Trifels Castle, Annweiler am Trifels

Amazing views! And very interesting castle, definitely worth the effort getting up the hill!

Came here today for a "quick stop" after visiting the Historische Walddusche with my three kids ages 6,4 , and 2 years. I had seen signs on the way there and recognized the name from my "lower priority" list of things to see while here in Germany, and figured we'd check it out since we were in the area. I wish I had known was a great castle this was, otherwise I would have left much more than the 1 hour we had before it closed at 6pm on this August weekday afternoon. We parked at the dedicated parking lot near Barbarossa and a food kiosk (which was closing when we got there at 4:30); there was also a "playground" along the "steep" path to the castle, which consisted of a single slide). I put my youngest in a baby carrier and had the older two walk. The man running the kiosk suggested I take the longer but less steep route behind the barricade for cars, which I did. This walk took about 15 minutes walking at a decent pace (once I put the 4 year old on my shoulders) and was a little over 1km. We ended up taking the "steeper" path on the way back, which was about 800 km and honestly didn't seem that steep; I'd likely choose to do that for the ascent if we were do to it again. Both were gravel paths clear of any roots or large rocks and would likely be possible for a heavy duty stroller, if you don't mind pushing one uphill. The path is largely shaded, thankfully, and has a couple of benches along the way as well as a viewpoint with a telescope to pay to use. The castle itself is the perfect balance between ruin and restoration. You can tell which parts are restored, which is always nice. The exterior is BEAUTIFUL in terms of magnificence of the structure and the 360* amazing views from many places (top of the castle, top of a tower, front of the castle atop the rock formation, etc). The interior is perfectly understated - the restored walls and accents and minimal decor and furnishings do a great job of allowing you the opportunity to enjoy its splendor without being distracted by reproduction furniture and art. There is a beautiful display of reproduced items such as a crown and sword and scepter. There are SO MANY STAIRCASES, most of which are redundant (I think there were really only 2-3 end points that they all lead to), all safe and sturdy and well lit with googd handles. The tops of the towers and all viewpoints had solid high walls that my kids couldn't climb over or fall through. There was a room with an educational (I assume, as it was in German) video to watch about the castle with ample seating. There were free bathrooms on the exterior at the base of the castle, as well as a few picnic tables. The castle kasse had souvenir coins but NO FOOD OR DRINKS OR ICE CREAM. It was inexpensive (kids were free, I was 4.50 euro). Overall, this is a BEAUTIFUL well balanced (between ruin and restoration) castle that is somewhat easily accessed (with at least 10 minutes of walking uphill on a gravel path) from a dedicated parking lot, which itself has two food and drink options. I wish I had left more than an hour to explore, though we did manage to see the whole thing in about 45 minutes walking as fast as I could corral the kids. Bring good shoes and cash, and food if you don't plan on eating at the parking lot restaurant options.