This series of 2 articles is for fellow travelers looking for an overnight stay in an authentic German castle.
In Germany we stayed at two different castles: Burg Arras in the Mosel Valley and Burg Liebenstein on the Middle Rhine. While I highly recommend both, there are practicalities to be aware of before booking either castle. This photo essay will hopefully paint an accurate picture for travelers curious about this unique medieval experience.
Our first stop was Burg Arras, the oldest existing castle in the world-famous wine region of the Mosel Valley. As of 2014 it's also the only castle in the Mosel operating as a hotel, compared with at least 3 along the Middle Rhine. Strategically erected on a hill high above the modern town of Alf, Burg Arras is accessible via a quick taxi from the Bullay train station or the ferry docks at either Alf (left shore of the Mosel) or Bullay (right shore). Our taxi ride from Alf cost about 12 Euros as our friendly driver winded through some thick forests up to the castle.
Booking a room was part of the adventure. Apparently the castle hadn't yet arrived in the Internet age, and while there's a static website, they had no email address and the phone line remained their only contact with the outside world. We had to FAX our requested date with a credit card number in order to guarantee a room. The last time I had to fax a reservation request was for a remote village in Central Japan ... and even that was way back in 2008.
We arrived at 17:30 when the Lady of the House was about to send a servant to greet us at Bullay Station. Apparently we're the only guests on this night, and the Lady wanted to make absolutely sure that we'd have no problem finding our way. Frau Maria Keuthen wasn't your typical aristocrat heir -- she's also a specialist in medical skincare and operated a cosmetic laser institute inside her castle.
While Maria did greet visitors about 6 months of the year while she's living in the castle, her female butler Andrea was the one who amazingly managed the operations of the entire castle, almost entirely by herself. Upon our arrival Andrea immediately settled us down into our private quarter, pictured above on the 2nd floor of the round turret.
While I've seen other castle-hotels with more Spartan facilities, our vaulted bedroom here came with all the modern amenities and deco you'd expect of a 4-star hotel: a comfy mattress, a sparklingly clean and spacious bathroom, satellite TV and even a safe that is entirely unneeded for such a secure location.
A fascinating part of the room was the little lounge converted from a medieval turret, complete with a small balcony perfect for reenacting any classic fairytale where the princess steps out and gets romanced by prince charming below. I won't go further to describe what we did with it.
The balcony also afforded a gorgeous view over the dark forested hills and deep valleys surrounding the castle, away from the river traffic and the bustle of the town of Alf on the backside. It's impossible to tell that we're merely minutes away from the ferry piers and the train station.
Our favorite part of the castle was the elegant living room with some priceless tapestries adorning its walls, in addition to the most breathtaking panorama over the town of Alf. It's the perfect place for an after-dinner lounge, and we're lucky enough to enjoy its exclusive use as the only guests for the night.
Dinner had to be pre-booked as part of the reservation, an easy choice for us as there's nothing else around on this remote hilltop. The castle had its own traditional restaurant, spacious enough to seat 40 though used only by hotel guests on most nights I imagine. And on this night, again we're the only patrons in the restaurant.
Prices were very reasonable considering the restaurant's unique location. While the ingredients were nothing too extravagant, nobody should complain about a 5-course dinner served by the butler at a German castle, for less than 30 Euros a head.
Andrea took our wine preferences and came back with something from the local hills within the town of Alf ... and probably within sight of the castle. While Alf wasn't the best known among the region's wine-producing towns, I've never had a bottle I didn't like throughout our time in the Mosel Valley. The overall quality of Rieslings in the region was just exceptional.
Andrea asked whether we're okay with cats, and proceeded to introduce us to Alex, "My husband," as Andrea explained. For much of the evening Alex occupied his favorite spot at the next table, minding his own business and largely ignoring the two nosy newcomers.
Our set meal started with an appetizer of cured ham, a tomato soup, a green salad, and culminating with a expertly pan-fried veal steak with herb butter. The other courses were average as expected of a hotel restaurant, but this tender and well-seasoned steak was something I'd gladly order anywhere in Germany.
Dessert turned out to be a local variant of semolina pudding. As we passed by the kitchen we saw only Andrea and a young lady inside, which led me to think that Andrea herself was likely the chef! What a multi-talented lady! After dinner we spent more time enjoying the night view of the valley from the living room, before retiring to the comfort of our own quarters. We had a great sleep in the pillowy bed.
Breakfast the next morning consisted of the typical German fare of bread rolls, cold cuts and cheese, as well as a whole selection of fresh fruits and jams. While there's always more than enough to energize us for the entire day, we finished our share quickly to allow time to explore the rest of the castle, before the arrival of day-trippers.
We climbed Burg Arras' 900-year-old tower for some crisp mountain air, as well as the best view of the surrounding countryside -- the town of Alf on the near side of the Mosel, the town of Bullay on the opposite bank, and the hilly terrain of the Hunsrück range on the horizon.
While enjoying the 360-degree panorama above the rooftop, I spotted something hiding suspiciously behind the old brick chimney. Alright I thought ... I'll wait it out and see whether you're curious enough to come out and see eye-to-eye with me ...
There it is ... a cute little owl making a comfy home in the warmth of castle's chimney! Meeting this mysterious tenant was the highlight of our morning, which we found much more interesting than the castle's medieval altar or its eclectic collection of curios from medieval weaponry to tiger pelts to Korean embroidery.
The first of the day-trippers arrived shortly after 10:00, just when we were ready to check out and head back to Cochem. We signed Maria's guestbook and thanked her for the wonderful hospitality, after which Andrea kindly chaufferred us down to the ferry pier. Andrea took great care of us during our short stay and we simply couldn't thank her enough.
We said goodbye to Andrea at the ferry pier in Alf, on the left bank of the Mosel. We could have asked her to drop us off at the Bullay train station on the opposite bank, but we wanted the full experience of crossing the Mosel by the twin towns' tiny pedestrian ferry. The crossing cost a measly 1.5 Euros, took about 3 minutes, and offered some nice vistas of both towns from the river.
The quick ferry brought us to Bullay, where we hopped on the local train to Cochem to pick up our large backpack from the winery-guesthouse where we stayed earlier. This concluded our first ever stay in an authentic castle, and while it wasn't cheap, both of us agreed wholeheartedly that it was worth every Euro. At this point my wife still didn't know, that I had booked yet another castle for the upcoming night ...
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