Brandenbourg Castle — Attraction in Bettendorf

BEWARE! We set a goal to visit Chateau de Vianden, Chateau ruine Brandenbourg and Chateau de Bourscheid in one day. It was entirely possible to do according to the published timetables of CFL. We made it to Chateau ruine Brandenbourg at around 11:30 am (our second stop), hiked up to the castle ruins to find razor wire and a locked gate keeping us from entering. The unhelpful sign on the gate said that the ruin was private property, but open from 9-5 during this time of the year. Disappointing, but we made it there to see the outside (not worth the effort, but now we know). We stopped at a nice restaurant beside the creek and had a drink before catching our bus to Chateu de Bourscheid at the clearly-marked bus stop with the Saturday schedule prominently displayed. The arrival time of the 188 bus came and went with no bus. Because the bus stop was so clearly marked and corresponded with Google Maps' instructions, we opted to wait for the next one, thinking that the bus at 14:30 was just cancelled that day. We tried to visit the memorial for the US soldiers that died liberating the town in WW2 but the gate to that was locked also. 15:30 came around, and still no bus. Starting to get concerned, we asked a local person who suggested it was the weekend schedule (but he agreed that the bus should have come at 14:30 and 15:30 according to the posted schedule). The next alternative was after 16:00 so, rather bored, I used Google Translate to read a letter written in French posted at the bus stop near the bus timetables. The letter looked official but irrelevant. One of the lines about half way down the page said something to the effect of "the bus won't come". This was dated 7.7.2023 so I have to wonder how many non-French speakers would have been caught out by this. Even if you speak French, or even if you were a local, why would you read a letter at a bus stop when the bus timetable you need is so clearly displayed? Why on earth didn't someone just remove the 188 bus timetable if the "bus won't come"? I sympathise with towns that don't want tourists, but if you're going to offer nothing for tourists, they won't know unless you tell them so they'll come anyway. The ruin is privately owned, poorly maintained, and closed. The scheduled bus that takes you from the town doesn't come. If this could somehow be made clearer, we might have enjoyed Chateau de Bourschied that day. Instead, we looked at locked gates, razor wire, and a bus stop for half a day in Brandenbourg. Weird and...

We visited here in November 2018. One reason we made the trip to Brandenbourg was that the website and the reviews (that I could find) say the castle is open year round. It is NOT! It was locked up tight. Sadly, we could only partially walk around the castle. We also had a hard time finding it. Going up the mountain, we finally saw a picnic table at the hairpin curve where we could see the castle peeking out from the trees. We parked as close to the guardrail as we could to see if we could access the castle from above. We could! It was a steep, but easy path down to the castle. I'm not sure where you would park to climb up to the castle from the village. I sure wish we could have gotten in. I guess we will have to go back! Nearby Vianden Castle was open and definitely...

Beautiful views and a peaceful atmosphere

Brandenburg Castle is a hidden gem with stunning views and a quiet, historic charm. If you're driving, Google Maps will guide you to a fork in the road—take the right fork and head uphill. After a sharp curve, you'll reach the entrance. There's limited parking (space for about 3–5 cars), but it’s usually enough.

The castle is free to enter during regular hours (10:00–16:00), though these are seasonal, so check ahead. Two portable toilets are available on-site, which is a nice touch for such a remote location. Overall, a great spot for a short visit, some photos, and a peaceful walk...