Medieval Castle Experiences: Accommodations Listings
Included in this section:
Carcassonne, France
Neuschwanstein Castle (Reutte, Austria and Füssen, Germany
Rheinfels Castle (Bacharach and St. Goar, Germany)
Carcassonne, France
Sleeping in Carcassonne, France
(€1 = about $1.40, country code: 33)
The French have a simple hotel-rating system based on amenities (zero through four stars). Generally, the number of stars does not reflect room size or guarantee quality. Some two-star hotels are better than many three-star hotels. I like the one- or two-star hotels and the occasional three-star hotel. More than two stars generally gets you expensive and unnecessary amenities, but some three-star (and even a few four-star) hotels offer good value, justifying the extra cost. Unclassified hotels (no stars) can be bargains or depressing dumps.
Best Western Hôtel le Donjon*** offers 62 overpriced and smallish — but well-appointed — rooms, a polished lobby, and a great location inside the walls. Rooms are located in three different buildings in La Cité. Most prefer the main building (standard Sb/Db-€105–160, Db suite-€250–350, €20/extra person, air-con, elevator, pay Wi-Fi, private parking-€8, 2 rue Comte Roger, tel. 04 68 11 23 00, fax 04 68 25 06 60, www.hotel-donjon.fr, info@bestwestern-donjon.com).
Chambres le Grand Puits, across from Hôtel des Remparts, is a splendid value, with one cute double room and two cavernous apartment-like rooms that could sleep five, with kitchenette, private terrace, and nice personal touches. Inquire in the small boutique, and say bonjour to happy-go-lucky Nicole (Sb/Db-€50–70, Tb-€68–80, Qb-€78–90, includes self-serve breakfast, cash only, 8 place du Grand Puits, tel. & fax 04 68 25 16 67, http://legrandpuits.free.fr, nicole.trucco@club-internet.fr).
Best Budget Option in Carcassonne
The Auberge de Jeunesse (youth hostel) is big, clean, and well-run, with an outdoor garden courtyard, self-service kitchen, TV room, bar, washer/dryer, Internet access, and a welcoming ambience that begins with jolly Michele at the reception. If you ever wanted to bunk down in a hostel, do it here — all ages are welcome. Only summer is tight; reserve ahead. Non-members pay €3 extra per night (bunk in 4- to 6-bed dorm-€21.30, a few double rooms available for same price — first come, first served; includes sheets and breakfast, open all day, rue du Vicomte Trencavel, tel. 04 68 25 23 16, fax 04 68 71 14 84, www.fuaj.org or www.hihostels.com, carcassonne@fuaj.org).
Neuschwanstein Castle
Sleeping in Reutte, Austria
(€1 = about $1.40, country code: 43, area code: 05672)
Reutte is a mellow Füssen with fewer crowds and easygoing locals with a contagious love of life. Come here for a good dose of Austrian ambience and lower prices. While it's not impossible by public transport, staying here makes most sense for those with a car. Reutte is popular with Austrians and Germans, who come here year after year for one- or two-week vacations. The hotels are big, elegant, and full of comfy, carved furnishings and creative ways to spend lots of time in one spot. They take great pride in their restaurants, and the owners send their children away to hotel-management schools. All include a great breakfast, but few accept credit cards. Most hotels give about a 5 percent discount for stays of two nights or longer.
Hotel Maximilian offers 30 rooms at a great value. It includes table tennis, a children's playroom, a pool table, and the friendly service of Gabi, Monika, and the rest of the Koch family. They host many special events; and their hotel has lots of wonderful extras such as a sauna and a piano (Sb-€48–55, Db-€76–90, ask for these special Rick Steves prices when you reserve, family deals, elevator, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, laundry, good restaurant, tel. 05672/62585, fax 05672/625-8554, www.maxihotel.com, info@hotelmaximilian.at). They rent cars to guests only (€0.72/km, book in advance) and bikes to anyone (€5/half-day, €8/day, higher if you're not a guest, those staying at the hotel have free use of older bikes).
Hotel Goldener Hirsch, located in the center of Reutte just two blocks from the station, is a grand old hotel with 56 rooms and one lonely set of antlers (Sb-€58–62, Db-€85–92, Db suite-€90–98, Tb-€125–135, Qb-€140–145, 2-night discounts, elevator, free Wi-Fi, restaurant, Mühlerstrasse 1, tel. 05672/62508, fax 05672/625-087, www.goldener-hirsch.at, info@goldener-hirsch.at; Monika, Helmut, and daughters Vanessa and Nina).
Moserhof Hotel has 35 new-feeling rooms plus an elegant dining room (Sb-€53, Db-€92; these special rates promised with current edition of Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door, Rick Steves' Germany, or Rick Steves' Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol books in 2010 — ask for the Rick Steves discount when you reserve; extra bed-€35, most rooms have balconies, elevator, free Wi-Fi, restaurant, sauna, free parking, Planseestrasse 44, tel. 05672/62020, fax 05672/620-2040, www.hotel-moserhof.at, info@hotel-moserhof.at, Hosp family).
