This sharp curve in the Rhein has destroyed countless ships and cost the lives of countless…read moresailors. According to legend, they were distracted by the song from this sorceress. True or not, there is now a statue of the maiden since 1983 at the tip of the mole. And there are still shipwrecks here, as recently as 2011. Or you can skip the walking as I did and follow the signs to the drive to the top of the promontory and get a tremendous view of the Rhein gorge. There is a cafe (currently closed), public restroom (50c to enter) and a parking lot (€3) with a short walk to the cliffside. The views on a clear day like today were perfect and it was interesting to watch the ships navigate the corner. [Round number review 16400 overall - 205 in Germany - 1907 of 2021.]

Legend has it that a siren sang a song so beautiful here that the captains didn't pay attention to…read morethe course and wrecked their vessels here. Today it is a spot that we have looked forward to seeing for our journey down the Rhine. Passing by on the river let's you understand the dangers that early travelers faced here. Now a statue sits in view here along the banks of the songstress that lured so many souls to their doom.

6 euros gets you admittance to the castle ruins which are quite extensive. The views from the…read morecastle looking down on the valley below are breathtaking. There are areas above and below to explore. The spaces involved are larger than imagined but also smaller underground. The castle dates back to 1245. Across the Rhine and all up and down the valley there are many more castles crowning the hilltops. Many are within visual distance of each other. There is a castle tour that takes you to at least 7 of them.

They started erecting this unique structure in 1326. Thus castle was a tool booth for the Rhine…read moreRiver. It was never conquered or destroyed. It served its purpose until 1867. We unfortunately did not tour it but passed by on a Rhine River cruise. The history here makes us want to return someday.

Nestled into the countryside and hidden from streetview is the storybook Burg Eltz…read more To start, visiting Burg Eltz takes a bit of planning. You'll want to either hire a tour company to drive you there from a bigger city like Frankfurt (about an hour drive), or rent a car. We went on a small tour and while it was really fun to hear the guide talk to us about the countryside and what we were seeing etc. I do think we could have handled the drive had we decided to rent a car. Once you arrive, if you are American and familiar with the National Parks here in the states, it's going to remind you a lot of US National Park Service parking lots. It's not a massive lot, but in general big enough for tourists and busses to offload people as they arrive. I'm not sure if it costs anything to park but my gut says it probably does as I think I saw some euros exchanged from our driver to the parking attendant. Once you are parked, you have two choices: to either walk directly to the castle along a street, or take the hiking path. I cannot stress how much I encourage everyone to take the hiking path. It's a very easy hike through meandering forest and once you can get the castle into view it's breathtaking. Kind of like how I imagine the castle from Beauty and the Beast to be hidden in the film, is how this is tucked away. It takes a while before it will come into view which adds to the general charm and mystique of the place. All of this being said, the road is great for the walk back if you don't want to hike uphill, there is a shuttle bus that will take you up the road if you are tired, and because of the shuttle and the fairly even path of the road, it makes this castle much more accessible to those who have mobility needs. While at the actual castle there are two lines for tours - one for a German speaking tour, and one for an English speaking tour. This is important to note because we were there on a German holiday and the German speaking line was over an hour wait, while the English speaking line was only about 20 minutes. So, make sure you inquire about which line you are in! The tour itself is very good. The tour guide we had clearly took his job very seriously and had a lot of interesting information to share. My biggest takeaways were that this is one of the most intact medieval castles in Europe, largely due to its remote location as it avoided many bombs that impacted other parts of the continent, and that it is still occupied by descendants of the original owners. Knowing that this is still in the family was really remarkable and added to the general uniqueness of this historic location. Overall, it was a gorgeous castle to visit, and as many others have noted it's well nestled into wine country, so make a day of it and sample some riesling at one of the nearby villages on your way back to the city!

Wish I'd read more about the castle prior to the trip, because I was not expecting such a hike! The…read moreBurg Eltz castle is hidden deep in the hills, surrounded by miles of woods. Off of the street is a large, dirt parking lot with ample parking. From there is a trail head, that begins the hike to the castle. It's muddy, so bring good shoes... and probably water, too. Keep in mind that this castle doubles as somebody's home. It's pretty quiet, and many spots are blocked off from tourists. We paid for a guided tour, which ended up being a lot of fun! The little section we walked through was actually big. It's hard to imagine just how big the rest of the castle is. They, fortunately for me, hold tours in English. It was very educational and kept my interest. Not my favorite castle, not my favorite hike, but it was a good experience nonetheless!

This historical small castle is located about an hour and a fourty minutes drive from Frankfurt,…read moreonce you reach the hill below it, you have to park your car about 200 meters from the bathway that leads you uphill to the castle. From there you walk uphill about a kilometer and a half to reach it Unfortunatly there are no guiding signs leading you there, so its easy to get lost trying to find it. We got lost as well as others we met there. Another setback we encountered is that once we walked half way to the castle, we were told that it was closed!!! Again no guides nor any information or tourist office there. One expects some attention given to the place being an important tourist attraction, but alas, none is available. The German tourists board or the local town council should give it more attention and provides guidance to it. I gave it two stars because the location of the castle and the town realy nice, the town is small and eh...towny, and yeh the castle looks pretty from far away.

Park your car at the bottom of the hill in the village of Wellmich in the Rhine valley and complete…read morea 15 minute walk to reach the small 700 year-old castle Maus (English: mouse). The building itself could, perhaps, be considered your standard romantic Rhine valley castle fare, but because of its location right at the edge of the cliffs and overlooking the famous Burg Rheinfels on the other side of the river, the views are simply stunning. The castle also houses birds of prey, such as white-tailed sea eagles and peregrine falcons, whose aerial acrobatic prowess can be observed in free flight and extremely close-up in daily shows, starting at 11 am and 2.30 pm (except Mondays). At 8 euros for adults and 4-6 euros for children, the entrance fee is quite high, especially considering the extra fee for the use of a camera or camcorder. However, the birds' skills are very impressive indeed and in addition to receiving some valuable background information, you even get to stroke an eagle owl!

We looked for a place to eat and we really enjoyed the restaurant Altkolnischer Hof…read more The food was excellent and service was great. I ordered an original Schnitzel and it sure tasted like I used to eat in my younger days. And Tina who served us went the extra mile to make us comfortable.