My night sleeping like royalty
Staying in a castle is a part of a family vacation your children won’t soon forget.
(Oh! Did you think this was going to be a blog post about how to beat jet lag and have your little prince and princess sleeping like a dream? Reach out to us here; we would love to share all our tips and tricks with you!)
There’s just something about castles that grabs our imaginations. My two sons, from a very early age, loved to dress up as knights and pretend they were defending their castle from the “bad guy” raiders (the oldest once dressed our middle child up as a dragon and then tried to “defeat him,” but that’s another story for another day). Princes and princesses, knights, lords and ladies… something about all of it enthralls us.
Historians (castleologists?) estimate that Germany has between 12 and 25 THOUSAND castles and many- or their ruins- can still be toured. Some are even now available for weddings, events and- like Arenfels castle where my family stayed last summer- great places to spend a few nights of your family vacation.
So how do you go about finding a castle to stay in for a whole or part of your next family trip? As simple as it sounds, it helps to know the word for “castle” in the national language (in German it’s schloss) to help in your search, especially to find the smaller castles that often provide an amazing experience at a fraction of the price. Quite a few countries have associations of castles that will contain good information, including ways to book. Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO all have filters to search for “unique properties” like a castle or estate. And don’t worry, you don’t necessarily have to book the whole place: Schloss Arenfels, for example, offers a variety of rooms to potential guests.
A castle is more than just a place to lay your head, though. Many castles are still family- or small business-owned and operated, and will most likely love to share more about the castle and the surrounding region with you. And, of course, take advantage of any tours and other programs the castle may have available; many castles in Germany, for example, offer a tour in English a few times a week. We also recommend choosing the “bed and breakfast” option when it's available; who doesn’t want to eat a delicious European breakfast in a 14th century dungeon or wine cellar?!
Even with jet lag, picky eaters, mishaps and unknowns, family travel is fun. Staying in a castle for all or part of your family vacation is a great way to get to know more about the peoples and cultures of your host country and a unique experience your family won’t soon forget.