Best Budget Option near Reutte
The homey Gästehaus am Graben hostel has two to six beds per room and includes breakfast and sheets. It's lovingly run by the Reyman family — Frau Reyman, Rudi, and Gabi keep the 50-bed place traditional, clean, and friendly, and they serve guests a great €7.50 dinner. This is a super value less than two miles from Reutte, and the castle views are fantastic. If you've never hosteled and are curious (and have a car or don't mind a bus ride), try it. If traveling with kids, this is a great choice. The double rooms are hotel-grade, and they accept non-members of any age (dorm bed-€22, bunk-bed D-€44, hotel-style Db-€56, cash only, non-smoking, laundry service, no curfew, closed April and Nov–mid-Dec; from downtown Reutte, cross bridge and follow main road left along river, or take the bus — hourly until 19:30, ask for Graben stop, no buses Sun; Graben 1, tel. 05672/626-440, fax 05672/626-444, www.hoefen.at, info@hoefen.at).
Sleeping in Füssen, Germany
(€1 = about $1.40, country code: 49, area code: 08362)
Altstadthotel zum Hechten, with 35 rooms, offers all the modern comforts in a friendly, traditional building right under Füssen Castle in the old-town pedestrian zone (Sb-€57, Db-€90–94, Tb-€117, Qb-€140, beds can be short, fun miniature bowling alley in basement, free Wi-Fi and Internet access in lounge, free parking with current edition of Rick Steves book; from TI, walk down pedestrian street and take second right to Ritterstrasse 6; tel. 08362/91600, fax 08362/916-099, www.hotel-hechten.com, hotel.hechten@t-online.de, Pfeiffer and Tramp families).
Hotel Sonne, in the heart of town, rents 50 stylish and spacious rooms (Sb-€93–109, Db-€93–159, Tb-€118–148, Qb-€164–200, higher prices are for huge rooms in the new wing, cheaper Oct–mid-May or with Web reservations, elevator, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, free sauna, parking-€4-6/day, kitty-corner from TI at Prinzregentenplatz 1, tel. 08362/9080, fax 08362/908-100, www.hotel-sonne.de, info@hotel-sonne.de).
Mein Lieber Schwan, a block from the train station, is a former private house with four superbly outfitted apartments, each with a double bed, sofa bed, and kitchen. The catch is the three-night minimum stay (Sb-€69, Db-€75, Tb-€87, Qb-€95, slightly cheaper off-season, no breakfast, free Wi-Fi, garden, laundry facilities, free parking, from station turn left at traffic circle to Augustenstrasse 3, tel. 08362/509-980, fax 08362/509-914, www.meinlieberschwan.de, fewo@meinlieberschwan.de, Herr Bletschacher).
Best Budget Option in Füssen
Füssen Youth Hostel, a fine, German-run place, welcomes travelers, especially younger ones (bed in 2- to 6-bed dorm rooms-€20, D-€56, €3 more for non-members, includes breakfast and sheets, guests over age 26 pay €4 penalty for being so old, laundry, cheap dinners, office open 7:00–12:00 & 17:00–23:00, until 22:00 off-season, from station backtrack 10 min along tracks, Mariahilfer Strasse 5, tel. 08362/7754, fax 08362/2770, www.fuessen.jugendherberge.de, jhfuessen@djh-bayern.de).
Rheinfels Castle
Sleeping in Bacharach, Germany
(€1 = about $1.40, country code: 49, area code: 06743)
Hotel Kranenturm, offering castle ambience without the climb, combines hotel comfort with Zimmer coziness right downtown. Run by hardworking Kurt Engel and his intense but friendly wife, Fatima, this hotel is actually part of the medieval fortification. Its former Kran (crane) towers are now round rooms. When the riverbank was higher, cranes on this tower loaded barrels of wine onto Rhine boats. While just 15 feet from the train tracks, a combination of medieval sturdiness, triple-paned windows, and included earplugs makes the riverside rooms sleepable (Sb-€39–45, small Db-€56–62, regular Db-€58–65, Db in huge tower rooms with castle and river views-€72–80, Tb-€83–95, Qb great for families with small kids-€100–115, honeymoon special-€85–105, lower price April–Oct with 3-night stay and Nov–April with 2-night stay, family deals, cash preferred, Rhine views come with train noise, back rooms are quiet, all rooms non-smoking, showers can be temperamental, kid-friendly, good breakfast, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, laundry service-€13, Langstrasse 30, tel. 06743/1308, fax 06743/1021, www.kranenturm.com, hotel-kranenturm@t-online.de). Kurt, a good cook, serves €8–14 dinners.
