Hechingen, Germany (Burg Hohenzollern)

(Photo from www.burg-hohenzollern.com)

We went on an impromptu trip to Hechingen, Germany today to check out the Castle of Hohenzollern. The castle is the ancestral seat of the Prussian Royal House and of the Hohenzollern Princes...and does not disappoint!  Even in foggy, cold weather!

It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to Hechingen (it's about an hour drive from Stuttgart).  It is definitely a doable day trip, but if we went back we would stay the night nearby so we can check out more things in the area.  For our family it cost 25 EUR for entrance and a guided tour of the castle and another 8 EUR for parking and use of the shuttle bus to the castle entrance.  You can always hike up the hill...but with six kids under 10 yrs. old we were not about to try that!

After exploring a little bit, we ate lunch in the castle's restaurant which was surprisingly good and a fair value for the food you are given (we are always scared to eat at places where they have you trapped).  The schnitzel was a hit and we even tried some yummy cheese spatzle!

FYI, the restaurant was not decked out in the way
it appears on the website,it was way more family friendly!

After lunch we were just in time for the guided tour.  Our guide was very friendly and tried to translate as much as she could in English for us (it was a German tour).  You do have the option to purchase an English guide book from the visitor's shop beforehand but we were able to manage between our guide and the signs posted inside.

We couldn't take pictures inside but you can check out their website to get an idea of what to expect.  It was really lovely!  They did warn us that it is very cold inside the castle.  The kids were given little robes to wear and the adults had to wear a stylish pair of grey slippers while on the tour!

Afterwards we were free to roam the castle grounds and view the church and casemates.  The castle and surrounding area are supposed to be gorgeous.  We couldn't see very much due to the fog, but that was cool in and of itself because it gave an eerie feeling to the experience!

Although we didn't get the amazing views we wanted, we all still had a wonderful time and made lots of memories.  The kid's enjoyed playing on the old canon inside the castle grounds the most!

What is your favorite castle to visit in Germany?