You might reconsider if you have a trip to Burg Eltz planned this summer. We just got back. I was so excited about getting our family picture at this beautiful castle. We hiked and rounded the corner and.... 90 percent of it is covered in plastic and scaffolding!!! We were SO disapointed. We were staying in Bacharach, so the train ride and hike both in and out ended up taking the entire day. If I had known it was under this much renovation, I would have changed plans!!! So check before you go. Christine
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
You have to count on about a quarter of the destinations you want to see in Europe being under renovation. That's how these centuries-old sites stay standing. It's not hard to determine what may be under renovation when you visit. The local tourism office website is a good place to start. I'm sorry you were disappointed, but research into such matters is pretty easy online.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32202 posts
Christine, I took exactly the same trip last year, and was also staying in Bacharach at the time. At that time, the Castle was partially covered in Scaffolding and there was a large yellow construction Crane on one side (I checked my photos just to make sure I was remembering the details correctly). However, the top portion of the Castle was completely visible. While it was not as good for photos, I didn't feel that it didn't really affect my enjoyment in visiting the Castle. My trip didn't take a full day, as I used a Taxi from Moselkern to the Castle, rather than hiking, and then the Shuttle down the hill. On the way back I took a Taxi to Löf to get the train to Bacharach (the Taxi was based there, so it was a bit easier - they dropped me right at the station). It was a long day, but not overly strenuous.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8942 posts
This forum, or the one on Trip Advisor are good for getting up to date information on any sites that people are visiting. I actually lean more towards Trip Advisor as most of the Destination Experts actually live in the areas about what they are answering questions about. The other advantage is that all the areas you are visiting will have subforums so people who have just traveled there will also have up to date information. If the RS forum had a more user friendly search function or more seperated out forums, then it too would be easier for you to have searched out this information. I am pretty sure that people have posted on here that Burg Eltz is covered with scaffolding. Anyway, sorry to hear that your plans were shot. Hope the tour inside was worth it though and you found another beautiful spot for your family photo.
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
Sorry to hear about this, I hope you enjoyed touring the interior. We had the same experience in Pisa in 2001, when the leaning tower was not open to visitors, and covered in scaffolding. I think you just have to love the trip you had for what it was, because in every trip there are unexpected delights and disappointments. I am an obsessive travel planner, and have missed stuff like this on some of our trips. So, don't feel bad thinking that should have known. As Rick says, assume you will return.