Burg Eltz

You can get near it by train. Take the S-Bahn to Mainz, then the regional train to Koblenz, then a regional train to Moselkern, on the Mosel. You'll have to walk the last mile or so through the woods to Burg Eltz.

You can get closer to the Marksburg, the only other castle in the area never destroyed, by going to Braubach, on the right bank of the Rhein, up from Koblenz.

Thank you.

As Lee said. Take any train to Koblenz then transfer to a local train (regional bahn) that stops in Moselkern. Only the local trains will stop at this small station.

The hike up the trail to the castle is half the fun - through a forest along a stream. It's not steep until you're almost at the base of the castle.

My directions to the trail were a little confusing so I asked some school kids and they walked me to the trail head.

While you are there a stop in Trier is well worth your time with possibly a night in either Trier or Cochem.

Thanks once again.

Jerry,

Thanks for posting this question. I'm heading for Burg Eltz later this year also, so the replies have been helpful.

I plan on taking the train to Moselkern, taking a Taxi TO the Castle and hiking back. Will be interesting to see how well that method works in reality. There's a good description of the route to the Castle.

Happy travels!

I have heard that there are no taxis in Moselkern. The road route to Burg Eltz comes to the castle from the north. There might be rail stations closer than Moselkern. Google Maps shows the castle in the middle of Wierschem, but in reality it is several miles SSW of Wierschem. It looks like any taxi route to Burg Eltz would go through Münstermaifeld, but it does not have a rail station. Münstermaifeld does have bus service from Koblenz (!2 hrs, 1 transfer w/ 3 min walk).

The Burg Eltz website, www.burg-eltz.de, gives walking instructions to Burg Eltz, but doesn't say anything about a taxi. There is an email address (Burg@Eltz.org) on the website. You might try writing to them about taxi access.

My husband & I hiked up to the castle in 2006 after taking the regional train to Moselkern. There was no one on duty at the station, and little to no information there. We were unsure about the correct route to the castle, but we made it late in the afternoon. Other English speaking tourists were there and one of them requested a tour in English. After a short wait we got the tour. By then it was getting late & I did not want to hike back through the woods. I was looking for a helicopter to take me out! A young woman traveling alone told us she took a taxi to the castle from the northern route. She then called a taxi to take the 3 of us to the train station in which we had arrived. We gratefully paid all of the fare. The view of the castle from the road above is fantastic!

Lee,

The Taxi option was mentioned in the Guidebook, and that's why I figured it might be a good choice. Rick lists some phone numbers for local Taxi firms, so I can always call them before arriving in Moselkern and try to arrange a trip to the Castle (one benefit of travelling with a Cell phone). Hopefully they speak English!

If that doesn't work, I guess I'll be walking (I'm sure I need the exercise!).

If you want a taxi, you will want a phone number to call them. The station is very small and there won't be taxi's waiting around outside.

"Hopefully they speak English!"

Why is that a problem? ;o)

Seriously, though, if they can, you should find out if they can pick you up at the station in Hatzenport. Although Moselkern is just down the hill from the castle, there are only paths between them. To get to Burg Eltz by road (>10 km), you have to go through Münstermaifeld, and Hatzenport is a little closer to Münstermeifeld than is Moselkern.

Lee,

Thanks for the additional information! I'll have a look at the route you suggested. What is the size of Hatzenport? Will there likely be Taxis waiting there? It appears that Hatzenport is only 4-minutes from Moselkern by train.

Please know that Berg Eltz is under extensive restoration. I was there in early Sept and inside and outside the castle was receiving some much needed repair. Just wanted you to know in case you would alter your plans.

I second the opinion that the hike to the castle is half the fun.

The hike up is nice but longer than I thought it would be. It's embarrassing to admit but when we walked out of the train station we had turned ourselves in the wrong direction up a road, not into the little town. We were obviously lost and nice Germany couple observing us were very kind and insisted they drive us as far as they could and we could hike the rest of the way. (Since we were on a road they were worried about our safety - hardly any English but I recognized "safety". I think part of the experience of seeing this castle is approaching it on foot through the woods and I wouldn't do it differently again. Just don't do what we did and go the wrong way.

Hatzenport doesn't look any bigger than Moselkern, I think you would still have to make the arrangements in advance either way. It just looks like a shorter distance. I don't think there is anything special about Moselkern, that you would have to start there.