Drawbridge, great keep and pink-sandstone ramparts crowning a Vosges summit — with the whole Alsace plain, the Rhine valley and the distant Black Forest unrolling far below.
See ticket optionsFull castle, ramparts and summit panorama — open admission
€22
Children and teenagers aged 6 to 17 — open admission
€15
“The drive up through the Vosges is half the experience — then the fortress rises out of the trees and you're suddenly looking out over the whole Alsace plain. The restored interiors surprised us; it doesn't feel like a ruin at all.”
“We booked ahead and just picked the clearest day — walked straight in. The keep and the ramparts were the highlight, and a stop on the wine route in Ribeauvillé afterwards rounded off a perfect day.”
“Bring a layer even in summer — it's noticeably cooler at the top. Our teenagers actually put their phones down for the views. Easy with the open ticket; no rush to commit to a date.”
5-minute audio guide
Hand-written, narrated by a heritage host, sent to every customer the day before their visit. Five minutes that turns the postcard photo into a real story — the fortress fought over for centuries, the siege that left it a ruin, and the Kaiser's architect who raised it again stone by stone.
Included free with every ticket. No app, no download — plays in any browser.
The Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg stands at around 755 metres on a rocky spur of the Vosges above the village of Orschwiller, commanding the whole Alsace plain. First recorded in 1147, it was a strategic medieval stronghold fought over for centuries, repeatedly besieged, damaged and rebuilt. It was finally wrecked and burned after a Swedish siege in 1633 during the Thirty Years' War, and for nearly three hundred years it stood as an overgrown ruin on the skyline.
Its second life began in 1899, when the town of Sélestat gave the ruin to the German Kaiser Wilhelm II — Alsace was then part of the German Empire. He commissioned the architect and castle scholar Bodo Ebhardt to rebuild it, and between 1900 and 1908 the fortress was raised again stone by stone as an idealised vision of a late-medieval Alsatian castle: the great round bastion, the keep, the drawbridge, the furnished halls and the high ramparts you walk today. It was inaugurated in 1908, and it is this reconstruction — equal parts genuine medieval fabric and turn-of-the-century imagination — that gives Haut-Kœnigsbourg its singular character.
Today the castle draws more than half a million visitors a year and is one of the best-known monuments in Alsace. It also has a place in cinema history: Jean Renoir filmed scenes of his 1937 anti-war masterpiece La Grande Illusion here. From the summit ramparts the view sweeps over the vineyards and villages of the Alsace wine route, the Rhine valley and the Black Forest beyond on a clear day. The standard ticket is open-dated: you choose your day, arrive during opening hours, and walk straight in.
Haut-Kœnigsbourg Tickets acts as a facilitator to help international visitors purchase skip-the-line tickets for the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, which is owned and managed by a French regional public authority. We do not resell tickets — we provide a personalised booking and support service in your own language, and our concierge service fee is included in the displayed price. For those who prefer to purchase directly, the castle has its own official ticket website.
Plan your visit
A month-by-month guide to crowds, weather on the summit, the seasons of the Alsace wine route and the best times of day to beat the queues.
Every realistic route to the mountaintop castle — by car from Colmar and Strasbourg, by train to Sélestat, and the seasonal shuttle.
The keep, the furnished halls, the armoury, the great bastion and the rampart panorama — what to prioritise and in what order.
Priority entry past the ticket-office queue, plus access to the whole castle — the keep, the furnished halls and chambers, the cellars, the great round bastion, the courtyards and the summit ramparts with their panorama over Alsace. The ticket is open-dated, so you choose your own day.
No. The standard adult and youth tickets are open admission — valid during opening hours on the day you visit, with no fixed time slot. We issue an open-dated ticket so you can arrive whenever suits you and walk straight in.
No. Your e-ticket is accepted on your phone at the gate — just show it on screen. There is no need to print anything.
By car it is about 30 minutes (around 25 km) north via the A35, then up the winding mountain road from Saint-Hippolyte or Kintzheim. There is no direct train; without a car, the practical options are a taxi, an organised tour, or the train to Sélestat plus the seasonal shuttle bus.
Sélestat has the nearest railway station, about 12 km away. By car it is 15–20 minutes up the mountain road. In the high season a seasonal shuttle bus connects Sélestat station with the castle — check the current timetable before you travel, as services are limited.
