Visiting Neuschwanstein - Germany's Fairy Tale Castle

Set on a hill above the village of Hohenschwangau, near Fussen in Bavaria, Germany's Neuschwanstein (meaning New Swan) Castles' setting couldn't be more idyllic. The "Fairy Tale Castle" is one of the most visited castles in Europe. Rumored to be the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, King Ludwig commissioned the castle to be built in 1869. Due to his perfectionism, it wasn't complete by his death in 1886. In fact, it isn't complete to this day.

Some 1.4 million people visit Germany's "fairy tale castle" each year. Which is ironic because the shy King Ludwig, known as Mad King Ludwig, built the castle to retreat from public life. And now millions come to view his private refuge. We were road trippin around Europe so we had a rental car to drive from Munich to the town of Fussen. We spent the night at a hotel in the pedestrian zone of the city center called City Apart Hotel Fussen. You can also take a train to the castle from Munich - it takes approximately one and a half hours - or there are group day tours from Munich to the castle. ( Tickets may be purchased online and are for timed entry)

Fussen, Germany

We started in Munich and drove the scenic route to the idyllic, Beauty and the Beast like village of Fussen. After finding a spot to park the car, it was time for dinner. The staff at the hotel recommended a short walk to Gasthof Krone - it was close by and one of the few restaurants still open at the late hour. It was busy, and the service was a bit slow, but the food was great. And the creme de la creme was the Schnapp's that you could have poured into your mouth after you were done eating. Quite the unique experience for us!

A store window in Fussen

We decided not to buy tickets to see the castle. After reading about the tours of the castle, and King Ludwig's life - we thought that it would be sufficient to just see the exterior and enjoy the village of Hohenschwangau itself. (If I were to return I would love to visit Ludwig's childhood home of Hohenschwangau Castle where he spent most of his life) We arrived in the village and were a bit confused as to what to do - we knew there was a bus that drove visitors up to the castle but we couldn't quite figure out the different queues. After asking a lot of questions, we found the line for the bus and decided to head straight to the Mary's Bridge viewpoint. (This is one of the most famous viewpoints of the castle and is quite close to the bus drop off point) 

It was a tad crowded

The required selfie

After viewing the castle from the bridge, along with what seemed like a million people, (be aware that you may not be comfortable on the bridge if you have a fear of heights) we walked to the castle itself. The path is paved and you can walk all the way to the courtyard where tickets are taken. We took in all the grandeur of the castle - and I think that we made the right call on not buying tickets and just walking around it - and then decided to walk back down. It was a very pleasant walk with beautiful views of the valley, including a hang glider.

Can you spot the hang glider?

After returning to our car, we drove to Schlossbrauhaus Schwangau for lunch. We had a delightful lunch on the outdoor patio with views of Neuschwanstein. They brew their own beers, there are cows in a field within view of the patio and the food is good. Quite the enjoyable Bavarian lunch experience. 

It was time to move on if we were to make it to our next stop by dinner. We were driving from Fussen to Weiler, Germany with a unique stop for the night - Hotel and Gastof Zur Post. (We'll talk more about that later.)  But on the way we wanted to stop at Lake Constance. This ginormous lake sits in three countries - Germany, Austria and Switzerland - and a boat ride can put you in all three. There are many towns and islands on the lake and it's quite the vacation spot with swimming, boating, hiking and picturesque views. We enjoyed an adult beverage at a lakeside table watching the boats go out and come in. Next time, hopefully, there will be more time and a chance to go out on the lake. Are you noticing a next time theme here?

Then it was onto our accommodations for the night. And wine tasting in Liechtenstein. And cheese on fire at an Italian restaurant in Germany. That's just a little teaser for next time. 

How about you? Have you ever visited Neuschwanstein? 

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!