Castle Trail

Hiking in the footsteps of shared history
The Castles and Palaces Trail invites you to explore the former centers of aristocratic culture in the Mühlviertel and South Bohemia across borders on over 215 kilometers of marked trails. The walk from Grein to Velešín takes visitors back to a time when this region was cleared and settled. A total of 19 castles, palaces and ruins await discovery.

The distance of 187 km (169 km to Velesin, via the northern route) can be covered in 6 days. The tour is approx. 20 km longer via the southern route. 15 castles or palaces (via the southern route: 16) can be explored in this way. The elevation profile data is for the northern route. All individual GPS tracks can be found on the website of the Buurge- und Schlösserweg HERE.

The long-distance hike provides an overall view of how fortified and magnificent buildings have changed over the course of history. There are completely intact castles that are still inhabited or in use (e.g. Greinburg, Clam, Tannbach, Weinberg, Freistadt), well-restored castle ruins (Kreuzen, Reichenstein, Prandegg, Ruttenstein, Pořešín, Tichá) and even unrecognized buildings (e.g. Zellhof Castle). With the Saxenegg ruins, nature even creates an untouched allegory of transience with its own aesthetic dignity. The history of the region comes vividly to life in the seven lovingly designed castle and palace museums: Greinburg, Clam, Prandegg, Altenburg/Windhaag, Reichenstein, Freistadt and Pořešín.

A 120-page hiking guide (available in DE/EN/CZ) with historical background information, a list of restaurants and recommended routes can be ordered from our store for a postage fee.

Special highlight: There is a trilingual audio guide for each castle or palace, which can be downloaded free of charge via a cell phone app. A herald guides you through the total duration of over 3.5 hours. The guide also has a GPS map function that keeps even inexperienced hikers on track.

Detailed information can be found on the website of the Castles and Palaces Trail HERE.