That’s right, I partied at a castle in Germany. I have been waiting for SO LONG to be able to say that. And guess what? Anyone can party at a castle in Germany when they visit during the winter!
And the cool thing is, you don’t have to be royalty to do it too. You don’t even have to know anyone else at the castle. All you need to do is buy a ticket and go to southern Germany around Christmas.
Easy-peasy, lemon-squeasy.
Doesn’t sound real? Let me break it down for you.
Why we wanted to party at a castle…
When I was researching which Christmas markets my friend Elise and I should visit on our 2 week-long trip to southern Germany, I tried my best to have a mix of big city markets and smaller, local markets. I thought I did a pretty good job. But I knew that we wanted to visit a castle.
This was Elise’s first time to Europe, and, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see a fairytale castle in person? This was pretty much the only request she had for the trip and I was happy to oblige.
If you know anything about Germany, you’re probably aware that there are so absolutely spectacular castles along the Romantic Road in southern Germany. I’d already been to a few of them, and was eager to tour a new-to-me castle.
Everyone who dreams of visiting a German castle envisions Neuschwanstein. And I get it. The castle is stunning and oddly familiar to anyone who has ever seen anything Disney-related. But there are so many other castles that don’t get as much love and attention as the big beaut. And I wanted to see something else.
I marked the locations we’d be visiting on this trip on a map, and traced the potential routes we’d be taking by train. I then pulled up a map of all the castles in the region to see which ones would make sense to go visit. Although Neuschwanstein was in the region (or at least easy to get to), I opted to remove that from our potential list.
If you’ve ever visited Neuschwanstein, you know why. Hours-long lines to purchase tickets, get into the castle, only to realize it’s much more impressive outside from a distance. We could do better.
I had my short list of castles in Baden-Württemberg and started to Google. The castle needed to be easy to access via public transportation, open to the public, and satisfy anyone’s castle-viewing dreams.
My eyes fell to the Hohenzollern Castle on the outskirts of Hechingen.
Not only did this castle look like Hogwarts, but it reminded me of the time I visited Corvin Castle in Romania.
This is the one, I thought.
After some further research, I found out that this castle not only is open to the public, but hosts a Royal Winter Magic market at Christmastime. And anyone can buy tickets. We were going to party at a castle in Germany. Score!
So…Elise and I partied at a castle in Germany!
The journey to get to the castle was a little confusing and full of freezing cold waiting for a bus that never showed up, but once we got to the castle it was all worth it.
Don’t worry – I’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to get to the castle in the winter for the Royal Winter Magic market!
Purchasing your tickets
Although you technically can purchase your tickets day-of, I would highly recommend purchasing them ahead of time online. Although the probability of the tickets selling out is slim, if you’re traveling to the Hohenzollern Castle from afar I, wouldn’t want you to be disappointed.
Purchasing your tickets to party at a castle is as simple as going online and making the purchase. There’s a little wiggling icon on the bottom left corner of the screen that says “get your tickets now at the online price,” which you’ll want to take full advantage of.
Next, select “Events” and then “Royal Winter Magic (year).”
You’re then taken to the page where you select which tickets you’ll need, based on age of the visitors and count of people. I do believe they offer a free ticket for every 15 tickets purchased.
Getting to the Hohenzollern Castle
The Hohenzollern Castle is located in the southwestern part of Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and easy to get to via car, train, and bus.
Honestly, if you want to party at a castle, your best and most direct option would be to travel via train. If you’re not familiar with the area, traveling via train will help take a lot of the craziness away from the adventure.
No matter your origin, set your sights on the Hechingen station. From there, the website says you can take a bus directly to the castle.
This was the information I was going off of, not knowing that winter weather alters the bus schedule. We ended up arriving at the train station too early for the shuttle bus that actually comes to collect party-goers, and ended up waiting in the cold snow for over 2 hours before we grabbed a taxi.
Later we found out that there indeed was a bus to collect party-goers…but we were just too early.
For the best driving directions, check out their website.
Note that the bus will drop you off at the parking lot for the castle, where you will then hop on a small shuttle that winds its way up to the castle!
It’s time to party at a castle in Germany!
As you walk up to the castle, the anticipation builds. You start to see the decorations and luminaries lighting your path. If you’re lucky and time your visit just right, you might be walking up the driveway in a blanket of snow, adding to the magic.
You cross over the threshold of the keep and the interior courtyard opens its arms to welcome you. Cute little stalls are scattered around, selling enough food and drink to satisfy any hungry and cold voyager.
You walk around the courtyard and grab some hot drinks and snacks as you poke your head into the chapel. And then quickly down them because it’s time to enter the castle on a grand tour!
Of course you get a grand tour of a small section of the castle!
I couldn’t believe how beautiful the interior was. Christmas trees in every room, tapestries and family histories draped over the walls, opulence and grandeur in every corner…basically everything you want when you visit a castle.
After your tour, mosey around the little stalls and see what’s going on. There are covered tables that you could rent if you have a large group, and standing tables if you just need a place to eat your food.
When you are filled to the brim with hot cider, yummy food, and wonder, it’s time to head out of the castle and back to the shuttle. The pickup will happen just past the main gate and there will inevitably be a queue of people waiting. Hop in line and get ready to squeeze back into the shuttle.
The shuttle will drop you back off at the parking lot where you can either hop in your car, call your taxi, or pick up the local bus that will take you to the train station. And then you can say that you successfully attended a party at a castle in Germany!
Have I convinced you to party at a castle in Germany? Are you ready to add this to your bucket list?
Have any questions? Drop me a comment!
Sharing is caring! Please show some love by sharing on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Thank you!
PIN ME
