even fairytale castles and palaces in Germany. More than 60 of them dot the 745-mile Castle Road, or Burgenstrasse, between Mannheim in the west to Bayreuth, near the border of the Czech Republic in the east.

Some are famous, such as the mountaintop fortress of Nuremberg, which is also part of the north-south Romantic Road of castles and palaces. Others are almost obscure, such as the castle in Bayreuth, a city far more famous for its lavish opera house and annual opera festival.

No matter, because there’s something memorable for your clients to experience in every castle or palace in Germany in any season, especially warm weather months when there are outdoor music and food festivals, and the view from a mountaintop castle is picture postcard perfect.

From west to east, these are the major markers along Germany’s Castle Road, which winds back and forth between the bordering German states of Bavaria and Baden-Wurtenburg.
Mannheim, halfway between Frankfurt and Stuttgart, this historic city is justifiably famous for its massive u-shaped Baroque palace in the heart of downtown. Some of the opulent rooms are open for tourism. It’s less famous as the birthplace of the automobile – Karl Benz and his family lived here, and it is here that he patented the first “vehicle with gas engine”. His wife, Bertha, is documented as being the world’s first woman driver. But that’s another story.
https://www.visit-mannheim.de

An hour west on a modern road Bertha Benz would have enjoyed more than the rutted carriage roads she traveled, Burg Steinsburg in Sinsheim is a small mountaintop fortress with a large 360-degree view. But the real reason to stop here is the Technik Museum, one of the world’s largest museums, focusing entirely on transportation technology. It is an airport-sized bounty of American “muscle cars” from the 60s-80s, historic race cars including Formula 1, historic trains and motorcycles, historic airplanes including an original supersonic Concorde, even a few WWII German submarines, better known as U-Boats, plus exhibits of the motors and engines which powered them.

Heilbronn is known today for its vineyards, which polka dot the hillsides surrounding the city. It was founded by the Romans in 741, who may have stopped here for its natural springs. It’s an important port city on the long and winding Neckar River, a tributary of the Rhine. There’s a small Renaissance-style palace here, built in the 1500s by a Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, and a world-class science museum downtown.
https://www.burgenstrasse.de/uk/Castles-and-Palaces/Tour-3/Heilbronn.html

WWII made Nuremberg famous as the site of the trials of hundreds of Nazi officers, both high-ranking and not, for war crimes. The former Palace of Justice, where the trials were held, now houses a formidable museum about the history of both the crimes and the trials. Nuremberg has both a downtown palace and a mountaintop fortress, both open for touring. The palace is all gilt rooms and furnishings, with a magnificent garden including walking paths lined with topiary. The fortress holds Medieval history and armor and a 360-view. Your clients can visit both in a single day, but would need additional time also to visit the city’s unique Bratwurst Museum, for its history of the world-famous German food.

Veste Coburg, the sprawling mountaintop fortress, is one of three historic palaces and castles here in Coburg. This is the hometown of the royal House of Saxe-Coburg, whose most famous member is Albert, who married a British royal named Victoria. The couple vacationed here often, usually staying in Ehrenburg Castle, downtown. Be sure to try a Coburger bratwurst, which is roasted on pine cones.
https://bavaria.travel/stories/daytrip-coburg/

Bayreuth is the eastern-most city on the Castle Road, a Baroque gem even for those who are not music fanatics. Composer Richard Wagner left his mark here, living and working here for decades. His former home is now a museum, and his works are performed at the annual Richard Wagner Festival in July and August – it’s a tough ticket, so if your clients are interested, book seats now. Composer Franz Liszt also lived and worked here, and his former house also is now a museum.

All of the cities of the Castle Road also participate in Germany’s nationwide culinary event, Spargelfest, from mid-April to mid-June, which celebrates the new crop of delicate, tender white asparagus, which is cut before it breaks ground and turns green. Spargel is on menus everywhere, as long stalks served with ham and decorated with Hollandaise, in soups and risotto, even ice cream and liqueur.