When you think of German cities, you likely imagine the bright lights and grandeur of cities like Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt, yet, there are also a plethora of smaller and equally charming cities, such as Stuttgart.
Situated in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, Stuttgart is a small but enchanting metropolis that is perched upon the Neckar river and offers visitors a rich and exciting history. But, like many cities in Europe, step beyond the hustle and bustle of the center, and you can discover a completely different side to the city in the form of an abundance of historic castles.
This list will highlight the best castles near Stuttgart, their key points of interest, as well as practical information.
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Where to Stay in Stuttgart Stuttgart is the best place to base yourself if you want to see the best castles close to the city. You can book a rental car, or take the train, to visit the best castles near Stuttgart. Hotel Zur Weinsteige: Located only a 10-minute walk from the stunning Neues Schloss Palace, the Zur Weinsteige is a family-run hotel featuring traditional charm. It is filled with carvings and antiques and offers romantic rooms with an antique yet modern look. The hotel is situated at the foot of the Weinsteige hills and within walking distance of the old town of Stuttgart. Book your stay here. Maritim Hotel Stuttgart: The Maritim is an elegant hotel located in a quiet area of Stuttgart. It offers spacious rooms and suites and three restaurants. After visiting the castles close to Stuttgart, you can relax at the indoor pool and spa or enjoy massages and beauty treatments. Book your stay here. EmiLu Design Hotel: The hotel is located in the centre of Stuttgart, the Stuttgart-Mitte district. After sightseeing, you can relax in the sauna, on the terrace, or work out in the fitness centre. Some rooms have a balcony or offer a view of the city. Book your stay here. How to Get Around Stuttgart The best way to visit the castles near Stuttgart is by car. I recommend booking a car through Discover Cars. They guarantee the best price, you can compare all rental car agencies’ prices, and you can modify or cancel your booking for free. Click here for more information and to check the latest prices. You can also book a guided city walk in Stuttgart, including the New Palace and the palace gardens with beautiful sculptures, fountains, and lakes. Click here for more information and to book this tour. Alternatively, you can take the Deutsche Bahn trains to see the castles near Stuttgart. Click here for more information on train tickets.
12 Castles you should visit near Stuttgart
1. Naturkundemuseum Stuttgart, Schloss Rosenstein
Though not a castle, one of the best things to do in Stuttgart is to visit its Naturkundemuseum, otherwise known as The State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, which has a wonderful display of state-owned natural history collections.
Parts of the exhibit were largely destroyed during the Second World War, but luckily, many were kept intact after having been sourced out.
There are two buildings that house the exhibitions, which are located in Rosenstein Park; the paleontology and geology exhibits are houses in the beautiful Lowentor Museum, whilst the biology and natural history displays are houses in the gorgeous Rosenstein Palace.
Where: Stuttgart, Germany
When: 19th century
Style: Baroque
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
2. Solitude Palace
Built in the grand and charming Rococo architectural style, the beautifully named Castle Solitude was originally constructed as a hunting retreat by the decree of Charles Eugene, who was the Duke of Wurttemberg.
The castle was constructed between the years 1764 and 1769 and was designed by the architects Johann Friedrich Weyhing and Philippe de La Guepiere; the castle is nestled between Stuttgart, and the town Leonberg, which is in the Gerlingen region of Germany.
The outside of the castle is in the Rococo style, but the inside is entirely different and is built in the style of classicism, and each room is incredibly designed.
Where: Weilimdorf, Germany
When: 18th century
Style: Rococo and Classicist
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
3. Neues Schloss Stuttgart
The Neues Schloss in Stuttgart, otherwise known as The New Palace, is a stunning example of 18th-century Baroque architecture, and it is one of the last remaining city palaces in the south of Germany.
The palace was once a historic residence for the Kings of Wurttemberg, and its name stems from its commissioning by the Duke Carl Eugen of Wurttemberg, who replaced an earlier existing castle with the new palace.
The castle is right in the city center of Stuttgart, and it is a very popular tourist destination; visitors are entirely captivated by the Schloss’s grand and impressive presence and the layers of history that are present at the site.
Where: Stuttgart, Germany
When: 18th century
Style: Baroque
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
4. Schloss Neuenbürg
Schloss Neuenbürg, located in the Enz district in Baden-Württemberg, is only an hour away from Stuttgart, making it the perfect place to go for a day trip.
The castle was first constructed in approximately the year 1200 and was built by the Counts of Calw-Vaihingen. The Habsburg royal family bought the castle, but soon the people from the area took over the castle.
During the 16th century, the castle undertook long renovations and extensions. During the Thirty Years’ War, a fire destroyed the castle, but it was later reconstructed.
Where: Neuenbürg, Germany
When: 1200
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
Check out: The most famous German castles to visit.
5. Monrepos Lakeside Palace
Monrepos Palace is a stunning lakeside Schloss that is located in the town of Ludwigsburg in Germany. The palace is part of a larger estate and complex of palaces, including Favorite Palace and Ludwigsburg Palace, and it is connected by pedestrian footpaths that wind through the gorgeous green space.
Though one of the smaller and more minor palaces in the complex, it is nonetheless an important part of its overall history and heritage. It is still owned today by the royal family of Wurttemberg after it was overthrown in 1918.
Since the 16th century, the lake by the palace has been a hunting spot popular with the Dukes of Wurttemberg.
Where: Ludwigsburg, Germany
When: 16th century
Style: Baroque
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
6. Schloss Favorite, Ludwigsburg
Schloss Favorite is part of the same estate and complex as the previously discussed Monrepos Palace. It is a beautiful Baroque Maison de Plaisance and a hunting lodge located in the town of Ludwigsburg in Germany.
