Forchtenstein Castle Guided Tour

Summary: Forchtenstein Castle is located in Burgenland Region, in Austria. It is a very nice and interesting castle. It was built in the Late Middle-Ages period and it belonged to the Esterházy family, one of the most important families in the region and in the center of Europe. I came here and I could do a guided visit in Germany (with a information in English language). The visit was very interesting and we could see some of the rooms of the castle, which are Middle-Ages decorated and has a lot of very interesting objects of the some periods. In fact, we could see the stables, armors, some interior courtyards, views from the castle and many other things. Very interesting.

Summary: The only reason this tour is not given five stars is that this year they have done away with the English-speaking tour due, we were told, to staff cutbacks. You can now only get the castle tour in German or Hungarian. This is, in our view, false economy as once that becomes generally known the castle will receive few English visitors unless they understand German, for almost none will speak Hungarian. And although the entrance ticket allows you to view the second floor on your own, only the guided tour lets you visit the armoury and the kitchen area. We took the Hungarian tour. Our guide, Adam, was first class, highly knowledgeable and happy to answer a few questions in English from time to time, but it was not his job to do so and it took him away from his real task which was to conduct a tour in Hungarian for the castle's many Hungarian visitors. This is a splendidly preserved castle dramatically perched on the edge a rock, with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. The armoury is fascinating as is the kitchen and the 50 metres deep well. it is well worth a visit, you can drive right up to the castle before entering and there are good catering facilities. Only the withdrawal of the English tour detracts. We visited on a boiling hot day and the cool of the rooms, some of which have walls 7 metres thick, was most welocme.

Summary: One of the best preserved castles in Austria. The tour was just over an hour long and was more than informative. You can feel the love for their profession in all employees. The stairs are a bit arduous for people with knee problems, but here too they act with a lot of patience and understanding and are taken into consideration without giving the feeling of stopping the group. Also in the ticket shop you are served very friendly.