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Christmas in a castle hotel on the Rhine -- suggestions?

Posted by on

I'm taking my 84-year old mom on a "bucket list" trip in December. We are revisiting some old favorites (Vienna and the Christmas Markets along the Danube) and visiting places she's always wanted to go (Bamberg, Bacharach, Paris). We've planned a month for the trip, to allow us to take our time traveling west to east since she tires pretty easily. One thing she told me she really wanted to do was stay in a castle (hotel) while we are in Germany. We're doing Air BNB apartments for the majority of the trip, but since I know that Germany shuts down for Dec. 24 and 25, I thought it might be cool to do our castle hotel stay on Christmas eve and Christmas day.

Any suggestions for that type of lodging along the Rhine (between Cologne and say, Mannheim)? Thanks in advance.

Posted by
678 posts

Take a look at Castle Schoenburg (Castle Hotel Auf Schoenburg) in Oberwesel. It is up on a hill with a very pretty view of the Rhine below. It is also not too far from a great Christmas market in Rudesheim on the Rhine.

Posted by
2252 posts

My husband and I attended a wedding held at this hotel recommended by Pat (Castle Hotel Auf Schoenberg) a few years ago and were privileged to spend the entire weekend in one of the most gorgeous rooms I've ever stayed in. Certainly for us, the entire weekend was a once in a lifetime experience and one I will always treasure. It's a beautiful castle in a beautiful setting. Google it for photos of the rooms and it's site overlooking the Rhine river.

Posted by
1034 posts

This suggestion is not on the Rhine, it's on the Mosel. Not too far from the junction at Koblenz though, so I thought I'd throw it out there. It's Schloss Zell, in the pretty little off-the-beaten-track town of Zell an der Mosel. We stayed here in 2010 and really enjoyed it. The proprietor was very welcoming both over email and once we arrived. We were offered a free glass of wine in their beautiful grape arbor (for you at Christmas, they have a lovely little stube.) The room was beautiful and comfortable, and the breakfast was delicious. So was dinner, as we discovered. As we sat drinking our free wine, food kept being delivered all around us that smelled so good we decided not to go foraging elsewhere. It's not a huge castle on a hill, but it's very gemütlich - cozy and traditional. Just a different thought.

Posted by
798 posts

We have stayed at Auf Schoenberg three times. The location and view are magnificent and the rooms are fantastic as the pictures on their web site will show. Two caveats: 1) Their menu is a bit trendy, you might want to check it out on their web site. 2) When you make you reservation be sure you are in the part of the castle that has an elevator as the stairs could be a bit much for your mother. Also request a river side room ... the rooms overlooking the land have great views too but for this trip you want the river. It is not cheap, but it is a place that you will not forget.

Posted by
44 posts

Thanks, everyone! I'll check it out. As always, this forum and the people who participate in it come through for me!

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