Castle quest

The best real Castle in the region would be Burg Eltz on The Moselle River,Heidelberg has nice castle ruin on the hill top,Brubach on the Rhine has Marksburg Castle very nice,St Goar has Rheinfels ruins which is nice to visit,back on the Moselle in Cochem is Cochem Castle which is worth a visit,I have been to all of these castles and liked each one,then there is the Castle in Nuremberg which is ok.These suggestions should help you to select what to see and you should get the RS Germany Book.
Mike

Thank you,i really need help with this trip.are the museum/castles closed on Monday in German? Are they free the first Sunday of the month?

You are zig-zagging with your travel plan. It doesn't make any sense to go down to Heidelberg, then back up to Mainz and Bacharach, then back down to Stuttgart. If you get out a map, you can see how to plan this more efficiently.

For castle opening times, check the individual websites. There is no general rule as they are all different, locations in different states and run by different tourist boards, etc.

3 nights in Heidelberg might be a bit much. Were you planning side trips? Mainz or Frankfurt would be better for that due to their central locations. Check your dates though, as the large Auto Mechanika trade fair held from 13-17 Sept. in Frankfurt will make prices for hotels shoot sky high.

I agree with the previous posts, Mike lists the best castles in the region and as Jo points out, there is no need to go to Heidelberg first.
Mike mentions the real castles, since a lot of the many castles in the region was destroyed at some point or another in their history. Many have then been rebuild in the 19th century during the gothic revival, so they are not really historical castles, but fantasy castles (The most famous being Neuschwanstein near Fussen south of Munich). The only real surviving Castles in the region are Burg Eltz on the Moselle and Marksburg on the Rhine above the town of Braubach, while the ruins of Burg Rheinfels above St. Goar are quite impressive as well.
If you stay in Bacharach you can actually stay in a castle, Burg Stahleck, that was rebuild as a youth hostel and used to indoctrinate the youth during the Nazis. I haven't stayed there, only visited for lunch, the inside feels like a standard youth hostel, but the setting is remarkable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stahleck_Castle
However i would say that 3 days in Bacharach is bit too much, especially if you plan on going up the Moselle as well, then a nmight or two in Koblenz would be a better choice, since it's a transport hub.

Jo's right - go to the Rhine first. With 3 nights you could surely visit Eltz, Rheinfels and Marksburg castles. All three are authentic castles that will be open every day in September. Rick Steves talks up Bacharach like it's the best town of all, and it is a very nice town, but most of the Rhine towns are similarly attractive. I suggest St. Goar as a base town in your case (a couple of train stops north of Bacharach) because of your castle-focus. That way you have one castle right in town which you can visit when it's convenient, and you are logistically well-positioned to travel to the others; St. Goar has a ferry that crosses the river all day long (the best way to reach Marksburg...Bacharach does not) and there's a train station on the opposite river bank in St. Goarshausen which lets you explore towns and castles (like Marksburg) on that side. And St. Goar will cut 20 minutes off your longer day trip to Burg Eltz and the Mosel River.

HERE is St. Goar's most complete list of accommodations.

HERE IS THE VIEW from the riverfront in St. Goar with Burg Katz (one of 3 castles you can see from St. Goar.)
St. Goar's main street (Heerstrasse) is for pedestrians only and is lined with small shops and eateries. Rheinfels Castle overlooks the town in THIS PHOTO.

St. Goar is also more convenient if you plan to do a river cruise (a good place to end it) and it has a somewhat smaller train-noise problem than Bacharach. Bacharach's castle hostel is an option but it is so far up the steep hillside that coming and going on foot into/from town whenever you want to go somewhere is time consuming and pretty taxing. It's better to stay down in town where you can get to the station more easily. You can of course visit Bacharach easily for a few hours from St. Goar (it's a 10-minute train ride.)

You may also want to do some hiking/walking to enjoy the scenery. The clifftop walk between St. Goar and Oberwesel is exceptional; the uphill climb to the trail begins at the St. Goar train station. Oberwesel is in between St. Goar and Bacharach is also worth a visit.
VIEW OF OBERWESEL AND AUF SCHOENBURG CASTLE-HOTEL
You can have a nice walk along Oberwesel's old town wall - check out this map which shows the path and the location of the 18 towers.

In September there are wine fests every weekend with fireworks on Saturday, like THIS ONE IN OBERWESEL so enjoy yourself but do reserve in advance no matter what town you stay in - they are popular events and rooms fill quickly.

"Stuttgart for 3 nights,2 nights near fussen,3 nights in munich and 1 in Nuremberg"

Stuttgart and Füssen seem really overweighted here. I'd want at least a 2nd night in Nuremberg - there's a lot there. There's also a lot in the towns that surround Nuremberg like Bamberg and Würzburg which are both UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Füssen "castle" Neuschwanstein is a tourist magnet but it is really a late 19th-century building with a faux castle exterior - not a real castle.

