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Alsace fortified castles in 2 days from Strasbourg

2 days · 6 châteaux · 192 km

Ortenbourg, Kintzheim, Haut-Koenigsbourg, Hohlandsbourg, Lichtenberg and Fleckenstein: the ridge of the Vosges from Strasbourg.

Written for visitors based in Strasbourg, which the TGV reaches from Paris in under two hours. The castles of Alsace sit on the eastern edge of the Vosges, and the six here fall into two groups: three on one hillside above Sélestat, then Hohlandsbourg above Colmar and two castles in the northern Vosges close to the German border. The first day is short on driving and the second is not; the practical lines below say where the 100 km fall. Most of these are ruins reached on foot from a car park, so wear shoes for a path, not a lawn. Only the Haut-Koenigsbourg needs a ticket bought ahead in summer; the ruins are free or paid at the gate, and each fiche says which.

Day 1

7 km on the road

The Ortenbourg is a free ruin about 30 minutes on foot above Scherwiller: take it first, then Kintzheim and the Haut-Koenigsbourg, 3 km apart on the same hillside.

  1. château de l'Ortenbourg (Ortenbourg Castle)

    Scherwiller · Bas-Rhin

    12e siècle475 reviews

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  2. château de Kintzheim (Kintzheim Castle)

    Kintzheim · Bas-Rhin

    4 km from the previous stop12e siècle837 reviews

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  3. château du Haut-Koenigsbourg (Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle)

    Sélestat · Bas-Rhin

    3 km from the previous stop

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The rest of the route

The stops on the following days. The full plan, with distances, goes out by email.

Day 2

Hohlandsbourg above Colmar in the morning, then about 100 km north to the other end of the Vosges: Lichtenberg, and Fleckenstein, a castle cut into the rock a few kilometres from the German border.

Before you go

Opening seasons vary from one castle to the next, and several close for part of the year. Check each castle’s fiche before you fix your dates: it carries the hours and prices as they were verified, with the date of verification.

The order of stops is chained nearest-first from the starting town, and distances are as the crow flies: allow a third more by road. Only châteaux whose opening to the public we know are included.