Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg

This castle, the Château de Haut-Koenigsbourg, is located in the commune of Orschwiller in the Bas-Rhin département of France, at the peak of the Vosges mountains. Koesnigsbourg means "king's castle" in German, and this castle is one of the most visited attractions in France.

In terms of size, it is a relatively large castle, and is definitely worth visiting. Both the interior and exterior of the castle are breathtaking, and for those of you who like castles, it's an absolute must-see.

The castle was built in the twelfth century and has been passed from many an important family to another. Originally, it was used as a hideout to patrol the routes that saw the transport of wine and wheat, as well as silver and salt. It was plundered and abandoned on several occasions, so it saw quite irregular usage back in the day. The castle was used in this way until the German emperor, Wilhelm II, rebuilt the castle and turned it into a museum, whilst conserving its appearance and medieval architecture.

Within the castle itself, you can see several rooms, cannons and other contraptions used several centuries ago.

Besides, another point that's very much in favour of you visiting are the amazing views of the Alsace region that you will have from the highest point of the castle.

I personally liked the exterior of the castle the most, as it was just really nice to walk around the periphery of the grounds and the view of the construction itself is simply quite beautiful; although, this is usually what I say about every castle that I visit. Of all the castles that I have visited, this is one of the ones that strikes the best resemblance to the typical castles that you see in the movies, and it honestly seems like you have gone back to medieval times.

The best thing to do would be to visit either in the morning or after lunch, and it's even better if you buy your ticket in advance to avoid the queues. The ticket prices are as follows: adults, 9€; groups and students, 7€; and children [aged 6-17], 5€. To make the absolute most of your visit, I would say that you need 2 hours at the very least, but that obviously depends on the pace of your visit, as I am personally quite quick to make my way around monuments and other tourist attractions of this type.

The castle's opening hours vary quite a bit depending on what time of year it is. During the winter months, the castle is open from 9:30 until 12 noon and then again from 13:00 to 16:30. However, in summer, the opening hours change to 9:15 until 18:00. The castle is closed on 1st January, 1st May and 25th December.

You can also buy yourself a souvenir in the castle gift shop. I bought myself a postcard of the castle as seen from above, but they sell absolutely anything and everything there; it was funny seeing a little boy with a shield and a sword that he had bought there.

I visited the castle as part of a trip organised by my university; before arriving here, we went to the Vosges. However, you don't need to find a tour or organised excursion to visit, you can easily get there yourself by car or on public transport.

From Strasbourg, it takes around 50 minutes to get to the castle by car, but if you don't want to rent a car, the best alternative transport would be catching a train to Sélestat and then taking the bus up the mountain.