Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle

Have you read about our Romantic Road journey yet?  Whilst there were many special places, pretty views and beautiful medieval towns on our German road trip, Neuschwanstein Castle was a definite highlight. Which is why it deserves it’s own blog…

So what the heck is Neuschwanstein Castle?

Thanks Rick.

The History Bit

The reclusive King Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the building of Schloss Neuschwanstein (New Swan on the Rock Castle) in 1864. Inspired by the operas of the German composer Richard Wagner, the castle overlooked his childhood home, Schloss Hohenschwangau. Ludwig funded the development himself – going into considerable debt to do so – and oversaw the design at every stage.  The exterior has soaring fairy-tale turrets, whilst the inside is a shrine to bad taste gold, glitz and coloured glass.

King Ludwig moved into his (still unfinished) castle in 1884. Just two years later, his body was found in a lake near his summer residence Berg Castle under mysterious circumstances.  He had spent less than 180 days at his new home. Six weeks later, the castle was opened to the public, in order to recoup some of the mounting construction debt.

King Ludwig would have been pleased to discover that his fairy-tale castle, inspired by operas and romance and legend, went on to inspire the most fairy-tale castle of them all – Disney’s iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle.  It’s also rumoured that the woodland fresco in the “Singer’s Hall” inspired Walt Disney to create Bambi. And of course, the legendary Chitty Chitty Bang Bang also made a flight over the castle too…

How do I get there?

Neuschwanstein Castle can be done easily as a daytrip from Munich. It is approximately two hours by road on the A7. Train travel is possible from Munich to Füssen, with a local bus completing the journey. If you prefer an accompanied tour then there are tour companies which arrange day trips from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle. We often use Viator to book organised trips.

We stayed in Füssen, just a 10 minute drive from Neuschwanstein where there’s ample car parking available. There is a bus from Füssen which will take you into the heart of Hohenschwangau village near the ticket office. Staying in the area is much more convenient as it means you can book an early tour and avoid the crowds at peak times

Tickets to Neuschwanstein Castle

Tickets for the castle can be purchased from the Ticketcenter Hohenschwangau. They can also be reserved online here (recommended). Online reservations have their own collection window so this is a great way to beat the crowds if you don’t mind committing to a time and day in advance. You can find more visitor information including current opening times and admission prices here.

Our story…

We’re out and about WAY before we need to be. We have to pick up our castle tour tickets by 9:45, but we’re pulling up in the car park at Hohenschwangau by 8:30. Hohenschwangau is the gateway to the King’s Castles, a village created for tourists with restaurants, souvenir shops, guesthouses and car parks. Schloss Neuchwanstein looms over us to our left, and Schloss Hohenschwangau to our right.

We pick up our reserved tickets. The cheerful clerk tells us that although we can get a bus, or a horse and cart, to the castle, “it’s a lovely day for a walk”. So much for my dream of a nice lazy ascent up the hill, letting a horsey do all the hard work. We’re walking.

The Climb to the Castle

Like all good castles, Neuschwanstein Castle is built on a hill. Great for spotting invaders. Not great for tourist’s legs. It’s not a hard walk, but there’s a constant incline. You don’t really notice the elevation change until you look back down to the town of Schwangau and to Lake Forggensee in the distance. It generally takes between 30-45 minutes to walk. Longer if you factor in stops for getting your breath back  photo opportunities. Both shuttle bus and horse and carriage stop shy of the castle, meaning all visitors face something of a climb. Neuchswanstein Castle is unfortunately not accessible for those with physical disabilities. There’s a small plaza just after the horse and cart stop, with a souvenir shop, toilets and a kiosk selling snacks and drinks.

We still have plenty of time before our 10:55 tour. Mr Fletche and I head beyond the castle for another 10 minutes walk to Marienbrücke. I can imagine that in peak season it must be a nightmare getting a good vantage point on the bridge. Luckily for us, on a Saturday morning in early April, there aren’t that many other people around. Most seem to congregate at the start of the bridge so we just nudge our way past and make our way to the far end. This is where you get those beautiful views of the castle silhouetted against the sky.

Inside Neuschwanstein Castle

We make our way down to the castle courtyard for our 10:55 tour.  The only way to access the inside is by guided tour. Visitors have a designated tour time and number, and we wait for our number to appear like at a deli counter. Or Argos.

The tour lasts around 30 minutes and takes us into the crazy and highly imaginative mind of King Ludwig II, who never got to finish constructing his dream castle prior to his mysterious and untimely death. Sadly photography isn’t permitted inside. So I can’t show you Ludwig’s dressing room with its ceiling murals. Or the ostentatious Throne Room, which ironically never housed a throne.

The tour is well worth the entrance fee. It’s even worth the walk up the hill. Mr Fletche decides to take a second walk up to Marienbrücke after our tour. I prefer instead to nurse a gluhwein and pretend it’s Christmas.

Is Neuschwanstein Castle worth the trip?

Absolutely. That first glimpse of the castle was magical. A similar fuzzy experience to spotting the Eiffel Tower or seeing the Manhattan skyline for the first time. And it would be a travesty to go all that way without setting foot inside, and seeing the amazingly lavish and – yes, often gaudy – rooms which form just a tiny part of the largely unfinished interior.

And now I’ve found out that Germany has a whole “Castle Road”, just north of Stuttgart! Neuschwanstein may be the first German castle I’ve visited but hopefully it won’t be my last…

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