The Burgenstrasse is a well-known historic autoroute through southern Germany. This beautiful route from Mannheim to Bayreuth goes for almost 1000 km through (mainly) the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The route passes by more than 80 castles, fortresses and aristocratic residences and more places of interest. The route once continued for another 400 kilometers in the Czech Republic.

The star ratings (4.4*) of the sights are taken from Google Maps. This allows you to decide for yourself what you want to watch and what not. Suggestions for other points of interest along the route are also provided. Some castles are in use as a hotel or as a residence and cannot be visited. Or rather: you can sleep there for a night.

We leave Nuremberg on the east side and follow the river Pegnitz for a few kilometers. There we first pass the castle Schwaig 4.3*. The castle is used on special occasions and is available to rent. It is not very beautiful or special so we drive on to Lauf an per Pegnitz.

In the middle of the town of Lauf on an island in the Pegnitz is the Kaiserburg, the former residence of Emperor Charles IV. It is also often called Wenzelschloss. This is because the former castle chapel was dedicated to Bohemia's national saint - Saint Wenceslas - and in later years the fortress took on the character of a castle as a nursing home. The complex, which has been thoroughly renovated in recent years, houses a tourist office, which is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two rooms, the Kaisersaal and the Wappensaal, are available for weddings. 4.5*

Although both castles Welser and Koler in Neunhof cannot be visited and also not very special, Neunhof is still worth a visit. It is an old place with more special buildings, including the St. John's Church. You can also visit the local Wiethaler brewery. 4.6*

We drive via Eschenau to Heroldsberg, where four castles are located near each other: the red, yellow, white and green castle. They are more country houses than castles, by the way. The white castle now houses a museum with changing exhibitions. But the castle has been renovated so rigorously before that that there is at least little to see inside except what is on display. The other castles are not open to the public. Again, the advice is: take a walk through the village, because all in all it is quite worth it.

We drive towards Forchheim and pass a number of less interesting castles along the way. The first is Hallerschloss in Kalchreuth. Until 2015 it was a hotel, now it is no longer open to the public. We skip Marloffstein Castle (and a few more, small ones) and arrive at Atzelsberg. Unfortunately not open to the public, but it is a beautiful castle. You can enter if you rent it for your wedding or other special occasion. 4.5*

The rest of the castle route goes through Franconian Switzerland, which lies in a triangle between Nuremberg, Bamberg and Bayreuth. The image of this holiday region is shaped by strange towering cliffs, idyllic orchards, romantic fortresses, enchanting caves and picturesque mills. The route passes through ten places worth seeing in Franconian Switzerland: Forchheim with the "Imperial Palace", the "heart of Franconian Switzerland", the town of Ebermannstadt, Muggendorf-Streitberg with the Bing cave (Binghöhle), Egloffstein in the Trubachtal, Gössweinstein with the pilgrimage basilica of Balthasar Neumann, Pottenstein with a 1000-year-old castle and the Devil's Cave (Teufelshöhle), Waischenfeld, Aufsess with the highest brewery density in Germany, Heiligenstadt with the Greifenstein Castle and Memmelsdorf with the Seehof Palace. And we visit Bamberg and (in the next and last route) Bayreuth.

We first arrive in Forchheim, another beautiful old fortified town with a lot to see (half-timbered houses) and to do. Here you will find the Palatinate Museum 4.6* in the old castle. Time for a walk and a cup of coffee or maybe lunch, for example at Brauereigaststätte Hebendanz 4.4*. Also take a look at the market, where the old town hall (4.1*) and the church (4.5*) can be found. Both are very imposing buildings.

The route continues to Wiesenthau. The castle there is a hotel and event location and not open to the public. Further on is Egloffstein Castle. An imposing building that sits above the village. 4.4* Then we arrive at Pretzfeld Castle, which is not open to the public. That is not a problem because it is not a very special castle. The route continues to Ebermannstadt, the heart of the "Fränkische Schweiz". A nice city to walk through and have lunch, for example at WOK !t 29 (4.6*) or at the city cafe (4.5*).

We drive on to the Wiesentthal and first arrive at the ruins of Streitburg Castle. Not much is left of it, but you do have a nice view over the village and the valley. 4.6*. Nearby is the famous Bing cave (Binghöhle) 4.7*. The route continues to the ruins of Neideck Castle, an 11th-century hilltop castle with a tower with panoramic views. 4.7* We now arrive in Gössweinstein at the castle of the same name. This is in excellent condition and beautiful to look at. It houses a small museum. We pass a smaller castle Pottenstein with a small museum (4.3*). Near Pottenstein is also a special cave, the Devil's Cave (Teufelshöhle). 4.6* The next castle, Rabenstein, has become a hotel-restaurant. It is located in a very nice place and the view is very nice. Furthermore, it is not accessible. 4.4*

Next castle is Waischenfeld. Not much more remains of the castle than a high lookout tower. There are sometimes historical events. 4.4* We continue to Aufseß. There are two old castles in Aufseß: Unteraufseß and Oberaufseß. Unteraufseß Castle was first mentioned in the 12th century. At this castle you can see a beautiful evangelical church. 4.6* The name Aufseß (formerly Ufsaze) means "sitting on the rock", describing the site of the castle. Oberaufseß Castle was built in 1690 by Karl Heinrich von Aufseß. This was the year when the two brothers Friedrich and Karl Heinrich from Unteraufseß went different ways because of their religion. The road along Oberaufseß, now a hotel, is very beautiful. 4.2*

A little further on is Greifenstein Castle (not to be confused with the castle of the same name near Bad Blankenburg in Thuringia). A very nice castle again, in a beautiful place. Consider a visit. 4.5* A little further we pass Wernsdorf Castle. This castle is dedicated to culture and there are occasional cultural events. 3.9*

We are now near Bamberg where we will spend the night. Bamberg is a very beautiful place with a rich history and no less than two castles (the old one outside the city and the new one in the middle of the city), many bridges over the Regnitz and a very beautiful old city center with many half-timbered houses. 4.8* Today or tomorrow you can visit the old castle Altenburg, just outside the city. It's really worth it. 4.7* You can spend the night in, for example, Altstadt Hotel Molitor (€99, price level 2021) 4.4* or Hotel Alt-Ringlein (€99, price level 2021) 4.3*