Pfalzgrafenstein Castle

In the middle of the Rhine off Kaub stands a white castle with little red corner turrets that looks as if it were sailing upstream. Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, known locally simply as "die Pfalz", was never a knight's home but a toll station: every ship passing had to pay. The only way there is a small passenger ferry, and that crossing makes it one of the most unusual castle visits in the Middle Rhine Valley.

History: collecting tolls mid-river

Kaub and Gutenfels Castle passed to the Wittelsbach Counts Palatine in 1277. To secure the lucrative toll, Louis the Bavarian, Count Palatine and later Holy Roman Emperor, built the pentagonal tower on the rocky islet of Falkenau in 1326/27. Between 1339 and 1342 a 12-metre curtain wall up to 2.6 metres thick was added, with a covered wall-walk.

Because ice floes kept damaging the walls, a massive pointed bow was added on the upstream side in 1606/07. Since then the castle has looked like a stone ship. The Baroque cap on the tower dates from 1714 and brings it to 36 metres. On New Year's night 1813/14, Field Marshal Blücher crossed the Rhine here with around 60,000 soldiers in pursuit of Napoleon's army. The castle remained a toll station until 1867 and then served as a signal station for river traffic until the 1960s.

What to see

• The tower: The oldest part, with views of Kaub, Gutenfels Castle and the passing ships.
• Wall-walks: Two walkways run one above the other around the curtain wall, the lower one with loopholes for firearms.
• The bow: The 1606/07 icebreaker once carried a gun platform and shows the ship shape best.
• The dungeon: Its floor was built as a raft that rose with the water during floods.
• The colours: Since restoration the castle again wears its documented white and red paint and is floodlit at night.

Together with the Marksburg, the Pfalz is one of the few Middle Rhine castles never destroyed. It has been part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• 1 February to 14 March: weekends and public holidays 10:00–16:00.
• 15 March to 31 October: Thursday to Sunday 10:00–17:00, last crossing at 16:00.
• November: weekends and public holidays 10:00–16:00. Closed in December and January.
• Admission including ferry: €8, reduced €7, ages 6–17 €4, under 6 free; family tickets €8 or €16.

The ferry usually runs every half hour from 10:00 to 16:00. It cannot land at high or low water, and the castle then stays closed; in autumn 2026 it was shut until further notice because of low water. Check the castle website before you go.

Getting there

By train, get off at Kaub; the passenger ferry pier is about five minutes' walk away on the riverbank. Drivers can use "Zollstraße 34, 56349 Kaub" and park between the B42 and the railway embankment near the car ferry. From the left bank, take the car ferry from the Oberwesel side.

Good to know

There are no toilets on the island and the castle is not accessible for wheelchairs. An audio guide in German, English, French and Dutch is available at the ticket desk.

Tripto tip

Allow one to one and a half hours including the crossing. The classic photo of the Pfalz with Kaub and Gutenfels behind it is taken from the left bank or from the Rheinsteig viewpoints above Kaub.