Hohenzollern Castle visitor guide — everything you need to know before visiting

At a glance

Admission

One day and one one-hour slot; the length of your stay is not limited

Included

The car park and the shuttle bus up to the gate

Format

Self-guided, so the visit does not depend on the language you speak

Seasons

28 March to 1 November, then Royal Winter Magic from 20 November

How the timed admission works

Your ticket carries a specific day and a one-hour admission slot. That hour is only the window in which the ticket gets scanned at admission control. Once you are inside the complex, the length of your stay is not capped and you can take the museum rooms, the chapels and the ramparts at whatever pace suits you. The castle sells the middle of the day first, so if you want a quiet walk through the royal rooms, an early or late hour is usually the better pick. If traffic delays you on the way, the castle asks that you ring its visitor information desk rather than simply arriving late, and they will sort the admission out.

Getting there and parking

Burg Hohenzollern stands on its own conical hill between Hechingen and Bisingen in Baden-Wurttemberg, about 234 metres above the town. You drive to the car park at the foot of the hill. Both the parking and the shuttle bus that takes you up to the gate are already paid for inside the ticket price, so there is nothing further to settle on arrival for either. If you would rather walk up, the climb through the beech woods takes roughly half an hour and is steep in places, which is worth knowing before you set off in poor weather or with small children.

What you see inside

The museum rooms hold the crown of Wilhelm II and personal effects belonging to Frederick the Great, the two objects most visitors come for. The Count's Hall is the architectural set piece, with red marble columns and painted scenes from the family's history. There are two chapels, one Protestant and one Catholic, which is itself a comment on the dynasty that built the place. Outside, the curtain wall and its bastions give you the long view out over the Swabian Alb that made the hill worth fortifying three separate times.

Why there have been three castles

The first castle, put up by the Counts of Zollern around 1040, was destroyed in 1423 at the end of a siege that had lasted a year. A second went up between 1454 and 1461 as a genuine fortress, then fell into disrepair after the last Austrian occupant left in 1798, until only St Michael's Chapel remained usable. The building you visit is the third, raised between 1846 and 1867 by Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia to designs by Friedrich August Stuler. It was never meant to hold off an army. It is a nineteenth-century monument to a family that had long since moved on to Berlin.

When to come

The castle runs two seasons with a gap between them. The summer season covers 28 March to 1 November. The winter season, which the castle calls Royal Winter Magic, opens on 20 November and prices are higher. Between 2 and 19 November the museum rooms are closed and only the grounds are open, so our ticket, which includes the museum, cannot be booked in that window. Winter tickets are the ones most likely to sell out, and the castle itself recommends buying online rather than relying on the terminal or cash desk on the day.

Which ticket to pick

There are three tickets worth considering. The adult ticket also covers pensioners, which is the castle's own grouping rather than ours. One reduced ticket covers pupils aged 12 and over, students, and visitors with a disability; bring photo ID or the document the concession rests on. Children aged 4 to 11 have their own cheaper ticket. Under-4s are admitted for a nominal fee paid at the castle itself, so there is nothing to buy for them in advance and we do not sell one. If you are staying in the Black Forest, ask your host whether they belong to the Black Forest Plus Card scheme: card holders book a free ticket directly with the castle, so you would not need one from us.

Arriving by train and bus

You do not need a car. Trains run to Hechingen, a small station where the bus stop is only a few metres from the platform, and buses from there run to the castle car park. Route 306 runs through the season, and route 344 adds services at weekends and on public holidays between May and mid-October. Regional day tickets such as the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket cover the bus as well as the train. From the car park, the included shuttle bus takes you up to the Eagle's Gate, or you can walk up in about 25 minutes.

Before you go: dogs, bags and the cold

Dogs on a short lead are welcome on the castle grounds, the shuttle bus and in the restaurant, but not in the museum rooms, chapels or cellars; certified assistance dogs are the exception. Hiking rucksacks, walking sticks and umbrellas are not allowed in the museum rooms, and the visitor information desk will keep a rucksack for you. The museum rooms are not heated, so in the colder months dress as you would outdoors. Drones are banned over the whole castle hill.

Food, drink and the audio guide

The castle restaurant is open daily, with regional dishes and vegetarian and vegan options, and in summer the beer garden under the old trees has around 180 seats with a view of the walls. Both sit inside the ticketed area, so your admission ticket covers getting to them. There is a free audio guide too: scan the blue QR codes along the route with your phone to hear or read the history in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Romanian, Chinese or Japanese.

Frequently asked questions