Six spectacular castles. One unforgettable trip. (2023)

WHY GO?

Did you know that of the over 25,000 castles that were built in Germany, nearly 60% still exist today? While the odds of you visiting all 15,000+ of the remaining castles is low, you can certainly visit six of the most scenic ones with us in just under 3 days!

In the romantic Middle Rhine valley, behind every bend in the river, on every cliff, you will see the imposing fortress gates and fortified bastions towering over lush vineyards and cute hamlets. No wonder it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002.

On our hike, we will visit the world-famous Eltz Castle. This huge complex consists of several castles at once, built in the middle ages, later combined together. Eltz Castle has never been captured by enemy troops and has been preserved in an almost original form.

We will walk through the imposing Cochem Castle, which at the time of its power had an imperial status and belonged to the royal Hohenstaufen dynasty. We will also visit the castles of Marksburg, Lahneck and Stolzenfels, whose long history goes back to the 12th century.

To conclude our trip, we will take a walk through the hills of the Rhine, and explore the history of the incredible Drachenburg castle. This castle has even been mentioned in the epic poem Nibelungenlied. It was here that the legendary hero Siegfried is said to have slain the fearsome dragon.

Can you think of a better way to spend a spring weekend? Neither can we.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS?

• Eltz Castle: Unlike many castles in Germany, Burg Eltz has never been destroyed, although it was built on a then important trade route. Visitors can still admire 850 years of medieval history. The castle has been owned by the same family ever since the name "Eltz" was first mentioned in 1157.The “Eltz Forest” in which the castle is located serves as a great tourist attraction site due to its large size. Flora-Fauna-Habitat and Natura 2000 declared the Eltz forest an official nature reserve.The Castle Features Up To 8 flours and Contains Over 100 Rooms.

• The Reichsburg Cochem: The Reichsburg Cochem was first mentioned in 1130. It was occupied by King Konrad III in 1151 who had declared it as the Imperial castle. The castle we see today towering above Cochem is no longer the castle that originally stood there in the 12th century, as that castle was obliterated by French King Louis XIV troops in 1689. Cochem castle remained a colorful stone ruin for 180 years until wealthy Berlin businessman Louis Ravené decided to buy the ruins and rebuild the castle in 1868 to what we see today.

• Drachenburg Castle: Drachenburg Castle was built on a 321m hill called Drachenfels. From 1882 to 1884, Schloss Drachenburg was a private villa for the Baron Stephan von Sarter from Bonn,who became rich from the stock exchange. However, he lived in Paris until his death and never lived in the castle. In 1971, a private citizen saved the castle from its final disintegration and opened it to the public for the first time.

• Stolzenfels Castle: Archbishop of Trier, Arnold II, had Stolzenfels Castle built first and foremost because the Archbishop of Mainz had had Lahneck Castle built in 1232. This way, both archbishoprics on the mouth of the Lahn River were equally safeguarded. Stolzenfels was a ruined 13th-century castle, gifted to the Prussian Crownprince, Frederick William in 1823 who had it rebuilt as a 19th-century palace in Gothic Revival style. Today, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

• Marksburg castle: History of the Marksburg castle starts in the 12th century, and since then in over 800 years, the castle has never been destroyed. The castle keep is the same today as it would have been in the 12th century. The uneven rocky surface and dim cave-like appearance suggest that the castle framework was erected directly on the stony hill without any alterations. Napoleon briefly used the castle as a prison in the late 19th century. Kaiser WilheIm II ultimately purchased the castle in 1900 on behalf of the German Castles Association and Marksburg remains the headquarters for the organization to this day.

• Lahneck Castle: This castle complex was built around 1244 and lies above the mouth of the Lahn into the Rhine and conveys a classic Rhine Romanticism castle view through the combination of medieval architecture with neo-Gothic expansion in the 19th century. The castle is also of literary importance as it is was the inspiration for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem “Ghost Greetings”. It is said Goethe felt the need to pen the poem after spotting the castle during his travels along the river Lahn in 1774.

