Heidelberg Region

This Romantically crumbling castle rambling across a forested hillside above the city offers a fascinating glimpse into castle architecture from the 13th through 16th centuries... » more

You can climb inthe passenger seat of a race car and feel what it is like to scream around Germany's Hockenheim Ring—or even take to the track at the wheel of your own car (note: this is almost certainly not allowed by any rental car contract; still)... » more

Crumbling 13th-century walls extend from the high castle ramparts past grassy lawns right down into the red roofs of the village below, and sparrow hawks coast on the thermals below the castle windows, their keening calls mingling with the distant rush of the Neckar River. The eight rooms in the main castle building have more character and better river views than the (slightly cheaper) 17 modern rooms in the Marstall. [€€]... » more » book

The exterior and many public spaces of this 15th-century castle in a forest above the village of Jagsthausen near the Romantic Road look and feel wonderfully period. The rooms—though nice—are fairly modern. Go for a canpopy or four-poster bed in the main castle rather than one of the blander rooms in the side bulding. [€€] » book

This is the 11th century castle hotel you want to send postcards home from just to make your friends jealous. Perched amid vineyards above a bend in the Necker River, its four-star rooms are largely modern but with the occasional antique armoir, beamed ceiling, or period-appropriate canopy bed. Good restaurant-with-a-view, too. [€€] » book

You gotta love a Neo-gothic castle surrounded by its own vineyard that's also a four-star hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant. The rooms, with views over the Murgtal valley town of Gernsbach, are posh and modern, though some part of the castle date back to its origins in the 13th century, with additions and restructuring going right through the 1800s. [€€] » more

Just 13 spacious, stylish, contemprary rooms in a gorgeous 18th century Schloss in the Allgäu countryside east of Lake Constance toward Bavaria that was built by the counts of the Waldburg-Zeil branch of the Waldburg family. [€€] » book

The foundation dates to the 11th century, but this castle on a hilltop between Stuttgart and Heilbronn is largely Renaissance. Some rooms feel somewhat period with dark woods and chandeliers; others are modern. Oddly enough, it is also a golf resort. [€€] » book