Day trip to Schloss Burg

There are some truly magical places around the Rhine region and one of my favourites is Schloss Burg in the Wupper valley.  Admittedly this place is so special that it's often over-run by tourists and day trippers, but you can hardly blame them.  Schloss Burg is a little fort, or castle, on top of a steep hill, surrounded by forest, and can only be accessed by one road, once you're in, the only way out is the way you came in.  In the winter it hosts a perfect old world Christmas Market and in Spring a traditional Easter Bazaar.  There are two ways to get to the castle, by road - where you have to park before you enter the town - or by an open seated cable car that carries you up above the forest into the castle keep on top of the hill. There's a museum  which shows how the locals lived in the middle ages and also great shops and cafes where you can enjoy some delicious local specialities.

Schloss Burg, Schlossplatz 2,42659 Solingen
www.schlossburg.de