Hi! We're a family of 5 traveling to Germany for about 10 days in May/June 2024. We start in Frankfurt, then to Bavaria, then Munich, Nuremburg, and back to Frankfurt. Our primary learning focus is WWII history, but I also wanted the boys to experience some of the 13th-17th century history. I planned on touring Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. As I do my indepth research though, I think the castles won't be much fun for the kids. I am looking for something like the King John's Castle in Ireland, where there are costumed historians helping make the history real. Unfortunately, we're too early for the Kaltenburg Knight's Tournaments. I know I'm late on planning. Does anyone here have suggestions?
Posted by
Nederland, CO
1530 posts
Burg Rheinfels in St. Goar comes to mind. It's mostly a ruin, but thee are tunnels underneath you can crawl through with a flashlight and spiral staircases that you can explore that are pitch dark. No costumed characters, but a pretty cool experience for a kid.
Posted by
Berlin
3008 posts
A typical first stop around Frankfurt is a day cruise on river Rhine (from Bingen or Rüdesheim) through UNESCO World Heritage Middle Rhine Valley, e. g. a castles tour with KD.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
1131 posts
We just did Neuschwanstein this morning and my 14 and 17 year olds loved it. Also highly recommend the treetop walk by Lech Falls - very kid friendly.
Posted by
Chicago
2047 posts
If you want real castles I would go with Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein isn't really a castle per se.
I know you aren't going near but two castles I'd recommend based on my talks with fellow tourists with families.
Heidelberg Castle
Eltz Castles
Posted by
Atlanta
5203 posts
...Frankfurt, then to Bavaria...focus is WWII history...
With regard to WWII history, before you go, check out a site named thirdreichruins.com. It has many photos take during or just after the war. Then it shows photos of the same places taken much later. Provides quite an interesting contrast.
With regard to castles, south of Frankurt there is one in Aschaffenburg and Wurzburg. Between those two cities, on the old highway, there is the small hamlet of Mespelbrunn. It has a fairy tale castle with a moat that has been in the same family for four or five centuries. You should be able to do a google search on each and see it they hold any interest for the family.
Just some options to consider.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9222 posts
You might want to check out Ronneburg Castle, which is near Büdingen and Gelnhausen. They often have medieval events there, like Jousting, Festivals, etc.
https://burg-ronneburg.de/
Kronberg which is just north of Frankfurt and easy to reach with the S-bahn, has a lovely, little Staufen Castle that has had its' rooms restored.
Cool castle ruins near Frankfurt would be Eppstein and Königstein.
Burg Rheinfels is massive and one of my favorites. You need to book a tour go through the tunnels though.
If you are interested in Holocaust history, there is quite a lot in Frankfurt and surrounding towns. It depends on what you want to see though.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2588 posts
Burg Rheinfels in St. Goar would be my first choice. I guess you now visit the tunnels with a tour. When my brother and I did it 50 (!) years ago, we did it without flashlights ! If you want to go to a ruin where you will probably be the only ones there, visit Burg Stahlberg which is above Steeg, about 1 km away from the Rhine at Bacharach.
Posted by
Michigan
217 posts
I'll also suggest Burg Rheinfels in St. Goar.. When I visited it in 2017 I thought "Wow! A kid would love this place." I loved it too and I'm no kid. There was so much space for children to run around and explore.
Your boys are going to have so much fun!
Traveler Girl