Burg Eltz is one of the most well-known castles in Germany, with its beautiful stone turrets, hidden away in the middle of the Rhineland-Palatinate countryside. It is one of the only castles in the region to be still standing. Burg Eltz is definitely somewhere you have to visit if you are in the area, not just for the view of the outside, but also to discover its rich history.
The castle is still owned by the original Eltz family who began living in the area in the 12th century. Although, now it is split into three “apartments” in which three segments of the family share. Burg Eltz brings with it some fun stories too, like the 6 year period it was under “siege” or the fact that at one point, 100 people lived inside!
We had the pleasure of visiting Burg Eltz last summer on our road trip through Germany. We were staying in the Mosel Valley so we visited Burg Eltz on a day trip to explore the castles in the Rhine River region.
Here is your complete guide to visiting Burg Eltz
How to get to Burg Eltz
Burg Eltz is located in the countryside just north of the Mosel Valley. You can find it on the map here. If you don’t feel like visiting alone, you can find my recommendations for the best tours of Burg Eltz at the end of the article!
Car
Driving to Burg Eltz is relatively simple. You can follow google maps to the Eltz Castle car park, and from here you can either walk or take a shuttle bus up to the castle. The drive is through quite windy forest roads which is really beautiful to see. When searching for the car park, be careful to select the right one otherwise you might end up hiking from the completely wrong place as we did. On google, this means choosing “Parkplatz Burg Eltz” and not “Wanderparkplatz”. Although, the walk from Wanderparkplatz to Burg Eltz was beautiful – you don’t have the option of the shuttle bus if you choose this!
There is a €2 parking fee for cars and €4 for camper vans or cars with trailers. The walk up to the castle takes around 15 minutes from the main car park, and if you opt for the shuttle bus it costs €2.
Public Transport
It is possible to travel to the castle by public transport. This probably means a bus and train connection depending on where you are arriving from. The bus options are limited to Saturdays and Sundays during the summer season. However, it is only a 5km walk from Moselkern station to Burg Eltz so it is definitely possible to visit the castle on weekdays too.
Bus
There is a bus that you can catch to Burg Eltz, however, it only runs on certain days and from certain places. The RegioRadler Burgenbus runs from Treis-Karden to Hatzenport, via Pyrmont Castle and Burg Eltz four times a day on Saturdays and Sundays from May to October.
This is quite a limited line but a good choice if you are staying in one of the areas. These buses also allow bicycles on board so are perfect if you want to explore the cycling trails around the castle during your visit to the castle.
The bus drops you at the car park where you can either walk or take the shuttle bus.
Train
The train station closest to Burg Eltz is called Moselkern Station and it is 5km away from the castle itself. Trains go daily from Cochem, Trier, and Koblenz to Moselkern making it easy to visit Burg Eltz as a day trip from the Mosel Valley or the Rhine river region.
If you want to catch the bus connection, it is also possible to catch the train to Hatzenport or Treis-Karden, where you can catch the RegioRadler Burgenbus to Burg Eltz. Be careful if you choose this option as the buses are very limited (as I mentioned above)!
How to reach Burg Eltz
You can either walk from Wanderparkplatz car park, walk from Parkplatz Burg Eltz car park or take the shuttle bus from here to the castle entrance. The shuttle bus costs 2 euros, while the car park costs 2 euros for cars and 4 euros for camper vans or cars with trailers.
How long to spend at Burg Eltz
If you include the hike from the car park, wiring for tickets, and walking around the castle I would say you need to spend around 2 – 3 hours at Burg Eltz to see everything! Obviously, this can be longer or shorter depending on how busy it is on the day you visit!
Visiting the castle
Burg Eltz is not only beautiful from the outside but great to walk around. Inside, you can walk around one section of the castle, looking at furniture, paintings, and artifacts from hundreds of years ago.
The courtyard area has a gift shop, toilets, and a small cafe which is open from 9.30 – 18.
The castle is open from 9.30 – 18 and has guided tours in German, English, and Dutch that depart every 10 – 15 minutes depending on how many people there are to take the tour!
We were one of the first groups into the castle and ended up getting a private tour as there were no others who wanted the tour in English! The tour itself takes around 40 minutes and you get to explore one section of the castle. You also get entry to the treasury where you can see armor, weapons, and treasures that the Eltz family collected from all over the world. There is no photography allowed inside the castle itself, but you can take photos in the courtyard.
The best time to arrive at Burg Eltz
Honestly, this depends on you and what you want to get out of Burg Eltz.
If you want to get there early to take photos without other people around, I would say to arrive around 1-2 hours before the castle opens. We visited Burg Eltz in the peak season (end of July) and arrived at 7.30 am and were the only people there!
If you want to visit Burg Eltz purely to see and walk around the castle, I would still recommend arriving early but it is not crucial to your visit. The castle is open from 9.30 – 18, but the queue for tickets builds up quickly. By 10.30 you will be waiting around 30-60 minutes to buy a ticket! Therefore I recommend visiting around 9/ 9.30 or later in the afternoon.
The best time to visit Burg Eltz
The castle is only open from spring – Autumn (usually from the start of April to the end of October). You can find the exact dates here.
The best time to visit is usually in the off-seasons, so in April and October. However, even in the peak season, it is not overly busy. There is a structure to how many people can enter the castle at once so visiting at a busy time won’t hinder your experience. It will only mean you might have to queue for a while longer to purchase tickets.
Save this post
You might also enjoy these posts
- Bacharach, Germany – A hidden gem along the Rhine River
- Monreal, Germany – A Guide to the Half-Timbered Eifel Village
- Road trip in Germany – The Ultimate 2 Week Germany Itinerary
- One Day in Lübeck, Germany | The Best Things To Do In Lübeck And Travemünde
- A Complete Guide To Visiting Burg Eltz, Germany’s Fairytale Castle
- The Best Mosel Valley Road Trip, Germany
- The Ahr Valley, Germany – Hiking The Beautiful Red Wine Trail
We are on a Viking river cruise that visits Koblenz, Germany. Their excursion to Fairy-tale Eltz Castle is full and we are looking for another way to visit the castle. Are there any tours from the port where ship is docked to the castle? Thank you for any help in this.