The sleepy Mosel River contrasts the mighty Rhine. Its Burg Eltz is the region’s best-preserved castle (with a rare furnished interior), providing the perfect opportunity to learn about feudalism in medieval Europe.

Learn about the challenges of medieval trade on the mighty Rhine — from robber barons to the legendary seductress Loreley — and compare it with modern-day navigation. Explore the once-powerful Rheinfels Castle and riverside village of Bacharach.

“Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria was a political misfit but a creative dreamer. His fantasy castle, Neuschwanstein, is a textbook example of 19th-century Romanticism in Germany that inspired Walt Disney.