed. The hazy morning remained with the sun trying to peek through the fog and trees as we ventured down the well worn path. As we walked the leaves continually fell down around us while we heard a stream trickle and bubble somewhere out of site. It felt like we ventured into a storybook fairytale without even realizing it. As we continued along the path I could feel the anticipation build or at least my own excitement increase at each turn as my patience started to dwindle. I kept anticipating when the castle will finally make its grand debut.
Finally on the last turn we saw a group of people with their phones out and I thought this must be when the castle finally graces us with its appearance. The Burg Eltz finally came into view over the trees.
The Eltz Castle foundation is a 70 meter (229 feet) rock along the Eltz River which flows on three sides of the castle in the middle of the Eltz Forest. This is an important location because it was along the trade route between the Mosel River and the Eifel River. In 1268 the Eltz family divided into three separate lines: Eltz of the Golden Lion (later known as Counts of Eltz-Kempenich), Eltz of the Silver Lion (known as Barons of Eltz-Rübenach), and Eltz of the Buffalo Horns (Barons of Eltz-Rodendorf whose line ended in 1786).
With this division each line built their own houses and towers within the castle walls over the next 400 years helping to create the unique architecture that still stands. They continued to share the common spaces like the courtyard and chapel. The castle consists of eight high rise buildings surrounding a central courtyard. With clever marriages and diplomacy the Eltz Castle remains one of the few castles never touched by war. Since 1815 the Counts of Eltz-Kempenich or the Golden Lions have been the sole owners of the Eltz Castle.
In order to go inside the castle you have to buy a ticket which is €14 that includes a guided tour of the castle that lasts about 40 minutes, admission to the treasury, and gift shop. The guided tours are small groups and alternate between English and German. We were busy taking photos and did not immediately realize you had to walk through the courtyard to line up for the tour. By the time we realized we should line up there was already a long queue. Luckily we were the last ones admitted to the group instead of having to wait an additional hour for the next English tour.
The tour begins in the courtyard where you are surrounded by the eight residence buildings. It continues through the castle showing the history and the different familial lines that spilt off. My favorite part of the tour was one of the original four kitchens and servant eating area. The massive bread oven is built from tufa, soft volcanic stone, and heated from large wood fires in order to throughly heat up the stones. Once the stones were hot enough the ashes are removed and then the bread was placed on the hot stones in order to bake the bread. Just think of all the loaves created over the years, it is mind boggling.
The treasury is a stop worth taking which has over 500 items from over nine centuries. The amount of wealth showcased from different weaponry, gold, silver, carved ivory was astounding. Each room connected to an additional room through small staircases and entryways. It felt like it just kept going and going, with the possibility of not ending. Maybe I was hangry and ready for lunch at this point.
The castle has a small cafe with meal options including German beer. The beer was delicious and served in glass souvenir glasses with a sepia toned picture of the Eltz Castle. You put a deposit down for the glass, similar to the Christmas Markets. I would advise bringing your own snacks and passing on the food.
After lunch we ventured into the gift shop to admire all the trinkets available for purchase. Outside the gift shop is a small post box for postcards which can be purchased inside along with stamps. In the afternoon the lines to buy tickets to enter the castle went all the way across the bridge to the pathway, so I recommend if touring get to the castle when it first opens since there was no queue earlier in the day.
After you leave the roped area of the castle there is a set of stairs to the left that take you down to the river running below the castle. From there you can take different hiking trails through the forest, which I would like to do in the future.
On the way back to the bus we walked down the paved shuttle bus route to the car park. It is the quicker walk but you have to be mindful of the shuttle bus on the narrow paved road. It does have a clearer overview of the castle compared to the forest viewpoint.
Overall Eltz Castle is worth a visit; it feels like you are venturing back into time into a fairytale.