A European Castle Call

Colmberg
There isn't much going on outside the Hotel Burg Colmberg, but with a courtyard restaurant serving Franconian specialties (heavy on game), a wine cellar, and rooms that boast centuries-old furniture, who cares? The Unbehauen family, who has owned the property since 1964, might take you on a tour if you ask nicely. Or have a few half-liters in the beer garden and then wander the 1,000-year-old castle on your own (49-9803-9192-0; burg-colmberg.de; doubles, $106–$174).

Hirschhorn
The twelfth-century Hirschhorn Castle has 25 spacious rooms (8 in the castle proper), most with views of the sprawling Neckar River Valley. Guest quarters are decked out with Eastern European–chic furniture to appeal to your inner grandma. (Ask for the big corner room.) The restaurant has above-average German classics like schnitzel, as well as smoked trout and local game (49-6272-920-90; castle-hotel.de; doubles, $140–$156).

Kynzvart
In a yet-to-be-fully-reconstructed farmhouse set around a dilapidated courtyard, the no-frills Hotel Metternich might not be as comfortable as the other castle accommodations on Castle Road, but the outdoor pub/restaurant more than compensates. So do the leafy grounds (420-354-691-240; doubles, $40).

Prague
Situated on the border of Josefov (the old Jewish ghetto) and Old Town, the Maximilian Hotel is in a 1904 building that was designed by Karel Teige, the most celebrated Czech polymath aesthete of the first half of the twentieth century. Eva Jiricna's renovation has made the Maximilian one of Prague's hippest places to wake up. The cozy rooms are equipped with plasma-screen TVs, high-speed Internet access, and DVD players. If the city gets too chaotic, check out the sensory-deprivation tank (420-225-303-118; maximilianhotel.com; doubles, $198–$225).