Hidden away in one of the few remote corners of Germany is the town of Dahn. Surrounded by dense forests and sandstone spires, the lords of Dahn carved several castles from the rock. While both were destroyed by the French in the 1680s, the ruins combine with the rocky landscape to form spectacular landscape vistas. Though not quite as beautiful as the Saxon-Alps, the region offers far denser forest and far fewer tourists. This hike takes you on a tour connecting the castles and some of the famous rock formations in the region.

How to Get Here:

• Irregular but direct Regional Train from Landau or Pirmasens. Landau is accessible from Kaiserslautern, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Otherwise, you will have to take a bus from Bad Bergzabern, easily reached from Landau.
• Hike Starts at the Dahn Süd Train Station

Photography Note: This hike is probably not the optimal route for photography. Ideally, you will need to decide which castle you want to get a picture of and then focus on timing the location sun correctly. In this case, the best views of Castle Altdahn are not on this route, but the best views from Castle Altdahn will be in the morning. The same is also true for Castle Neudahn. You will probably spend most of the time under tree cover, in which case, overcast days will offer the best lighting conditions.