Would you like to travel the Castle Road in a particularly sustainable and affordable way? Whether it's a day trip, weekend getaway, short break or extensive exploration tour - (almost) all member towns can be reached by public (local) transport. Some sections of the Castle Road are particularly suitable for a trip by public transport. Just take a look at our tour suggestions!

Please find an overview of the public transport connections to all member towns in our practical tips.

Please note: As castles and palaces are often situated in elevated terrain, the last part of the ascent is sometimes only possible on foot.

The Baroque Palace of Schwetzingen, with its wonderful palace gardens, marks the start of this tour. From there, the journey continues to Heidelberg, where the world-famous palace awaits you. The route then winds through the Neckar Valley, where imposing medieval castles and picturesque old town streets dominate the landscape. A detour takes you to Mosbach with its magnificent half-timbered houses; back in the Neckar Valley, castle follows castle, each offering exciting experiences, stunning views and warm hospitality. The route then loops westwards towards Neckarbischofsheim, before Bad Wimpfen, with the Imperial Palace towering high above the river, marks the end of this tour.

From the Staufer town of Bad Wimpfen, the second tour suggestion takes you to the Heilbronn region, Germany's largest red wine-growing area. Here you leave the Neckar valley and head towards Hohenlohe via the wine-growing town of Weinsberg. ‘In jeder Neschd a Schloss’ is what the people of Hohenlohe say about their homeland - the Castle Road towns of Öhringen and Waldenburg prove it. One exception is Schwäbisch Hall, which, in addition to its beautiful old town, boasts a castle of a special kind: the imposing former Großcomburg Monastery. The tour’s destination is Kirchberg an der Jagst, whose listed old town is dominated by the largest castle complex in Hohenlohe, which today houses, amongst other things, the Biohotel Schloss Kirchberg. 

The tour begins in the enchanting medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which captivates visitors from all over the world with its half-timbered charm. From there, the route takes you into Romantic Franconia, where the influence of the once-powerful Free Imperial City of Nuremberg is already evident. The first example of this is the mighty Colmberg Castle, which today is renowned as a hotel offering castle romance as well as culinary delights from its kitchen and cellar. Lichtenau Fortress even seems to be the ‘little sister’ of Nuremberg’s Imperial Castle. Both once served as bulwarks against the Margraves of Ansbach, a region which, for its part, boasts a striking Rococo residential palace and a Baroque court garden. In Wolframs-Eschenbach, you can then follow in the footsteps of the minstrel and ‘Parzival’ poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, before ‘1,000 years of castle dreams’ await you in Abenberg. Via the traditional beer and hop town of Spalt the route finally leads to the bishopric and university town of Eichstätt, whose Baroque old town is crowned by the mighty Willibaldsburg. 

Starting from Eichstätt – a town renowned for its Baroque architecture, its bishopric and its university – this tour first takes you to Roth, home to the beautiful Ratibor Castle, which also boasts a prime location near the Franconian Lake District. In Stein, the town of the ‘pencil barons’, you’ll find Faber-Castell Castle, the most recent addition to the Castle Route. The next stop vividly brings to life what life was like in a knight’s castle: Cadolzburg Castle with its interactive museum ‘HerrschaftsZeiten!’. The historic monastery town of Langenzenn is small but charming, before the journey continues to Nuremberg. Here, as the crowning finale of this tour, the famous Imperial Castle and all the delights of a city of half a million await you. 

The starting point for this tour is Nuremberg, home to the Imperial Castle, followed by Lauf an der Pegnitz, which also boasts an imperial castle. The route then heads north towards Franconian Switzerland. Bizarre rock formations, seemingly made for knights’ castles, are a defining feature of the landscape. The thousand-year-old Pottenstein Castle and Rabenstein Castle are prime examples of this daring style of castle construction. Underground wonders await visitors to the Teufelshöhle (Devil’s Cave) in Pottenstein and the Sophienhöhle (Sophia’s Cave) in the natural paradise of Burg Rabenstein. From here, the route finally leads to Bamberg, whose historic old town bears the proud title of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Alongside the episcopal residences, the Altenburg here also serves as a link to the Burgenstraße.

The magnificent Seehof Castle in Memmelsdorf forms the start of the fifth tour suggestion. It lies at the gates of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bamberg with its baroque splendour, the next stop. Here, Altenburg Castle forms the link to the Castle Road before continuing into the Hassberge Nature Park with the ‘German Castle Corner’. Ebern, Pfarrweisach and Maroldsweisach are the stops here before the tour ends in Seßlach with its enchanting old town surrounded by an intact historic town wall.

Conquer the mighty fortifications of Upper Franconia with this tour suggestion! Starting from Seßlach, you first head to the Veste Heldburg with the German Castle Museum. The next stop, Coburg, offers not only the famous fortress but also several castles. The Rosenberg fortress, which was never destroyed, towers over the Lucas Cranach town of Kronach, while the mighty Plassenburg castle in Kulmbach is home to four interesting museums. The crowning glory is the ‘baroque universe’ of Bayreuth with its palaces, the Hermitage Park and the UNESCO World Heritage Margravial Opera House.