These castles each have their own set of historical facts and antique furniture collections. They were used for a variety of reasons from housing royalty to acting as a hunting outpost for the wealthy.
There are about 20,000 castles located within Germany’s borders and it can be difficult to decide which ones you should visit. We have identified the cream of the castle crop, listing the best castles with the most unique and extraordinary histories.

This castle is located in Bingen, Germany on the Rhine River. It is unique because of its precarious location on the edge of a steep overhang and was used primarily as a summer residence for its original owners back in the 14th century. When you tour this beauty you will reminisce on how it must have felt to enjoy a live concert in the piano room amidst royal or rich friends. You can also fawn over the delicate china on your old-fashioned table, or what should have been yours if you were, in fact, a royal.

You can tour this foreboding monstrosity for only ten euros and experience 40 minutes of pure royal immersion. This castle is unique because it is still run by the descendants of the original owners, spanning the entirety of 850 years beneath the same house name. It contains many of the original furniture pieces, allowing you to get a better picture of how it would feel to live here. You will be surrounded by the Eltz forest, conjuring the image of a secluded princess trapped within the valley’s clutches.

The cost to tour this garden-lovers dream castle is only €8.50. It is surrounded by lakes and forests, keeping the blue-tiled roof in complete serenity. It was the residence of Grandduke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and is still used as the seat of parliament for the area.
You can imagine yourself throwing a royal tea party on the expanse of green or imagine how it would feel to sit in the chair in the throne room. It is any royal wannabe’s dream come true.

Wartburg Castle was the first castle in Germany to be appointed as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is a great honor to be bestowed upon any building. The admission price is ten euros, and be sure to check guided tour times as only one English tour is provided every day. A Grand Duchess used to live here and you can pretend to be just like her as you venture through her treasure chamber filled with historical artifacts. Martin Luther also worked here and you can reimagine what it would have been like to watch as he translated the 95 theses into German.

This castle was originally no more than a standard house, providing shelter to the Archbishop’s representative. This castle is understandably different as it does have its own moat to protect it from intruders. This castle is still used as a private residence, but the front rooms are open to the public if you take the private tour which only costs five euros. You can venture into the knight’s hall and imagine what it would feel like to direct your own legion of armored men, sending them into battle as you lean against a red sandstone column.

The tour of this castle is completely in German unless you happen to visit in the summer for the English tour, but otherwise, they do provide translation sheets in twelve different languages. The tour is priced at six euros per person and you can imagine what it must have been like to foil an enemy with empty wine barrels. You can almost see the workers piling empty barrels on the gate, waiting for the coming army to be crushed as they roll down the hill on top of them.

You can tour this hilltop beauty for 12 euros and view its privately owned rooms and grounds. The Prussian royal crown is on display here and you can imagine placing it upon your head as the leader of the nation.
You can take a stroll through the castle garden with your head held high, acting like the royal you were meant to be. You can even eat at the restaurant in the castle, completing your royal experience with an excellent meal to end your day.

The total price of admission with a tour is 13 euros. The counts palatine of the Rhine resided in this gargantuan building and it was actually struck by lightning, not once, but two times in the same year. It was rebuilt after this, but it was never fully completed. You can wander down the halls, passing numerous statues, and imagine what it must have been like to watch as the timeless castle was rebuilt to fit with the Renaissance theme of the age.

You can tour this mountainside dream castle for only ten euros and gain a 50-minute experience you will never forget. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, as well as exchanged twice as many hands. A portion of it was rebuilt into a hunting lodge, as the surrounding hills are teeming with animals. When you tour this castle you can imagine gearing up with your weapons to take down your future dinner with your royal pals by your side, as you galavant through the German forests atop your brave steed.

This castle is even better than the picture portrays, including the vast landscape surrounding the magnificent castle. You can tour the castle for 13 euros and experience what it felt like to live like a King, as King Ludwig II outdid himself when he commissioned its building. Outside of the castle, you can travel across the bridge or down into the valley and walk into the ice-water stream. Either way, your royal soul will be fulfilled as you take in all that makes up Neuschwanstein.