A trip with my dog to Falkenburg castle ruins near Detmold in Germany

This March, I took a trip with my dog to the Teutoburg forest. While we were there, we visited the Externsteine rock formation and also hiked up to the Falkenburg castle ruins near Detmold.

If you are considering to take a trip to this region with your dog, I can recommend the hotel that we stayed at. It was in a great location to reach the Externsteine and just a short drive away from the Falkenburg as well.

In this article, I will tell you all about visiting the Falkenburg castle ruins with your dog.

THE ROUTE

We parked on the side of the road just to the right of the “Landhaus Hirschberg” at the bottom of the ascent to the Falkenburg. While it can look a little dodgy to park there, it was the officially recommended parking spot on the Teutoburg forest website.

From there, you can follow the A5 circular hiking route up to the Falkenburg castle ruins. The path leads through the forest and after roughly 15 minutes we caught the first glimpse of the castle through the trees. In total, it took us around 20 minutes to reach the castle.

The original castle was built around 1190 but abandoned in the 16th century. From the top, you can enjoy beautiful views over the Lippe region. Even the famous Hermannsdenkmal (Hermann Memorial) can be seen in the distance!

We took this hike around sunset and that turned out to be a great idea. The views were particularly stunning thanks to the beautiful lighting. Highly recommended!

HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR

We spent around one hour hiking up to the castle and back along the circular trail. Depending on how much time you want to spend up at the castle, it could take a little longer. It’s a beautiful spot to have a picnic, so why not pack a lunch to enjoy at the top?

The path up was not too steep but could still feel a little strenuous, depending on your fitness level. It was quite rocky in parts, so I don’t think it would be suitable for a pram or a wheelchair unfortunately.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Falkenburg castle ruins were a nice spot to visit with my dog. The views at sunset were particularly beautiful. If you are in the area of Teutoburg Forest, I do recommend it for a short hike.