After leaving Rothenberg, we drove through this great little town of Michelstadt to stretch our legs and grab some lunch. We stumbled up this little craft brewery after walking the windy streets and had a great time watching the rain fall outside and filling our bellies before continuing on our way to Heidelberg!
After the small towns we’d been spending time in, Heidelberg felt like a huge city!!! We loved how much there was to do here and we made the most of it. Our first night in town we hopped aboard an Airbnb Experiences historic wooden boat tour on the Neckar river. There were fabulous views of the city, the castle and the bridges.
The next day we made our way up the steep path to the Heidelberg Castle, walked the grounds and purchased an interior tour in English. I would definitely recommend spending the extra money to get inside the castle and hear more about the incredible history of this unique place! This castle has a turbulent history full of romance and wars, construction and destruction, which really makes for an interesting story. You’’ see the “exploded tower” below which was built with walls 6.5 meters (21+ feet) thick and was the castles keep – it was destroyed during the Nine Years War. It’s now one of the most visited castles in Germany and home to the largest wine barrel in the world – The Heidelberg Tun – which holds over 220,000 liters of wine!! Don’t forget to make time to stop in at the Apotheke Museum right there on the castle grounds offering an extensive and interesting insight into the history of pharmaceutics in Germany. There’s a little terrace restaurant you can pop into for a quick snack and drinks, too! Who doesn’t love a snack overlooking a castle!?
From there we walked the busy town of Heidelberg, walked the Old Bridge and checked out the Vetter’s Brauhaus where we chatted with some locals, learned about Bavarian beer laws and tasted all kinds of local brews.
After just two short days in Heidelberg, we were off to our last stop in Germany: The Rhine Valley! We slowly made our way to Vallendar, where we would be staying in this fabulous Airbnb, and stopped off to check out the Rheinstein Castle along the way. This castle was constructed in 1316 and was reconstructed in the 19th century due to dilapidation. Now it’s a beautiful castle that is open to the public, hosts events, has a great outdoor patio overlooking the castle and a beautiful view of the river!
We spent the next several days settling right into this charming area of Germany. There was SO much to do and see here I think we could stay for weeks and never see it all. We walked through Koblenz, ate ice cream at the well known E Ge Lo Sia and tried all the Rieslings (the wine this area is most known for!) at the Koblenz Wine Festival. We checked out the Marksburg Castle one afternoon which is a really popular as it’s one of the only castles that was never destroyed making for a great tour! We walked the river and loved Gretchen’s Garten, a restaurant along the river near our Airbnb. On our last afternoon, we visited the Eltz Castle.We originally found this castle mostly because Rick Steves always talks about how it’s his favorite. We immediately understood why after the beautiful winding path took us through the forest and around a corner was this picturesque view of the castle along the hillside. Located near Koblenz, this medieval castle is still inhabited by the Eltz family who have lived there since the 12th century! Worth an afternoon visit 🏰 You can wander the easy trail in through the woods or take a short shuttle from the parking lot! Tickets are available at the front gate.