Maybe look at adjusting the above schedule a little, or maybe a lot. With 9 nights altogether, I would probably advise my best friends to drop Stuttgart and Füssen in favor of the Nuremberg area and Munich (which also has car stuff like Stuttgart does) - and possibly toss in a day trip or a couple of nights in the Salzburg/Berchtesgaden area.

Since Mainz ( or your Rhine destination ) and Heidelberg are so close to Frankfurt, I would go directly there unless you are arriving at night. As was mentioned, certain dates are expensive. I will arrive during one of those dates and could not find a reasonable rate.

Your Castle Quest could go beyond Germany. There are some magnificent castles in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. Both in the region of your plans. The Castle in Budapest is more of a fantastically beautiful public building built upon the ruins of an ancient castle; and not to be missed.
Here are a few of my favorites
Czech Castles
karlstejn castle http://abjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DSC00825-1024x768.jpg
Zvikov Castle http://36.media.tumblr.com/400dd72077629a7ca882ee08ae871c3a/tumblr_ndnomvh2ei1sa2m4go1_1280.jpg
Slovakian Castles
Bojnice Castle http://www.slovakia.com/photos/photographer/11/1353337812_bojnice-castle-11710-1920x1200.jpg
Spis Castle
http://www.worldfortravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Spis-Castle-Spissky-Hrad.jpg
Orava Castle
http://www.slovakia.com/photos/photographer/13/1342436751_foto_web_castle_orava_P5034336C.jpg
Budapest
http://1drv.ms/1mrQ3Li

Thanks to all for the help and advice.since I have never been to Germany,it's hard for me to know the time and distance from one place to another....so,i think it's the Rhine then Stuttgart,munich then Nuremberg.a friend of mine is from Slovakia so I will talk with her.I'm flying on a buddy pass so have to be selective where to fly in/out.I will have 3 weeks for this trip...really want to see Prague!!! Would like to go to Krakow ...exit cities are prague,vienna,budapeat in area

I really love the castles in Slovakia..really nice pucs,thank you

I meant pics☺.I just booked apartment in koblenz instead....I'm listening and learning..thx to all...you might have to deal the questions for awhile but I really do appreciate all of you helping me with my trip....not that it really matters but I will be traveling by myself so if you have any advice on that or train passes I could use some help

Also booked in st.goar so will decide which is more convenient.have bookings in Prague starting the 14th so will have to fill in the gaps...Rhine from 4 to 7th

dobbielou, you said you were going on public transportation. The Slovakian castles are pretty special, but they can be challenging to get to on public transportation. Unlike western Europe the tourist trade hasn't caught up with Slovakia and these places are still in relatively isolated and rugged beautiful locations. There are ways and I can hook you up with a guide that might be able to give you some advice. I love everything about Slovakia so for me it’s worth the time and effort. The route would take you from Bratislava through the High Tatra Mountains ending in Kosice where you pick up a train to Budapest. Budapest requires 3 full days. A full day is where you wake up and go to bed in the same town.

Oh, in the Czech Republic I forgot the castle at Cesky Krumlov. I will send you a PM with some more information.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/06/06/bourdain-cooper-budapest-sot-ac.cnn

Just back from Germany, I would add these ideas:
Not far outside Stuttgart on the train network (less than 15') lies Esslingen, a remarkably well-preserved medieval city with much to offer in its pedestrian-only centre. The Goldmund cafe is worth finding, as are the Champagne ( sorry, Sekt) cellars and tasting rooms.
The F.Schreiber museum details the history of children's illustrated books and other printing breakthroughs in a fun upstairs museum, and there is a fine hat store, market, wine stores, etc.. It holds a Mediaeval Christmas Market in Nov./Dec. that rivals Rothenburg's.
As for Munich, my friends took me to the Nymphenburg Palace, a baroque gem that holds the "Schoenheiten" - portraits of many of the most beautiful women in King Ludwig's time. The faces look at you with timeless intelligence and life, and are remarkable. The gardens of this pleasure castle are also well worth a long walk, around the ornamental lake.
Not far from the Hauptbahnhof lies the Rosengarten, a modern park built for the Munich Olympics and surprisingly peaceful, with many different mini-gardens from Thailand, Japan, etc. -and a good cafe/biergarten in the centre by the children's playground.
Dallmayr's delicatessen is worth visiting just to see the range of foods and products on offer in this classic Munich cafe/business. The cafe is upstairs, and often quiet. Munich has many hidden squares in the centre with lovely outdoor cafes and restaurants - enjoy!