TRIP DETAILS

Start & End Date: Thu night, Apr 20 – Sun, Apr 23

Meeting location & time: Accommodation in Koblenz @ 10pm on Thursday night. Note: Exact accommodation details to be provided in trip briefing document.

Finishing location & time: Bonn Train station @ 02:30 PM on Sunday. There are a lot of connections from here to most major cities in Germany.

Note: If you are arriving earlier or later, please do let us know and we can make relevant arrangemens from our end.

Hiking Distance:

• Day 0 (Thursday): <5km - Meet & Greet your guide and other participants. If you arrive early, then there is a possibility for a short hike in the Koblenz city centre.
• Day 1: 10 km - Visiting Stolzenfels, Lahneck and Marksburg castles. Mix of public transport & hiking between castles.
• Day 2: 15 km of hiking to castles that includes visiting Eltz castle and Reichsburg Cochem.
• Day 3: 12 km – Hiking from Königswinter Hbf to Drachenburg castle and then return to Königswinter Hbf using Drachenfels cog railway.

Difficulty: Intermediate – Short hikes to castles at relaxed pace on well-marked paths, moderate elevation, general fitness level required.

Kid Friendly: Yes for kids over 9 years of age.

Price: Starting from 440 EUR. Get an exclusive 10% Early bird discount valid only until Sun, 26 Mar using discount code: EARLYBD-CASTLES

Other Payment Options:

• Bank Transfer: If you unable to use your card online through Eventbrite or prefer bank transfer payment, then this is also possible. Details as per below:
• Wise Belgium Bank Account
• Account Name - Urbanature Travel
• IBAN - BE24 9670 4836 1738
• BIC - TRWIBEB1XXX
• Payment Reference: "Your Name" "Event Name"
• Note: Please email (info@urbanaturetravel.com) or whatsapp immediately after making your payment

What is included ?

• Community leader & guide for the entire duration with English the preferred language for the entire trip (Guide speaks English, German, Russian & Ukranian)
• 2 x nights shared accommodation in Koblenz
• 1 x night shared accommodation in Bonn.
• Transportation for the entire trip from the meeting location to the finishing location.
• Tickets to castles, including all the necessary materials in English.
• Breakfast for 3 days (Friday-Sunday).
• Access to a WhatsApp Group dedicated to the hike
• Access to a Google Photos album dedicated to the trip where you can share all your amazing pics & videos.

Other Things of Note:

• Accommodation: Single, Twin share / Double rooms are provided at an extra cost and can be bought directly as an add-on while purchasing the event ticket.

How to get to Koblenz?

By DB train, FlixTrain, FlixBUS; or take a flight to Köln Bonn Airport (CGN) or Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS).

Our suggestions:

From Berlin / Hamburg

1. DB train to Koblenz (ICE direct or ICE + RE);
2. Alternatively the cheaper option would be to use Flix train to Cologne, from there Deutsche Bahn RE to Koblenz;
3. Direct FlixBUS to Koblenz.

From Dusseldorf/Dortmund/Cologne/Essen: Deutsche Bahn ICE or RE (Regional trains) are the easiest options.

From Paris / Amsterdam:

1. Train to Koblenz;
2. Direct FlixBUS;
3. Flight to Frankfurt, then 1,5-2 h then train (RE or ICE) to Koblenz.

How to get back from the finishing location (Bonn)?

Our suggestions:

To Berlin / Hamburg:

1. DB train to Cologne, then FlixTrain;
2. DB train to Berlin (ICE direct or ICE + RE).

To Dusseldorf/Dortmund/Cologne/Essen: Deutsche Bahn ICE or RE are the easiest options.

To Paris / Amsterdam:

1. Direct Train (ICE) / Flix Bus (Flix Bus);
2. Train to Dusseldorf airport and then direct flight.

WHAT IS THE PLAN?