Hotel Hillen, a block south of the Hotel Kranenturm, has a little less charm and similar train noise (with the same ultra-thick windows). It offers spacious rooms, good food, and friendly owners (S-€30, Sb-€35, D-€40, Ds-€45, Db-€50, Tb-€65, Qb-€80, these special prices are for a 2-night stay when you reserve directly with current edition of Rick Steves' Germany in 2010, €5 more for 1-night stays, closed mid-Nov–March, family rooms, Langstrasse 18, tel. 06743/1287, fax 06743/1037, hotel-hillen@web.de, kind Iris speaks some English). The Hillen also rents bikes.
Pension im Malerwinkel sits like a grand gingerbread house that straddles the town wall in a quiet little neighborhood so charming it's called "Painters' Corner" (Malerwinkel). The Vollmer family's 20-room place is super-quiet and comes with a sunny garden on a brook, views of the vineyards, and easy parking (Sb-€38, Db-€62 for 1 night, €56 for 2 nights, €53 for 3 nights or more, cash only, some rooms have balconies, no train noise, non-smoking, free Wi-Fi, bike rental-€6/day; from Oberstrasse, turn left at the church, and stay to the left of the babbling brook until you reach Blücherstrasse 41-45; tel. 06743/1239, fax 06743/93407, www.im-malerwinkel.de, pension@im-malerwinkel.de, Armin and Daniela).
At Pension Lettie, effervescent and eager-to-please Lettie offers four bright rooms. Lettie speaks English (she worked for the US Army before they withdrew) and does laundry for €12 per load (Sb-€38, Db-€53, Tb-€75, Qb-€90, 5b-€105, these prices valid with current edition of Rick Steves' Germany book in 2010 if you reserve direct rather than through TI, €3–5 discount for 2-night stays, 10 percent more if paying with credit card, strictly non-smoking, buffet breakfast with waffles and eggs, no train noise, pay Wi-Fi, a few doors inland from Hotel Kranenturm, Kranenstrasse 6, tel. 06743/2115, fax 06743/947564, pension.lettie@t-online.de).
Best Budget Option in Bacharach
Jugendherberge Stahleck hostel is a 12th-century castle on the hilltop — 500 steps above Bacharach — with a royal Rhine view. Open to travelers of any age, this is a gem with 168 beds and a private modern shower and WC in most rooms. The steep 20-minute climb on the trail from the town church is worth it for the view, even if you're not sleeping there. The hostel serves hearty €6.50 all-you-can-eat buffet dinners, and its pub serves cheap local wine until midnight. To reach the hostel with luggage from the train station, call an €8 taxi at 06743/1653 or 0674-4488 (€17.40 dorm beds with breakfast and sheets, €3.10 extra for non-members, couples can share one of five €48 Db, no smoking in rooms, expensive Internet access and Wi-Fi, laundry-€6, reception open 7:30–20:00, last arrival at 21:30, curfew at 22:00, tel. 06743/1266, fax 06743/2684, www.diejugendherbergen.de, bacharach@diejugendherbergen.de). If driving, don't go in the driveway; park on the street and walk 200 yards.
Sleeping in St. Goar, Germany
(€1 = about $1.40, country code: 49, area code: 06741)
Hotel am Markt, well-run by Herr and Frau Velich, is rustic and a good deal, with all the modern comforts. It features a hint of antler with a pastel flair, 18 bright rooms, and a good restaurant. It's a good value and a stone's throw from the boat dock and train station (S-€40, Sb-€50, standard Db-€65, bigger riverview Db-€80, cheaper March–mid-April and Oct, closed Nov–Feb, Am Markt 1, tel. 06741/1689, fax 06741/1721, www.hotel-am-markt-sankt-goar.de, hotel.am.markt@gmx.de).
Hotel Hauser, across the square from Hotel am Markt, is another good deal, warmly run by another Frau Velich. Its 12 simple rooms sit over a fine restaurant (S-€23, D-€46, Db-€54, great Db with Rhine-view balconies-€58, these prices promised with current edition of Rick Steves' Germany book and cash through 2010, cash preferred, à la carte half-pension-€14, free Wi-Fi in lounge, Heerstrasse 77, tel. 06741/333, fax 06741/1464, www.hotelhauser.de, hotelhauser@t-online.de).
Best Budget Option in St. Goar
Frau Kurz offers St. Goar's best B&B, renting three delightful rooms (sharing 2.5 bathrooms) with bathrobes, a breakfast terrace, garden, fine view, and homemade marmalade (S-€28, D-€48, 2-night minimum, D-€46 if you stay at least 4 nights, cash only, non-smoking, free and easy parking, honor your reservation or call to cancel, Ulmenhof 11, tel. & fax 06741/459, www.gaestehaus-kurz.de, jeanette.kurz@t-online.de). It's a memorably steep five-minute hike from the train station: Exit left from station, take immediate left at the yellow phone booth, pass under tracks to paved path, go up stairs and follow zigzag path, turning right through archway onto Ulmenhof; #11 is just past tower.
Updated for 2009. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' France, Rick Steves' Germany and Rick Steves' Vienna, Salzburg, & Tirol guidebooks.