2 min read

Winterthur: Schloss Kyburg

Photos taken/written by Jennifer Mahon

Photo: Houses in Winterthur

EUROPE ROAD TRIP — DAY 4 OF 19

We said goodbye to Zurich and headed northeast toward Konstanz. Well, that was the plan… until about 30 minutes into the drive, I saw one of those big brown tourist signs (they have them all over Europe, and they usually point to something cool). This one? It had a castle on it and "WINTERTHUR" written across the bottom. The first thing that popped into my head? Winterfell from Game of Thrones, of course. So, obviously, I had to pull off at the next exit.

My husband, eyes closed and resting, sensed we were no longer on the highway and gave me that classic “What the hell is she doing now?” look. I told him, “It’s a town called Winter-something, and we HAVE to go to the schloss! It’s like Game of Thrones!” He continued staring at me like I’d lost it.

I punched “schloss” into the GPS, but nothing came up. So, I stopped at a gas station where a super friendly local explained that the schloss is called Kyburg, and—fun fact—“burg” also means castle. So, schloss, burg, castle—whatever, we were off! Cue another narrow, winding road (seems like every castle in Europe is perched on some treacherous hill). We reached the top, and luckily, parking was a breeze—apparently, not many tourists venture this way.

The town around the castle? Absolutely adorable. It’s basically three quaint streets lined with gorgeous old country houses. It felt like we had stumbled upon a hidden gem—quiet, charming, and straight out of a storybook. Winterth—uh, Winterfell? Not quite. But totally worth the detour!

YOU'VE GOTTA SEE...

SCHLOSS KYBURG

For almost 1000 years Schloss Kyburg has sat enthroned high above the river Töss. It's about 9 € admission, and you get an audio guide, and off you go at your own pace. Definitely not as large and impressive as other castles, Kyburg still has a certain something to it. Beautiful sentry walks, knights halls, torture chamber (!), weapons room and wine cellar - plus the views from the tower are amazing!