Ignorant Travelers Need Input! Which 10 day tour will allow us to see the most Castles?

First, you need to broaden your horizons. For me, after three castles they all become similar. Most were following the same floor plan. Go to your local library and check out some travel DVDs for France and Germany or even England where you probably will see the most castles. Might give you some ideas about other things to see and where to go. A river cruises, Viking perhaps, along the Rhine River would see a lot of castles. Good luck.

Hello Pat,

We could get away for 10-14 days between mid-August and mid-September

Since you have not been to Europe at all, I would try for the 14-day trip either solo planning or with some tour.

Keep in mind, August and September are still "high season" in Europe.

Price for airfare and lodging will be on the higher side. You may be able to secure a great airfare deal. For instance, I favor British Airways. They run flash deals every so often - saving hundreds of dollars off airfare. That is a great airline. I have had no issues when flying with them.

Perhaps sign up for emails with certain airlines to get notifications of promos and sales.

Check out third-party sites only for comparison. It is always best to book direct with the airline (and hotels) in case of delays or changes. Sometimes, booking sites will not stand behind you or point the finger to someone else.

Also check out flyertalk.com

What is the best 10-day tour in Europe to see and visit the most castles, while enjoying all the areas in which they are located?Thanks!

If you are asking about an actual tour as in Rick Steves', how about

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/austria/munich-salzburg-vienna-tour

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/eastern-europe/prague-budapest

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/germany

Also, try to start reading about RS and Europe Through The Back Door. If you like the feel of books, it is available. I believe there is a digital version.

Maybe even call the RS office and ask for some advice about a tour.

Start watching some Rick Steves you tube videos on his travels. He gives you a good, indepth look into many European cities and towns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfT7P9Vdq7o They are nice although a few years old
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmgOy9fGHjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HahN6f3Xy8

Packing light video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m1aPYefrYM

Have fun!

Frank is right, Germany, UK and France have the most castles to see. Go to YouTube and watch RS videos which are free. Go to your libary and take out the RS guide books to France, England and Germany. The RS tours do take you to castles but on the GAS tour they take you to two castles. The South of French tour takes you to several chateaus which by definition is a large French country house or castle and they are huge and beautiful and have lots of grounds and flowers and furnishings.

It all depends on where and what your wife wants to see. Take a look at the videos on YouTube and see what interests you. A picture is worth a 1000 words and will picque your interests in where you want to go and what you want to see.

You will find a tour that interests you both. I hope this helps. And go on this forum and look at the scrapbooks of others and the tours they took. That will also help you decide and show you what you will be seeing on a RS tour.

I don't know anything about this tour company and have read no reviews but it comes up when I google 'castle tours in Europe' so maybe it's worth checking out.

I don't know anybody who's taken a guided tour focusing on castles, but I know people who have tweaked the itineraries for their independent European travel to include as many castles as possible.

Like Frank said, it's easy to get "castled out" in Europe. On a trip that started in Paris and ended in Vienna, we just couldn't stomach setting foot into Schonbrunn Palace - even though we were there and our admission was covered by our Vienna Passes. We toured the amazing grounds and the zoo instead. It's just as easy to get "churched out".

If I were you, I would do some research and pick 3-4 castles/palaces that I really wanted to see. And go as late in September as you can.

Maybe you could just focus on one country - England is pretty user-friendly for us English speakers.

Pat - How exciting! And, congratulations on 40 years!

If you are hoping to go mid-August to mid-September this year and don't have passports yet - apply now. Like today. You may even have to expedite them.

Then, as others have said, check out some of Rick's books and videos. For some ideas. One thing I like a lot about Rick, is that so much information is available to you for free.

Would suggest you do 14 days, if at all possible and not go in August.

Sept will still be busy, but most US tourists with school age kids will be back home, so a bit less crowding. And depending on where you choose the weather should be past the brutal hot phase.

Is this a 2019 or 2020 trip? If 2019, you are really late in planning.

Good luck and congrats

Loire Valley in France has lots of wonderful and very diff castles to visit and fairly close to ea other and to Paris. Some are absolutely huge As are some Palaces.
U could see other highlights also nr by.
While I enjoy seeing interiors of castles in Europe realize that many are actually fairly empty and that u see only a small portion of a castle. Sometimes a castle is best seen from the outside only.

