Spend a night in a castle

Many Americans visiting Germany for the first time wonder about spending the night in a castle.

While several castles along the Rhein River between Bingen and Koblenz and in other parts of Germany feature rather costly opportunities to sleep where royalty once laid their heads, there are other options. Various youth hostels all over Germany offer the same opportunity albeit with far fewer frills, but still a nifty way for families to stay overnight in historic surroundings.

Members of the “Deutsches Jugendherbergewerk,” or German Youth Hostel Association, can stay in inexpensive facilities all over the country — many of them in partially or completely restored medieval castles. Those with younger children under age 6 will find that youngsters stay for free while adults pay an average of €17 to €21 a night. Prices are usually cheaper for additional overnights.

Membership in the association for Germans and foreigners with a permanent residence in Germany is €7 a year for youths up to age 26 and €22.50 a year for families. International guests first need to purchase a Welcome Stamp in place of the membership for €3.50 each night they stay at a hostel. After six stays, international guests can validate their Guest Card to have access to all of the benefits such as discounts and the ability to stay in all hostels worldwide. For more information, visit www.jugendherberge.de/en/basics/membership.

While images of youth hostels may conjure up big bay rooms with cots, most youth hostels in Germany these days feature individual family rooms, usually with bunk beds and shared bathrooms.

Start the day right

A hearty buffet-style breakfast is usually included in the price of an overnight stay.

Making reservations is quite simple — simply visit the German Youth Hostels website and open one of the maps showing where youth hostels are located in each German state. Clicking on the particular youth hostel takes one to more pages, usually also in English, showing photos of the hostel and things to do and see in the area.

Many areas of Germany feature castle youth hostels — one not too far from the Ramstein area is Burg Lichtenberg near the town of Thallichtenberg, and north of Mainz is Burg Stahleck in Bacharach. One particularly rich area to explore is the Swabian Alb region in Baden-Wuerttemburg.

Whether you are a hiker, biker or simply want to visit scenic towns and cities, a good place to start is by heading south on Autobahn 5 in the direction of Basel.

If you have the time, cross the Rhein River at Kehl and head a few miles into France to wander through the Alsatian capital of Strasbourg. Even only a few hours in this historic and politically vital French city offer a wealth of memorable sights, sounds and sensations.

Petite France

Stroll through the Petite France section of Strasbourg, a colorful collection of half-timbered dwellings, canal bridges, shops and eateries as you work your way toward the town’s centerpiece — its cathedral constructed between the 12th and 14th century. Located in the Grande Ile, a UNESCO world heritage site, the cathedral dominates an area of town famed for its aged architecture. If you happen to be at the cathedral at 12:30 p.m., watch as the apostles and other figures parade high overhead as the astronomical clock chimes.

Heading back into Germany and a few miles farther south takes one to a castle youth hostel situated in the vineyards overlooking the village of Ortenberg, near Offenburg. Although destroyed in the 18th century, the Ortenberg castle was rebuilt in the 1800s and refurbished during the 20th century. Guests are invited to wander up into the tower for a look at the rose garden and a view of the Rhein valley. Hiking trails lead down to the village where several restaurants are situated, and then high up into the hills behind the castle.

Heading east along the Kinzig River takes one to another unique castle youth hostel set deep in the woods and high over the Danube River Valley. Burg Wildenstein, near the village of Leibertingen, literally hangs on the cliffs hundreds of meters above the gently undulating river.

One enters through a massive outer wall, where several youth hostel rooms are located, before crossing a narrow bridge high over a moat, negotiating a long passageway and then entering the inner courtyard and the castle proper. A breakfast room is set high up in the outer wall of the castle with small windows offering a view of the surrounding cliffs and mist drifting up from the river in the valley far below.

Medieval castle

The 13th century Burg Wildenstein is a great place for children to run around in, explore the forest trails, climb nearby tree forts and feed dandelion leaves to the castle’s ponies. Older visitors will enjoy running, hiking and biking on marked trails leading through the woods to monasteries and other sights.

A short drive from Burg Wildenstein takes one to the town of Sigmaringen which features another awe-inspiring castle. Although begun as a medieval fortress, Sigmaringen Castle evolved into a Renaissance chateau, was destroyed in a fire in  1893 and rebuilt in its current form — a massive construction of towers, turrets dominating its namesake town and the Danube River. Regular tours are offered through the castle and more information in English is available at the Castles of the Hohenzollerns website, www.hohenzollern.com.

While Sigmaringen does not offer youth hostel accommodations, the town features a variety of restaurants, cafes and paddleboat rides on the river, certainly making it worth a visit.

There are plenty of other opportunities for adventures and cultural enlightment in the Swabian Alb and other parts of Germany. With the strengthening dollar, German youth hostels offer an inexpensive way for families and single travelers to stay in truly unique settings while in Europe.