Food Of The Week: Germany's gastronomic delights

You could simply tour Germany's palaces, castles and other historic buildings, but why not stay in one and try out some acclaimed cooking at the same time?

A converted castle overlooking the Palatinate forest, Die Stromburg, Schlossberg 1, Stromberg (00 49 6724 93100; johannlafer.org) is home to double-Michelin-starred celebrity chef Johann Lafer, who serves versions of traditional dishes such as Wiener schnitzel and wild venison.

Set above the health resort of Daun in the Eifel Mountains, Schloss-Hotel Kurfürstliches Amtshaus Dauner Burg, Burgfried 28, Daun (00 49 6592 9250; schlosshoteldaun.de), is the quintessential storybook castle. But even princesses don't usually get to eat pigeon with blood sausage and Périgord truffle jus.

Designed by Berlin architect Bruno Möhring in 1903, Jugendstilhotel Bellevue, An der Mosel 11-12, Traben-Trarbach (00 49 6541 7030; bellevue-hotel. de), is a hymn to Art Nouveau. Enjoy roasted pike perch with red wine butter and views of the Moselle on the restaurant terrace.

There are spectacular views of the Rhine valley from the restaurant housed in a 150-year-old castle at Burg Schwarzenstein, Rosengasse 32, Geisenheim (00 49 6722 99500; burg-schwarzenstein.de), where chef Sven Messerschmidt serves tartare of salmon on rosti potato.

Cross the working drawbridge at Burg Wernberg, Schlossberg 10, Wernberg-Köblitz (00 49 9604 9390; burg-wernberg.de), to gain access to this converted medieval castle where chef Christian Jürgens serves dishes such as Limousin lamb with aubergine lasagne and chorizo jus, as well as fish from the River Naab which flows past the hotel.

Originally the summer palace of the Princes of Hohenlohe-Öhringen, you don't have to be royalty to dine on chef Lothar Eiermann's acclaimed dishes, including lamb with roasted vegetable couscous and aubergine caviar at the stunning Wald und Schlosshotel Friedrichsruhe, Kärcherstrasse, Friedrichsruhe (00 49 7941 60870; friedrichsruhe.de).

The imposing castle that houses Schloss Reinhartshausen Kempinski, Eltville-Frankfurt, Hauptstrasse 41, Eltville Erbach (00 49 6123 6760; schloss-hotel.de) was built in 1801 on the site of a 12th-century knight's fort and was converted into a hotel in the late 1950s. Enjoy Rhine views and dishes such as cream soup of black salsify with smoked lamb fillet on the terrace of the Prinzess von Erbach restaurant.