Also England is a nice castle visit spot think Windsor castle and Hampton court, both nr London..
It might be gd to narrow your interests a bit besides castles.
Europe is a beautiful and wonderful place to visit.

If you have never traveled abroad, it would be easiest to start with the UK. Plenty of castles there-Tower of London and Windsor in London, Wales has castles. If this idea appeals to you, you should get the RS Guidebook to Great Britain. There are 2 castles easily accessible to Cardiff Wales and it's an easy train ride from London. If you go for 14 days, you could go to France and see some Chateaus on the Loire. I've only been to Chenenceau and it was beautiful.

Apparently Wales is the "castle capital" with more than 600 throughout this tiny country. Maybe do a bit of reading and see what's available, and then try to arrange a tour to see those of most interest. Here's a link to the Visit Wales website to get you started.

https://www.visitwales.com/things-do/attractions/castles-heritage/wales-castle-capital-world

As a comparison, Ireland is also a compact destination and here's a tour company with castle tours (I've never been on one of their tours).

https://www.goirishtours.com/nine-best-castle-tours-in-ireland/

If you want castles choose somewhere in the British Isles. Wales has the most castles per area. Edward I of England's ring of stone and iron. Make sure to sprinkle in some Roman sites, some gardens, and some churches and Cathedrals. You could land in London, head to Bath and do the Roman Baths etc..., do a day trip to Glastonbury and Wells, and then head to Wales. We loved Tinturn Abbey in SE Wales on our way to the north basing in Conwy. You could see Conwy Castle, Caernarvon, Harlech, and the one on Anglesy I can't remember the name of etc...This is also where Bodnant Gardens is and Trefrew Woolen Mill. And you could do some outdoorsy stuff with Snowdonia etc...

First, congratulations on your up-coming 40th Anniversary!

I agree with the previous posters who suggest England could be good for a first trip abroard, since there would be no (significant) language issue. I say significant, because we giggled on our first trip to England decades ago, because some of the terms or phrases are so very different from what the typical American is used to (assuming, of course, you are in the USA now).

After England, to really put the "cherry on the top" of the anniversary trip, surprise her by hopping down to Ireland (easy to catch flights) and stay two nights at Dromoland Castle, then stay two nights at the most wonderful castle hotel of all, Ashford Castle, and book at least a deluxe room there. Both of those castle hotels offer special two-night packages, and if you do not see them on their web page for when you want to travel, just call or email to inquire. Ashford Castle offers the Hawk Walk, which is an absolutely incredible experience (Google: Hawk Walk Ashford Castle and/or Hawk Walk,School of Falconry Ashford Castle). She will feel like an absolute queen at both Dromoland and, especially Ashford, which was originally the home of the Guinness family (as in the beer).

Did she say castle? Take a look:

https://www.ashfordcastle.com/

In England, seeing the changing of the guard and all the famous sights she has likely seen when watching Royal weddings would be fun as would visiting Highclere, if she was a big fan of Downton Abbey. I have not personally visited Highclere, as I have not been back to England since before the Downton series, but I am sure there are many on this Forum who can chime in and provide info re: arranging tours (which I think I recall reading can be in high-demand).

I just re-read your posting and noticed you are asking about a 10-day tour. Both Rick Steves and Tauck Tours are highly recommended by my household, just take a look at the various tours and see which one interests the two of you.

It is always advisable to fly in early, so you have an extra day (or two) before your tour begins, which will allow your body to adjust to the timezone change. And, if your budget allows, flying business class can make all the difference in the world, but it could really spoil you for any future trips. If business class is not an option for you, definitely upgrade to economy comfort or premium economy (whatever your choice of airline calls it for extra legroom), and if your plane offers the two seats by themselves on the side of the plane, grab those, vs. being three or 5 or more people packed in next to one another.

Planning is half the fun, so it sounds like you are well on your way by doing your homework, but if you are referencing THIS August and September, you will need to decide pretty quickly, so you do not end up with a lot of sold-out options.

Oh and one last thought, if you are considering many different brands of group tours, be sure to read the tour description carefully, as language like "see" such and such castle can be an entirely different experience than "tour" such and such castle......a quick drive-by vs. going inside and hearing all about the place.

