Details
Founded: 1200-1236Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
Rating
4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)
User Reviews
Leandra Swiers (2 years ago)
Great views. Peaceful. Since it consists of multiple castles, there is lots to see. You can buy an information booklet at the cafe. Cafe offered beverages and cake. Friendly service. One of the castles hosted a small museum which was closed. Unclear when it would be open.
Great views. Peaceful. Since it consists of multiple castles, there is lots to see. You can buy an information booklet at the cafe. Cafe offered beverages and cake. Friendly service. One of the castles hosted a small museum which was closed. Unclear when it would be open.
Danielle Cummings (2 years ago)
Came here today (a warm September Thursday afternoon) with my three kids ages 6, 4, and 2, and a friend with her 6 year old. We parked at the Wanderparkplatz .3km away from the castle, which was easy to find when set as our destination in Google Maps using GPS directions. The lot is paved and free, but is rather small; it fits about 10 cars if done well, though thankfully it is largely shaded, at least late in this late summer afternoon. Though the lot is close to the castle entrance, the wide gravel path is entirely uphill, and stroller friendly, aside from the incline and the fact that you can't use the stroller in the castle, and took my kids about 10 minutes to climb. Once at the base of the castle, there are several different paths to take, but you need to go through the gate next to the house-like building (which is actually a drink/ice cream kiosk) to access the interior of the castle. From there you can get up to Altdahn and Tanstein castles; there is a middle castle which we assumed is Grafendahn castle that we weren't able to figure out how to get in, though there are railings and a flagpole at the top. Anyways, the castle has free admission but does have limited hours (10-5 on this September day). Just in front of the gate there are two informational signs (one on the fence and one on the rock behind it, the latter having a map in English, French, and German). Once through the gate, you can decide which castle to start with. We went left and explored Altdahn castle first, which is the largest and most time consuming to explore as it has many stairways and hallways and nooks and rooms (some of which are quite dark, though some had automatic light sensors). We almost got "lost" a few times, not remembering which halls or stairs we had already taken. This castle took over an hour. Tanstein is much smaller and can be explored in about 20 minutes at a quick pace. The whole complex is very reminiscient of the nearby Drachenfels (which can be seen from this castle) and Fleckenstein castles, but the unique aspect here is that you can almost see the progression in the method of building and designing - Tanstein feels much older and more worn than Altdahn does, while Altdahn has beautiful trim and design that Tanstein doesn't have. The castle is largely safe, but I'm sure a determined toddler or reckless preschooler could manage to fall from one of the bridges or stairways and seriously injury themselves, as there are steep, uneven rocky steps with adjacent cliffs all over, though all stairwells and platforms have railings or walls, if they do have gaps here and there. Point being, watch your children and be careful yourself. The tops of each castle are very sunny, so bring hats/sunglasses/sunscreen if the season warrants. The views from the tops of each castle are stunning. We were there for 3 hours in total, which includes exploring the castles at my 4yo's walking/stair climbing pace and several breaks to take snacks. The food kiosk has wine, ice cream, tea, and a few other menu items I didn't look through as the first two items were all we wanted. There are some benches within the castles themselves, but the only picnic tables were surrounding the kiosk at the base of the castle. Overall, this is a great free castle for people of all ages (but warrants being quite cautious and watching over children carefully), with plenty of ruin to explore and views to appreciate, though hours are limited, but made better by the fact that there is a kiosk serving refreshment during opening hours and the close if small parking lot. FYI, this is a review of the entire castle complex so is a duplicate of that which I wrote for Tanstein, though the photos are only of this castle, the entrance, or parking lot.
Came here today (a warm September Thursday afternoon) with my three kids ages 6, 4, and 2, and a friend with her 6 year old. We parked at the Wanderparkplatz .3km away from the castle, which was easy to find when set as our destination in Google Maps using GPS directions. The lot is paved and free, but is rather small; it fits about 10 cars if done well, though thankfully it is largely shaded, at least late in this late summer afternoon. Though the lot is close to the castle entrance, the wide gravel path is entirely uphill, and stroller friendly, aside from the incline and the fact that you can't use the stroller in the castle, and took my kids about 10 minutes to climb. Once at the base of the castle, there are several different paths to take, but you need to go through the gate next to the house-like building (which is actually a drink/ice cream kiosk) to access the interior of the castle. From there you can get up to Altdahn and Tanstein castles; there is a middle castle which we assumed is Grafendahn castle that we weren't able to figure out how to get in, though there are railings and a flagpole at the top. Anyways, the castle has free admission but does have limited hours (10-5 on this September day). Just in front of the gate there are two informational signs (one on the fence and one on the rock behind it, the latter having a map in English, French, and German). Once through the gate, you can decide which castle to start with. We went left and explored Altdahn castle first, which is the largest and most time consuming to explore as it has many stairways and hallways and nooks and rooms (some of which are quite dark, though some had automatic light sensors). We almost got "lost" a few times, not remembering which halls or stairs we had already taken. This castle took over an hour. Tanstein is much smaller and can be explored in about 20 minutes at a quick pace. The whole complex is very reminiscient of the nearby Drachenfels (which can be seen from this castle) and Fleckenstein castles, but the unique aspect here is that you can almost see the progression in the method of building and designing - Tanstein feels much older and more worn than Altdahn does, while Altdahn has beautiful trim and design that Tanstein doesn't have. The castle is largely safe, but I'm sure a determined toddler or reckless preschooler could manage to fall from one of the bridges or stairways and seriously injury themselves, as there are steep, uneven rocky steps with adjacent cliffs all over, though all stairwells and platforms have railings or walls, if they do have gaps here and there. Point being, watch your children and be careful yourself. The tops of each castle are very sunny, so bring hats/sunglasses/sunscreen if the season warrants. The views from the tops of each castle are stunning. We were there for 3 hours in total, which includes exploring the castles at my 4yo's walking/stair climbing pace and several breaks to take snacks. The food kiosk has wine, ice cream, tea, and a few other menu items I didn't look through as the first two items were all we wanted. There are some benches within the castles themselves, but the only picnic tables were surrounding the kiosk at the base of the castle. Overall, this is a great free castle for people of all ages (but warrants being quite cautious and watching over children carefully), with plenty of ruin to explore and views to appreciate, though hours are limited, but made better by the fact that there is a kiosk serving refreshment during opening hours and the close if small parking lot. FYI, this is a review of the entire castle complex so is a duplicate of that which I wrote for Tanstein, though the photos are only of this castle, the entrance, or parking lot.
Derek B (2 years ago)
Beautiful site to visit. Plus it's free!
Beautiful site to visit. Plus it's free!
Melissa Corkin (2 years ago)
We LOVE this castle, but they really need to update their listings to reflect that it is still closed 2 years after COVID.
We LOVE this castle, but they really need to update their listings to reflect that it is still closed 2 years after COVID.
Teddy The Bear (3 years ago)
I love this place. I was living in Dahn around 1990, had a "Postcard" view of these ruins from my living room. We'd walk up the hill to see this place just about every weekend. Looks like things are a little different from when I was there.
I love this place. I was living in Dahn around 1990, had a "Postcard" view of these ruins from my living room. We'd walk up the hill to see this place just about every weekend. Looks like things are a little different from when I was there.
