Castles

Of course there is always the Heidelberg "castle", which is really more of a palace. I once traveled by train up the Neckar to Stuttgart and remember seeing a number of castles above the river. I'm sure others here will know what they were. There are several around Bad Wimpfen.

As Lee noted...

There's several castles along the Neckar River between Bad Wimpfen and Heidelberg. With the exception of Schloss Zwingenberg, and Mittelburg in Neckarsteinach (both of which are private residences and not open to the public), most of them are in various states of ruin. The best preserved are the Heidelberger Schloss, Burg Hornburg and Burg Hirschhorn, which serves as a restaurant/hotel. The town of Dilsberg is sort of like a castle itself.

Also near Heidelberg, many of the towns along the Bergstraße (route B3, which runs north to Darmstadt) are overwatched by a castle. Except for Burg Windeck (completely rebuilt in the early 20th century) above the town of Weinheim, all are also partially ruined. Starkenburg above the beautiful town of Heppenheim hosts a youth hostel, Schloss Auerbach above the town of the same name provides a fantastic view of the broad upper Rhine plane (called Ried in Germany), and Burg Frankenstein has a pretty good restaurant as well as giving an amazing outlook over Darmstadt, Frankfurt and the distant Taunus mountains. And yes, it's the namesake inspiration for Mary Shelley's fictional character, but otherwise has no relation to the story.

I know less of what to find around Stuttgart, but three come to mind. Burg Hohenzollern, the ancestoral home of Germany's former ruling dynasty, rebuilt as a shrine to the family in the 19th century. Burg Lichtenstein, which you've probably seen pictures of in travel literature. And Burg Teck, which I've never visited, but is visible from the A8 Autobahn right before it ascends (and usually hits a major Stau) into the Schwäbische Alb mountains.

Oh, and I should add this... if you're relying on public transportation, you'll need to do A LOT of uphill hiking to visit the castles of the Bergstraße. An Sbahn runs the length of the length of Neckar valley, and most of the castles there don't sit as high on top of the mountains, so visiting here without a car is a little easier on your legs.

Thanks to all...and keep up the good work☺I will be going with public transportation,thinking of rail pass because going to Prague then krakow,never used one but thinking I could see a few castles in a day from Stuttgart???

I'm thinking of getting rail pass because going to Prague and Krakow....is this a good idea?just started my planning so sure lots of questions to follow

"I'm thinking of getting rail pass because going to Prague and Krakow....is this a good idea?"

Before you get any rail pass, read the excellent discussion from The Man In Seat 61: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#Should%20you%20buy%20a%20railpass%20or%20pay-as-you-go

If the only international trains you are taking are these two (Germany to Prague and Prague to Krakow), a rail pass will be a huge waste of money. But you have to do the math and include all your trips to figure if one will be good for your specific needs. The article I linked will walk you through what to consider.

Schloss Zwingenberg, just north of Heidelberg, is a nice walk from the center of town up through vineyards and forests. The castle is partly ruined but still has enough to explore. The town of Zwingenberg is also a very picturesque stop on your way up the Bergstrasse or the main rail line that runs north/south. I spend three months there when I was in college and loved this small town!

Ah, yes. Burg Hohenzollern, although some would say it is not a real castle, having been built in the second half of the 19th century as an apartment for Wilhelm I. It is, however, built on a hilltop occupied by Hohenzollern castles for a thousand years, does resemble a real castle, and is very impressive.

It's not between Heidelberg and Stuttgart, but a little southeast of Stuttgart, but certainly an easy day trip from Stuttgart. I takes about an hour to get from Stuttgart to Hechingen, the nearest town with a rail station. There is one bus per day each way between the Hechingen Bhf and the base of the mountain (there is a regular shuttle from the bottom up to the castle). The only bus leaves Hechingen Bhf at around 11:25 and returns at around 4 PM.

You can also walk from the station to the town square where there are taxi that will take you to the castle.

Just to clear up any confusion...

Anita and I referred to two different castles in two different towns, relatively close to each other. The Schloss Zwingenberg she mentions is in the eponymously named town on the Bergstraße in Hessen, whereas the one I mentioned is in Zwingenberg on the Neckar River in Baden-Württemberg. It's not unusual for multiple different towns throughout Germany to share the same name (see all the "Rothenburgs"), but rare for two towns with identical names to be located so close to each other.

Thanks Tom! I wasn't aware of the other Zwingenberg! That really could have been confusing!