Schloss Favorite was constructed between the years 1717 and 1723, was built for the Duke of Wurttemberg, Eberhard Ludwig, and was designed by the architect Donato Giuseppe Frisoni.
Later, in the year 1806, the park that the palace is located in was converted into a menagerie by King Frederick I of Wurttemberg, and the house was used as a hunting lodge.
However, in the 20th century, the palace fell into decline and was not opened to the public until 1983.
Where: Ludwigsburg, Germany
When: 18th century
Style: Neoclassical
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
7. Schloss Berneck
Schloss Berneck, otherwise sometimes known as The Altes Schloss, or ‘Old Castle’ in English, is located in Bad Berneck in the south of Germany; it is a ruined castle that was built in the Gothic architectural style, and was constructed during the end of the High Middle Ages.
The castle is beautifully perched upon the Schlossberg of Bad Berneck, or the Castle Hill of Bad Berneck, and is in the Upper Franconian district of Bayreuth in Bavaria.
Many visitors are attracted to this site, as the history of the castle is fascinating, its geographical location is incredibly scenic and photogenic, and it is close to a lovely spa park called Kurpark.
Where: Bad Berneck, Germany
When: 14th century
Style: Medieval
Open for visit: Always open to the public
8. Waldeck Castle
Situated nearby to the village of Doweiler in the Rhein-Hunsruck-Kreis district in the Rhineland-Palatinate lies the stunning and historical Waldeck Castle.
The castle towers above the Baybach valley, and the original castle was built in the year 1150 by William I of Heinzenberg. The castle has a long and extensive history that has fascinated visitors for centuries; it was partially destroyed in the year 1689 by the French during the Nine Years’ War, which is also known as the War of the Palatine Succession.
The castle was actively used until the year 1833, when the family of Boos von Waldeck sold it to the Rhineland.
Where: Doweiler, Germany
When: 1150
Style: Medieval
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
9. Ludwigsburg Residential Palace
Sometimes referred to as the ‘Versailles of Swabia’, Ludwigsburg Residential Palace is an enormous palace in Ludwigsburg, in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany.
It has a total of 452 rooms across 18 buildings in a huge palace complex, as well as having the largest palatial estate in the entire country. Work began on the palace in the year 1704, when Eberhard Louis, who was the Duke of Wurttemberg, decreed the construction, with the architect Philip Joseph Jenisch to be in charge.
The palace combines an array of different architectural styles, both with its interiors and exteriors, including Baroque, Neoclassical, Rococo, and Empire styles, which gives it a truly grand and unique appearance.
Where: Ludwigsburg, Germany
When: 1704
Style: A combination of styles
Open for visit: Yes, for more information, check here.
10. Heidelberg Castle
Heidelberg Castle is a monumental and important landmark in the German town of Heidelberg and is one of the most beautiful and enchanting castles in the vicinity of Stuttgart.
Today, the castle is merely ruins, but they demonstrate some of the highest and most magnificent architecture of the Renaissance. The earliest castle that existed on the site was built before the year 1214, before later being divided and expanded into two castles in approximately the year 1294.
In the year 1537, a large strike of lightning hit the castle and destroyed its upper half; this also happened again in 1764, which destroyed the sections that had been rebuilt.
Where: Heidelberg, Germany
When: 1214
Style: Medieval
Open for visit: Yes. Check here for more information.
11. Karlsruhe Palace
Karlsruhe Palace was first constructed in the year 1715 and was built by Jakob Friedrich von Batzendorf. The original castle was made of wood, but this did not hold up sufficiently, so it was later rebuilt in the year 1746 and was made with stone.
Later again, in 1770, the castle was modified, and additions such as larger doors and windows were added, as well as several grand Baroque-style pavilions and wings.
Sadly, during the Second World War, much of the palace was destroyed during bomb attacks; it was later rebuilt to bring it back to its former glory and is open to the public today.
Where: Durlach, Germany
When: 1715
Style: Baroque
Open for visit: Yes, for more information, check here.
12. Castle of Bruchsal
The Castle of Bruchsal, otherwise known as the Damiansburg, is a grand Baroque palace complex that is located in Bruchsal in, Germany. This enormous complex consists of over fifty buildings, some of which are residential, there are chapels, and there is also an array of stunning gardens.
The palace was first constructed at the beginning of the 18th century and was built by Damian Hugo Phillip von Schonborn, who was the Prince-Bishop of Speyer.
During the Second World War, a large portion of the palace was destroyed during an American air raid and was not fully restored until the year 1996; it has been open to the public ever since.
Where: Bruchsal, Germany
When: 18th century
Style: Baroque
Open for visit: Yes, check here for more information.
Hello Chrysoula, thank you for your work, I do share the same passion for castles and palaces, I have visited a round 50 so far, but still many more to go.
Something I notice though was that while there are a few castles mention that an not “around” Stuttgart, including one that is closer to Berlin or the Polish border than is to Stuttgart, you missed a few really nice castles around Stuttgart that are about a 45 minutes drive or less, this includes Hohenzollern, Lichtenstein Schloss, Sigmaringen, Hohenurach, etc. These in many ways represent more what a medieval castle was (instead of a Palace) and are close to Stuttgart.
Hello Nick, thanks for your comment. I will review and add your suggestions. Which castles of the ones mentioned are closer to berlin and the polish border?
“Neuenburg Castle, is perfect upon a hilltop, that overlooks the scenic Germany town of Freyburg, which is in the Saxony-Anhalt…” Freyburg just east of Leipzig, nowhere near Stuttgart. It has a nice castle too. Neuenburg Castle is in Neuenburg, Baden-Württemberg.
You have a nice collection of palaces and castles. Some I have seen. Others I am aware of but have yet to visit. And plenty I didn’t know about. It is a good enough collection that I consider it worth my time to help you make this correction.
Thanks for the correction.