by Bradley
After being awake for many hours, a long plane ride, a long train ride and a short car ride we finally arrived at our first destination! It felt like it was very late at night/early in the morning but we were determined to make the most of our first day of vacation so naturally we visited two castles that day. When our plane touched down in Munich it was snowing lightly and there was a covering on the ground and the snow steadily increased as we made our way south towards the foothills of the German Alps.
Both castles are located within walking distance of each other, the other castle being Hohenschwangau which we actually toured first but I will write about that castle in another post soon.
For me it was very enjoyable to go back and visit Neuschwanstein in the snow as I was there 2 years ago in the spring time (pictured below at left). It was like a completely new experience for me and the snow made it feel like something out of a fairy tale, coincidentally this castle happened to inspire Walt Disney's when he designed his castle.
Neuschwanstein is King Ludwig's castle, commonly referred to as "Crazy Ludwig." It is the youngest castle that I have visited and there are even a few photos of its construction from the 1800's. Truly it is much more impressive than his father's castle at the bottom of the hill (Hohenschwangau) but is mainly just a decorative castle. We learned that a decorative castle is referred to as a "schloss" and a defensive castle is referred to as a "burg."
For me it was very enjoyable to go back and visit Neuschwanstein in the snow as I was there 2 years ago in the spring time (pictured below at left). It was like a completely new experience for me and the snow made it feel like something out of a fairy tale, coincidentally this castle happened to inspire Walt Disney's when he designed his castle.
Neuschwanstein is King Ludwig's castle, commonly referred to as "Crazy Ludwig." It is the youngest castle that I have visited and there are even a few photos of its construction from the 1800's. Truly it is much more impressive than his father's castle at the bottom of the hill (Hohenschwangau) but is mainly just a decorative castle. We learned that a decorative castle is referred to as a "schloss" and a defensive castle is referred to as a "burg."
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I definitely recommend taking the tour but its the grounds and vistas around the castle you want to see. The tour is only ~30 minutes, you only see a couple of rooms and part of the castle is unfinished because the king died before it was finished. The outside is much more interesting to look at, however, there are a few notable things inside.
Inside you will find one hallway that was modeled to look like a cave, full of stalactites and stalagmites. There is also some intricate hand made furniture, such as the king's bed, that is beautiful to look at. Of course I cant share any pictures of the interior, like most places we visited there were no pictures allowed inside.
I would say that I enjoyed seeing the castle in the snow but it was a better experience to go when its warm out. The walk up to the castle is easier without snow, unless you take the horse carriage but that still only goes up 75% of the way. Also the hiking trails were closed in the snow, you can normally hike up to a bridge in the mountains over a waterfall that overlooks the castle and then hike down by the stream, even take a drink from the glacially derived water, very cold and delicious.
Visiting Information:
Parking Cost: 5 € per vehicle
Tour Cost: 12 € per person or 23 € per person for both castles
(You may also get a ticket for both castles and the museum)
Tour Duration: ~30 minutes
Tour Times: Must buy timed entry ticket at bottom of hill
Horse Carriage up Hill: 6 € per person
Horse Carriage down Hill: 3 € per person
Walk up Hill: ~25-30 minutes
Opening Hours: 9am-6pm (April to Mid October), 10am-4pm (Mid
October to March)
Tips: Buy your tickets online (but only 24 hrs in advance) or get there
early enough to make sure you get a ticket for the day. Make sure
you are at the castle a few minutes before your timed entry. If
taking the horse carriage, you may have to wait in a long line and
the carriages are few and far between.
Inside you will find one hallway that was modeled to look like a cave, full of stalactites and stalagmites. There is also some intricate hand made furniture, such as the king's bed, that is beautiful to look at. Of course I cant share any pictures of the interior, like most places we visited there were no pictures allowed inside.
I would say that I enjoyed seeing the castle in the snow but it was a better experience to go when its warm out. The walk up to the castle is easier without snow, unless you take the horse carriage but that still only goes up 75% of the way. Also the hiking trails were closed in the snow, you can normally hike up to a bridge in the mountains over a waterfall that overlooks the castle and then hike down by the stream, even take a drink from the glacially derived water, very cold and delicious.
Visiting Information:
Parking Cost: 5 € per vehicle
Tour Cost: 12 € per person or 23 € per person for both castles
(You may also get a ticket for both castles and the museum)
Tour Duration: ~30 minutes
Tour Times: Must buy timed entry ticket at bottom of hill
Horse Carriage up Hill: 6 € per person
Horse Carriage down Hill: 3 € per person
Walk up Hill: ~25-30 minutes
Opening Hours: 9am-6pm (April to Mid October), 10am-4pm (Mid
October to March)
Tips: Buy your tickets online (but only 24 hrs in advance) or get there
early enough to make sure you get a ticket for the day. Make sure
you are at the castle a few minutes before your timed entry. If
taking the horse carriage, you may have to wait in a long line and
the carriages are few and far between.
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