Am thinking about a trip to Germany next year, flying into Dusseldorf and then a few days to drive south along the Rhine or the Moser rivers. I'd like to visit a vineyard or two, and some castles for the boys to see.

Anyone done a castle drive or castle cruise? Any thoughts?

Along the Rhine, Heidelberg Castle is pretty impressive with spectacular views.

If you head down to Bavaria to the town of Fussen (umlaut over the u) . There, you can visit Schloss Neuschwanstein (the "Cinderella" castle) and Konigsschloss Hohenschwangau. The castles are only a mile or so apart which makes for an easy walk between them.

PM GATC. He knows Germany as well as anybody I know with a wine interest.

Ludwig built some wonderful castles in Bavaria.
Hohenschwangau, Neuschwaustein, Linderhof & Herrenchiemsee are all interesting.

That would be a fun trip. We spent a few days driving from Frankfurt then driving along the Rhein then going up and down the Mosel then ending up in Heidelburg.

Obviously Neuschwanstein is a must see, but it is in Bavaria, closer to Munich. That and the other Ludwig castles are relatively new (Neuschwanstein actually has some electricity and plumbing IIRC) and in pristine shape. The castles along the Rhein go from very old to relatively old and have been attacked for centuries. The castle in Heidelburg (which is on the Mainz, I believe) has good views but it is a ruin.

The best castle to see around that area is supposed to be Schloss Eltz. It is along the Mosel and is impossible to get to. If you go from the river side, you have to walk over a hill (mountain?). Our car got stuck so we back up and went around 8 miles to get to the backside. You still have to walk about a mile from the parking lot. It is very well preserved (probalby because no one could find it to attack it). There is another castle on the Mosel (Reichbourg or something like that) that is impressive when you drive along the river. Hard to get to (again you have to drive a few miles and get to it from the back even though you can get to within 1000 yards from the river side - you just can't get to it).

The castles along the Rhein in a certain stretch is really impressive, but they are best seen from a boat. If you drive (we have done both) you are UNDER the castles on your side and can only see the ones on the other side. We did not visit many (most are ruins anyway) because the sign for a castle is an icon that looks like a factory with a sawtooth roof line) so we passed a half a dozen before we knew it.

As far as wineries, Rieslingfan has a great write up about his visit to Donnhoff (Nahe) and Leitz (Rheingau). I visited Dr. Loosen and another (the name escapes me). Visiting wineries there is not like visiting a winery in Napa and you have to plan well ahead and do a lot of legwork. I also went at a time when there was a big event in Hamburg and most of the people were out attending that. The people at Selbach Oster (was it Johann Selbach? recommended a great place to stay nearby) and we really enjoyed that. Seeing the steep vineyard oon the Mosel really is quite a sight.

We also enjoyed our visit Trier (a roman town) near the end of the Mosel.

Thanks for the information!