On my daughter’s German bucket list was a visit to Schloss Neuschwanstein. You know the castle I’m talking about–it’s the one which inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle. If you’re taking a trip to Munich, this is a day trip worth considering. Usually it’s overrun with tourists. In fact, on a summer day it welcomes 6,000 visitors a day. During our post-COVID lockdown vacation in June, we found the area nearly empty which was awesome.
Schloss Neuschwanstein is one of the most visited castles in Europe with around 1.4 million people visiting every year. King Ludwig II began building this iconic castle in 1868 high on top of the Bavarian Alps near Schwangau. This odd King, crowned at age 19, built several castles around Bavaria, all of them with their individual over-the-top and lavish interiors. He was a bit of mystery and held several nicknames including the “fairy tale king” or the “mad king.”
King Ludwig designed Neuschwanstein as a retreat far into the mountains. And you’ll certainly get a sense of its remoteness as you drive there. Because it was meant as a special place just for the king, he designed it as his dream world with inspiration from the Middle Ages and stories he enjoyed. Unfortunately, he died before the castle was completed. Seven weeks after he died in 1886, it opened to the public.
How to Get There
From Munich, the drive is a little less than two hours to the town of Schwangau. The nearest “bigger” town is Füssen, which houses many tourists who visit this area. You can bike or bus easily from Füssen. Another option is to visit from the nearby ski area: Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The drive is about an hour drive.
While seeing the area and visiting the castle on your own is completely feasible, there are many guided tours launching from Munich worth investigating. We discovered in the past few years that if you can hack it, these day trips with a guide are enjoyable. They know the way, the detours, the best places to eat and can really make the day trip a pleasant experience without any hiccups. That said, we visited the castle on our own and had a good time.
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What to Expect on the Way to the Castle
We drove to Schwangau and parked in town at a free and open parking lot (which I am sure isn’t usually so empty). Instead of walking, we rented bikes right off the main road, and biked to Neuschwanstein. The bikes cost us about 10 euros each for the day. They were crappy bikes but served the purpose.
There is a parking lot at the bottom of the mountain if you decide to park closer and if you can find parking. The options to get up the hill are by bus or hiking. I saw some horse-drawn carriages, but I couldn’t tell if they were attempting the access road or just entertaining tourists.
It’s a good hike up the hill but the views are unbelievable. You’ll want to stop and take pictures at almost every turn.
I know you have all seen the amazing photos of the castle from different angles. It sits not just on top of a mountain but surrounded by other mountains which provides spectacular views. I have a memory of my father going with this friend to take photos of Neuschwanstein at dawn from a very off-the-beaten path area. The easiest way to take the best photos is from Mary’s bridge. I think some buses may do a run up for people, but it’s really better to walk. Shortly before you turn off for the castle on the walking path up, there’s a detour for the bridge. If getting to the bridge is a priority, go early because of the crowds. During COVID, they are regulating the number of people on the bridge so the wait can take even longer.
Once on the bridge, take your photos and then keep walking to the other side. Follow the path up a bit and there’s an even better spot for photos away from the crowds. Or at least away from the crowds when we were there. It’s possible that the same path leads around and up the hill even more for some better views, but we just turned around.
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But What About the Castle?
Well, this was my fourth visit to Neuschwanstein, and to be completely honest, the inside has never impressed as much as the outside. That being said, we tried to get tickets the day before, Due to COVID restrictions, they were taking only a very small number of people in at a time and that small number of slots of the day had been sold out. But there’s very little that’s open to the public, and they are renovating so it didn’t feel like a great loss. We see a lot of castles in Germany so it was fine.
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How long to spend at Neuschwanstein
In total, with the bike ride to and from Schwangau, the hike up and down the mountain, and the wait for the bridge took us 3 ½ hours. On the way back to town, we ate lunch at a good Chinese restaurant. No one wanted more schnitzel.
Seeing the castle would add some time and there are plenty of trails to explore nearby. Hohenschwangau castle, a castle where Ludwig spent his summers, is on the next hill over. They closed the road to that castle, but I think that would make for a full hiking Bavaria day in the Alps.
What else to do?
Since we invested in the drive and had paid for a dull day of bike rental, we biked along Forggensee (the nearby lake). If you have enough time it might be fun to bike all the way around it. The lake looked fun with its publicly accessible beach, stand-up paddleboards to rent, and we saw several people fishing (although getting approval to fish legally in Germany is a nightmare).
Another activity we saw but didn’t have time to explore was what appears to be a burgeoning things-that-fly industry. It looks like there are gliders, ultralight planes, and a other small aircraft which are book-able nearby. The sky was filled with these things.
About 45 minutes away is Schloss Linderhof, another King Ludwig castle. One option for the drive takes you through Austria so if you’re looking to check off another country on your list, here’s how to do it. This castle is grand both inside and out, complete with gorgeous gardens. We didn’t make it this trip, but I remember from visiting as a child.