Yes — there are car parks below the castle, and from them a short uphill walk on a sloping path leads to the entrance. The final approach is on foot and is moderately steep; allow a few extra minutes and wear comfortable shoes, especially in wet weather.
Allow about 1.5 to 2 hours for the castle itself — the keep, the furnished interiors, the great bastion and the ramparts — plus a little more time to take in the panorama from the summit and the walk up from the car parks.
The reconstruction by Bodo Ebhardt recreates a late-medieval Alsatian fortress: the keep, furnished halls and living quarters, an armoury and weapons collection, the kitchens and cellars, the chapel, the great round artillery bastion, the drawbridge and the high ramparts. The interiors are furnished in period style to evoke castle life.
Both. The medieval fortress, first recorded in 1147, was ruined after a siege in 1633 and stood as a ruin for nearly three centuries. Between 1900 and 1908 the architect Bodo Ebhardt rebuilt it on the surviving foundations as an idealised vision of a late-medieval castle. What you visit today combines authentic medieval fabric with that early-1900s reconstruction.
Outstanding. At about 755 metres the castle commands a sweeping panorama over the whole Alsace plain, the vineyards and villages of the wine route, and the Rhine valley; on a clear day you can see across to the Black Forest in Germany. The summit ramparts are the best vantage point.
Yes — photography for personal use is permitted throughout without flash or tripod. The fortress silhouette from the approach road and the panorama over the Alsace plain from the ramparts are the classic shots.
Only partly. This is a steep medieval fortress on a mountain summit, with sloping paths, cobbles, stairs and uneven historic surfaces, so much of it is difficult for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. A reduced accessible route covers part of the site. If mobility is a concern, contact us before booking and we will confirm the current arrangements.
Your ticket is open-dated, so for most visits you simply turn up on the day you choose during opening hours. If you have any concern about your plans, reply to your confirmation email and our concierge team will help.
Very. A real mountaintop castle with a drawbridge, ramparts to walk, a keep to climb and an armoury of weapons captures children's imaginations. The youth ticket covers ages 6 to 17. Note the steep approach and uneven surfaces, so keep younger children close on the ramparts and stairs.
At 755 metres the summit is noticeably cooler and breezier than the plain below, and cloud can settle on the ridge even when the valley is clear. Bring a layer and check the forecast; on a clear day the views are spectacular, but mist can occasionally close in around the castle.
Yes — Jean Renoir filmed scenes of his celebrated 1937 anti-war film La Grande Illusion at Haut-Kœnigsbourg, which the castle is well known for. Its dramatic silhouette has made it a favourite location and a recognisable Alsatian landmark.
Easily. The castle sits directly above the Alsace wine route, with the villages of Kintzheim, Saint-Hippolyte and Bergheim at its foot, and Colmar — one of Alsace's most beautiful towns — about 30 minutes away. Many visitors pair the castle in the morning with wine-route villages or Colmar in the afternoon.
The Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is a mountaintop medieval fortress in Alsace, eastern France, standing at around 755 metres on a ridge of the Vosges mountains above the Alsace plain. First recorded in 1147, it served as a strategic stronghold for centuries until it was besieged and burned during the Thirty Years' War in 1633 and left in ruins. Between 1900 and 1908 it was rebuilt by the architect Bodo Ebhardt for the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who wanted a symbol of imperial Alsace, and that reconstruction is what visitors see today: furnished rooms, a great hall, a drawbridge, ramparts and a keep with sweeping views toward the Black Forest. The castle appeared in Jean Renoir's 1937 film La Grande Illusion and now welcomes around half a million visitors a year, making it one of the most visited castles in France.
The castle sits above the village of Orschwiller, between Sélestat and the Alsace wine route. The nearest railway station is Sélestat, on the main Strasbourg–Colmar–Mulhouse line, about 12 kilometres away; from there it is roughly a 15 to 20 minute drive up the winding mountain road. In the high season a seasonal shuttle bus runs from Sélestat station to the castle and is the cheapest option, but services are limited, so always check the current timetable before you travel. Outside the shuttle season, or if the timing does not suit, a taxi covers the distance in about 15 to 20 minutes. By car, the castle has its own car park a short walk from the entrance. Strasbourg is around 55 minutes away and Colmar about 30 minutes, so the castle pairs naturally with a wider Alsace itinerary.