Are you trying to plan the perfect fairytale road trip through Germany? No worries cause I am here to help you pin down the best and most beautiful stops along the way!
When preparing for my own road trip through Germany it became very clear early on that I wanted to see as many fairytale places as possible!
Germany is known as the origin country of a lot of well known fairy tales. I am sure you’ve heard of the Brothers Grimm before! Well, they were from Germany and wrote some of our favourite children’s stories such as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Hansel & Gretel.
So it’s safe to say that the little Disney freak inside of me was super excited to start this trip!
Important note for photographers
Drone photography around these castles is strictly forbidden! Fines can go up to €350
The Perfect Fairytale Road Trip Through Germany
DAY 1
Schloss Drachenburg
Your first stop on this spectacular fairytale road trip is Schloss Drachenburg! This beautiful castle is actually a private villa. Can you imagine that? Living in a castle like this? Well, in Germany this actually happens pretty often! It’s a fairly new castle, only built in the 19th century and is located in Königswinter, only 30 minutes driving from Cologne.
Opening hours – 11am to 6pm
Entrance – €7
Google Maps Location – Click here
Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle is a mediaval castle located near Cochem, so a perfect second stop on this fairytale road trip through Germany! This castle actually impressed me the most and I would love to go back during fall season to see it surround by orange coloured trees. Eltz Castle is nestled in a valley surrounded by forests and especially offers a knock out view if you walk towards it from the main road ( not the pedestrian one through the woods).
Opening hours – 9am – 5pm
Important to know is that you can only visit the castle on a guided tour. If this is not something you want to do I would advise you to go after 5pm so it will be less crowded to take photos. Photography inside the castle is not allowed.
Most of the guided tours are in German and depart every 15 minutes. However if you want a tour in French or English you might have to wait a little longer cause these depart less frequently.
Entrance fee – €9
Google Maps Location – Click here
After your visit it’s time to drive to the nearby town Cochem to get a good night’s sleep.
DAY 2
Cochem
The quaint little town of Cochem is the perfect backdrop for some stunning photos and is nestled between the mountains in the Mosel Valley. You can go hiking, sip on some Riesling wine at one of the many terraces and visit the Reichsburg of Cochem.
This castle was built in the 12th century and when you’re driving towards Cochem you’ll see it glistening on top of the hill, in true fairytale magic.
Google Maps Location – Click here
Rheinstein Castle
The Rheinstein Castle is located in Trechtingshausen and also serves as a hotel and used to be a knight’s watch castle above the Rhine. And no, sadly I did not encounter Jon Snow on his knight’s watch during my visit!
Opening hours – 10am to 5pm
Entrance – €4.5
Photography tip – The most beautiful viewpoint can be found a short walk from the castle. To get here you have to hike up to the castle and instead of turning left and going through the gates you turn right. Simply follow the pathway that goes up behind the castle and you will arrive at a small lookout tower.
Google Maps Location – Click here
Mespelbrunn Castle
Mespelbrunn castle is a moated castle located between Frankfurt and Würzburg. It’s also privately owned and the owners are currently still living here. They now live in the southern part of the castle and have opened up the main rooms to the public for visiting.
Opening hours – 9am to 5pm
Entrance fee – €5
Google Maps Location – Click here
Important to know is that you can only visit the castle by a guided tour and that photography inside the castle is strictly forbidden.
At the end of this busy day it is time to drive to Rothenburg o.d.Tauber to have a nice dinner and put up your feet!
DAY 3
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
The fairytale dream town that will actually make you feel like you stumbled upon the set of a Disney movie! Important to know is that this is also one of THE most visited town by day trippers! I totally recommend staying in one of the above mentioned hotels and enjoy a quiet stroll in the early morning.
The town is also home to some of the most beautiful craftsman shops so if you’re planning on buying souvenirs on this trip, do it here!
Fun facts – Rothenburg ob der Tauber served as inspiration for Disney when creating Pinocchio and you can find an almost exact replica at Epcot.
Google Maps Location – Click here
Lichtenstein Castle
Even though it’s name might make you think otherwise, this castle is actually located in Germany near Stuttgart. This modern castle was inspired by the novel Lichtenstein by Wilhelm Hauff, but could also serve as Rapunzel’s tower castle!
There is a huge domain surrounding the castle and a nice restaurant to enjoy a lunch after your visit.
Fun fact – Lichtenstein Castle actually has two nicknames! The first one is Neuschwanstein’s little brother, the other is the Fairytale Castle of Baden-Württemberg.
So far this castle isn’t on the radar of most international tourists, which also means that the guide tour of the castle is only available in German.
Opening hours – 9am to 5.30pm
Entrance – €2 to enter the courtyard / €8 guided tour of the castle / €2 parking
Google Maps Location – Click here
After visiting Liechtenstein castle, make your way down to Hopfen Am See and spend the night here.
Day 4
Hopfen Am See
This is the perfect place to relax after all of the driving you’ve done over the past days! Go for a morning walk around the lake to feel energised and have a late lunch with a view over Hopfensee.
Google Maps Location – Click here
Before sunset drive to Schwangau. When you’re driving along side the fields you can already see Neuschwanstain Castle on your right. Park your car and go for a stroll and watch the golden sunlight set on the hills. I promise you, it’s magical!
DAY 5
Neuschwanstein Castle
For years I wanted to visit this place, and not even pouring rain was gonna stop me from doing just that! Neuschwanstein Castle is the castle that Disney used as their inspiration for Sleeping Beauty. Located on top of a pretty steep hill, it isn’t the easiest castle to reach.
The parking lot that is closest to the pathway leading up to the castle is parking lot number 4. From 9am there will be busses and horse carriages going up the castle, but this also means that you will be joined by 500 other tourists at the same time.
I opted for hiking up during sunrise, it took around 30 minutes to reach the Marienbrücke, which already offers a pretty spectacular view over the castle. But since this wasn’t the view that I was actually looking for we decided to just keep on hiking through the woods. Important to mention is that the famous viewpoint is now fenced off.
Opening hours – 9am to 6pm
Entrance fee – €12
The castle can only be visited with a guided tour and photography inside is forbidden.
Google Maps Location – Click here
PIN IT FOR LATER
Charlotte Lint is the founder of Charlies Wanderings.
Charlotte has traveled all over the world and is based in Belgium where she also owns her very own dental practice.
She is an expert on writing efficient travel guides and finding unique places to stay.
Every month she helps over 134.000 people discover the most beautiful places in the world through her detailed travel guides.
Jenni says
Absolutely gorgeous photos, what a dream to see all of those castles. Very useful itinerary! We can use this next year.
Charlotte says
Thank you so much Jenni! <3
Katie says
I love your honesty about all of these places! Looks like a fun road trip! I definitely need to take it one day with my Disney loving cousin!
Charlotte says
OMG YES she would love it!
Coline says
This article inspired me on going for a week-end in Germany ! We did the Drachenburg Castle and Burg Eltz on day 1, slept not far from there and visited Geierlay Bridge, Cochem and Monschau on day 2 before heading back to Brussels. I like visiting Germany and will definitely plan a longer road trip to see more of this beautiful country ! 🙂