P.S. To my previous post: Another easy way to travel (especially if you want to visit multiple countries) would be to take a river cruise. You would have guided tours on land, some nice scenery from the river ship, and you would only unpack once during your river cruise. Good river cruise brands are Tauck, Viking, along with several others (I am sure other posters will chime in).. Or do a combination of a group tour or river cruise, then some time on your own (like if you decide to pop over to Ireland for a castle stay or two. So many ideas, so little time. I have a feeling once the Europe travel bug bites you, you may be celebrating many future anniversaries with additional trips :).....not a bad way to celebrate!! Life is short, enjoy and relish it all.

My wife says, "For our 40th Anniversary I want to see and visit
castles!"

Please let me ask if she means castles or palaces?

For both I like to throw in the hat for Germany. Some examples:

• Maybe the castle of castles: Neuschwanstein is Germany's most visited castle.
• Munich's Nymphenburg Palace is huge
• Enjoy a mid Rhine Valley castles boat tour through UNESCO world heritage (long overview of mid Rhine castles along the way)
• In close Rheingau you can combine palaces with wine tasting, e.g. castle Vollrads.
• Spend 1-2 days in Potsdam to visit four palaces in Sanssouci Park (good article and video)
• Berlin's Charlottenburg Palace has an exhibition on the Prussian Royal House
• Video of state Baden-Württemberg about their castles and palaces.
• Berlin currently builds the New Berlin Palace right in the heart of the city.

With 10-12 days you can do a triangle: Frankfurt / FRA (Mid Rhine Valley), Munich / MUC or Füssen (day trip to Neuschwanstein), Berlin SXF / TXL (Potsdam). From prices mid August is likely better.
The strange letter combinations are the possible airports to approach.

Easy domestic travel by frequent trains.

The mentioned destinations offer also scenic old towns, nice scenery, places of world history, car manufacturer museums and best of all: German food :-)

Some basic tips for traveling to Germany.

Whatever you do, have a good journey.

Some people just can't get in to castles. Which is the whole point of castles. bah dum tss
You mentioned 10-14 days for your trip. I'd go with 14, because that's a fort night. bah dah dum tss

Ok, bad jokes. I know.

I'm unable to get sick of castles - castles throughout the UK, French castles, old Roman fortresses with Ottoman castles and fortresses later built upon them... love em! Castles that have been restored or rebuilt and are museums and heritage sites today. Castles that are barely more than piles of rocks. Whimsical and romantic German castles (in Germany, or even Romania). Spooky castles. If it's a castle, I'm probably gonna like it. I've taken a number of castle-focused, self-guided trips and have several more in mind to do next!

If it's a Rick Steves' Europe 10-day tour in particular you're after, consider the Best of Scotland in 10 Days Tour:

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/england-scotland/scotland

They offer them the time of year you're thinking (though keep in mind August is tattoo/festival season in Edinburgh and will be very crowded. So you can either embrace and look forward to everything going on that month, or aim for a relatively less crowded September).

I haven't done that tour myself, but have visited a number of sites included in it on my own. If you're a fan of castles, Edinburgh is a great city. Edinburgh Castle dominates the city skyline and really is quintessential castle - impressive, imposing, and right out of central castle casting! Not only will you visit it, but it'll likely regularly feature in other activities throughout the day while there - whether at the Royal Mile or strolling along Princes St, Edinburgh Castle will be there for you to look up and marvel at. That particular tour also includes Stirling Castle as another "right out of central casting" castle - it dominates the landscape, has a great deal of fascinating history to it, is a pleasant visit. On top of all that, the RSE 10 Days in Scotland tour also includes Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness! It's a nice contrast to the other two castles in that not much of it is left, but what remains - and, most importantly, where it remains - makes it a fascinating visit nonetheless. Castles feature prominently enough in the itinerary, but are far from the sole focus of it so there's plenty more to do and enjoy

Throughout the UK - others have offered up great suggestions here! - there's really a castle for every taste, so long as you have a taste for castles. You have fancy, still-in-use-today places like Inveraray; you have well-preserved but entirely deserted castles like Doune; castles in the middle of towns and cities; castles atop hills or along cliffs and shorelines where the surrounding landscape helps make it all even more remarkable. Echoing what others have suggested, perhaps check out some of Rick Steves' Europe TV shows. Being a Rick Steves and castle fan here's a quick little cheat sheet on episodes to consider:

