| Within easy range of Sélestat is a whole host of ruined castles. Seven kilometres north, and accessible by train, the village of DAMBACH-LA-VILLE, with its walls and three fortified gates all intact, is one of the highlights of the route. A thirty-minute climb west of the village is the formidable Castle of Bernstein. In the Middle Ages, Alsace was culturally more German than French, and this is a typically German mountain keep: tall and narrow with few openings and little use for everyday living. Around it are residential buildings enclosed within an outer wall, the masonry cut into protruding knobs, which gives it a curious pimpled texture. You can also go on a mini-train tour of the town and vineyards (July & Aug Mon, Thurs & Sat 5pm; €5), leaving from the main town square. Dambach has a cheap Camping Municipal (tel 03.88.92.48.60; mid-May to mid-Oct), 1km east on the D210, and a small but most attractive and inexpensive restaurant, À la Couronne, 13 place du Marché (tel 03.88.92.40.85; closed Thurs, Feb 12–March 1 & Nov 15–30; menus €8–20). Just 3km northwest of Sélestat is SCHIRWILLER, another attractive village, from where you can climb a steep, marked path to the Castle of Ortenbourg. Like Bernstein, it has a lofty refuge-tower with courtyards outside, very well preserved and protected by a rock-cut ditch. A few hundred metres southwest of here is Ramstein Castle, built in 1293 to protect the besiegers of Ortenbourg. The best cluster of castles, however, is southwest of Sélestat. Four kilometres away, KINTZHEIM boasts a small but wonderful ruined castle built around a cylindrical refuge-tower. Today it's an aviary, the Volerie des Aigles, for birds of prey, with magnificent displays of aerial prowess by eagles and vultures (April–Nov; tel 03.88.92.84.33 for details of afternoon demonstrations; €7). If watching Barbary apes at play in the Vosgian jungle takes your fancy, you can do just that a couple of kilometres further west at the Montagne des Singes (daily: April & Oct–Nov 10am–noon & 1–5pm; May, June & Sept 10am–noon & 1–6pm; July & Aug no lunchtime closure; tel 03.88.92.11.09, www.montagnedessinges.com; €7, children €4.50). Also on the way to Kintzheim from Sélestat is the rather tacky bird-based amusement park, the Parc des Cigognes et Loisirs aka "Cigoland" (April–Sept daily 10am–7pm; March, Oct & Nov Wed, Sat & Sun 10am–7pm; tel 03.88.92.05.94, www.cigoland.com; €9, children €7.50). Another 5km on from Kintzheim, the ruins of Oudenbourg Castle, its sizeable hall preserved among the trees, is dwarfed by the massive Haut-Koenigsbourg (daily: Nov–Feb 9.45am–noon & 1–5pm; Mar & Oct 9.45am–5pm; Apr, May & Sept 9.30am–5.30pm; June, July & Aug 9.30am–6.30pm; tel 03.88.82.50.60; [email protected]; €7, free first Sun of month except Apr–Sept), one of the biggest, most popular castles in Alsace, and – astride its 757-metre bluff – by far the highest. Ruined after an assault in 1633, it was heavily restored in the early years of the twentieth century for Kaiser Wilhelm II. It's easy to criticize some of the detail of the restoration, but it's an enjoyable experience and a remarkably convincing re-creation of a castle-palace of the period. There are guided tours, but it's best explored on your own, taking in the fantastic views. There's a winding road down to Bergheim from here, if you'd rather not retrace your tracks to Sélestat.
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