Day 0 - Meet & Greet: Arrive at the Hotel, meet your guide for this trip and in case you would arrive earlier than 18:00, we could go together outside for a dinner and observe Koblenz city centre.

Day 1 - Visiting Stolzenfels, Lahneck and Marksburg castles: After an early breakfast we start our journey at 9:15 am from Koblenz Hbf to Stolzenfels castle. Once at the castle, we would have some time to admire the view before heading inside. An hour later, we head to to Lahneck castle and then onwards to Marksburg castle. We wrap up at 5pm and take a train to head back to Koblenz, where we get some dinner before calling it a night.

Day 2 - Hike to Eltz and Cochem castles: After an early breakfast and completing check out formalities, we head to Koblenz Hbf at 8:15 am to catch a train for Moselkern, which is the starting point for our hike today. After hiking for an hour, we reach Eltz castle at 10 am. After spending a couple of hours exploring the castle, we hike back to Moselkern and then catch the train for Cochem, where we explore Cochem castle and then explore Cochem town which is also stunningly cute. We then head to Bonn, where we would be staying for the night.

Day 3 – Exploring Drachenburg castle: Starting early from our hotel and post check-out, we take a train to Konigswinter, which is the starting point of our hike today. After around 3 hours of hiking, we arrive at Drachenburg castle and then spend about 1.5 hours to explore this amazing castle, followed by a short ride on the Drachenfels cog railway (an old rack railway line of around 1,5 km long) to reach Konigswinter and then onward to Bonn where we end this trip and say our good bye's.

WHAT ARE YOUR REVIEW'S LIKE FROM PREVIOUS TRIPS?

To go through our amazing reviews by participants, please click on the links below:

• Google Reviews
• Facebook reviews

WHAT IS NEXT ?

• WhatsApp Group: In the ticket confirmation page, you will find a link to a whatsapp group dedicated to this event. This group is where you can connect with trip mates, coordinate arrival options & stay in touch.
• Trip Briefing: You will find a link in the whatsapp group description to a detailed trip briefing document providing details on what to expect, how to prepare etc.
• Google Photos Album: You will find a link in the whatsapp group description to the shared google photos album where you can upload & view all shared photos & videos from the trip.

HOW DO I CONTACT YOU FOR ANY QUERIES / CONCERNS?

• WHATSAPP (fastest): Reach out to us directly by clicking here.
• EMAIL: Reach out to us by clicking on "Contact the event organizer" option below.
• FACEBOOK: Message our facebook page @urbanaturetravel
• INSTAGRAM: Message our Instagram page @urbanaturetravel

WHO IS THE COMMUNITY GUIDE FOR THIS TRIP?

Roman Gribov - Community Guide

Roman here, and I will be your community guide for this trip. I have been passionate about hiking since childhood, when I went on small hikes in the Crimean Mountains with my parents. During my university years, I had led 3 – 5-day hikes in the Crimean Mountains with tents.

Mountains are my passion and having moved to Germany a few years ago, I have continued to go hiking, enjoying the magnificent nature in Germany & Europe that includes hiking in Montenegro, France and Spain (Canary Islands and most recently Mallorca). Currently I am based out of Düsseldorf (Germany), and I am looking forward to guiding you in this amazing trip.

WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?

• Free cancellation up to 7 full days before the start of the trip. After that, cancel up to 5 days before the trip to get a 50% refund.
• If the event is cancelled on our end, you will get a full refund.
• Please note that the program, as well as the venue is subject to change due to extreme weather conditions, as well as to the characteristics and size of the group.
• Urbanature Travel (UNT) needs a minimum of 5 participants for this trip to take place, else we may cancel this trip.
• UNT reserves the right to cancel the trip, modify the route, change the accommodation or re-schedule hikes and without prior notice.
• UNT is not responsible for any loss, theft, damage or personal injury that occurs during the trip.