Season 10: Episodes 10, 11 and 12 are all in Scotland. Good looks at Stirling, Inveraray, Urquhart castles. Episode 1 visits Warwick Castle (some might say it's a bit Disney-fied, but it's a castle!).
Season 9: Last 3 episodes of this season are all in England and there's some good castle coverage.
Seasons 1 and 2 - lots of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England. Seasons 1 and 2 are old enough I think you can actually see the Normans building a couple of the castles in one of the episodes (another bad joke) but really there's no harm in even these older episodes - it's a good bet any castle covered still exists ;)

Congrats on your anniversary, btw! You're going to have an amazing trip!

If you want lots of castles without huge distances in between them, then north Wales (Conwy, Caernarvon, Harlech and Chirk to name but a few) or the Loire in France would be my recommendations. Wales is easier with the language issue if you don’t speak French. In Wales, you also get stunning scenery such as Snowdonia plus the cities of Chester and Liverpool are within easy reach. Although Wales won’t be quiet, it isn’t as overrun with tourists as parts of Scotland and the roads will be less clogged up with traffic.

Congratulations on your Anniversary!

There are castles, and there are castles.... Meaning that many, many "castles" in Europe are 18th-19th Century gussied up imitations - Neuschwanstein I am talking about you. Most really old buildings were updated to be "palaces" for the rich (nobility and wanna be) so that they could be livable ie. windows, plumbing, wiring, toilets, etc. that were not original equipment in the 12th -16th Centuries. Highclere which was featured in the Downton Abbey series is one of these too.

https://www.highclerecastle.co.uk

There are still quite a number of relatively original versions, such as some Welsh castles, or the Marksburg on the Middle Rhine. And, of course, war damaged or destroyed many during the 19th-20th centuries, but the best (most tourist worthy) have been rebuilt, like in Nuremberg.

https://www.wales.com/about/culture/castles
https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/index.htm
https://www.marksburg.de/en/
https://www.romantischer-rhein.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Themen/Kultur/Burgen_und_Schloesser/burgen-eng2.pdf

So pick your language preference, your location, Pick a castle a day to tour and sit in a local cafe enjoying being in Europe.

What a nice challenge and what a nice anniversary to celebrate. And what a nice way to celebrate it!

Have you had your anniverary yet, Pat? Mine - 40 years since 1979 - is in mid-August.

Happy 40TH!!!

Hello? Where are we? I suggest you consider taking a Rick Steves tour. I totally agree with the philosophy on which the tours are designed. All you have to do is read up on what is offered and choose the tour most appealing to you.

Since you have your own business, is there ever a "down time" other than mid-August and mid-September? Late Fall and early Spring are great times to travel. The weather is milder (it will be 110 in Florence this week) and there are smaller crowds.

Someone mentioned the possibility of a river cruise. We normally travel independently, but took one river cruise. It's a great way to NOT see Europe. You never have time for any in depth sightseeing. In my opinion, you get a very distorted view of Europe on a river cruise. It is nothing like the ads you see on PBS.

I agree with others, England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland might be just the ticket for your first trip. We what RS has to offer.

Congrats on your 40th! In a few weeks, we'll celebrate our 49th. We actually met on a high school trip to Europe in 1966!

Britain would be the easiest from a language standpoint. How do you feel about driving on the ‘wrong side’? Actually it isn’t difficult.

Lots of well known castles there, but also lesser known ones. My favorite is Threave Castle.

In Germany the middle Rhine has plenty of castles in small area. In France the Loire Valley has many Chateau. Visiting France you could spend a couple pf days in Paris, not a bad place to visit for an anniversary. I have been to both areas several times.

ALL of your responses and input have been a TREMENDOUS help. I see now I'm leaning towards October 2020; include renting a car and driving for part of the tour; spend almost as much time in local shops, restaurants, and pubs as we spend being herded along among groups in a tour; and arrive a couple days prior to our actual touring activities. Thanks to all for your comments and wisdom, and I feel sure I'll be asking more prior to our 2020 departure. Soooo from Orange Beach, Alabama, thanks again and safe travels to all!!