Where : Neuschwanstein Castle, Fussen
When in Munich you should fit in a day trip to visit Neuschwastein Caslte located just a couple of hours away, in southwest Bavaria. It's easy, take a train to Füssen (we used our Eurail pass) and a bus to the castle. When in doubt, just follow the crowd. There's bound to be others that are visiting the castle.
According Wikipedia, this is a 19th-century Romanesque revival palace. It’s placed on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau. When you get to the village, you can buy the tickets to visit Neuschwanstein and Ludwig II’s castle. It's not expensive, we paid around $ 18.42 canadian dollars for both castles. The village is self sufficient with restaurants, stores and beautiful landscapes. The Neuschwanstein Castle is a guided visit, so depending on your scheduled time you may choose any activity. For instance, walk to the lake for amazing nature/mountain views.
Hohenschwangau is easily accessible once you have your entrance ticket. Neuschwanstein on the other hand is at the top of a mountain. You can walk up and check out the picturesque landscapes or you can take a carriage (if the weather permits it). The carriage and the bridge trail were closed when we visited since it was early spring. Neuschwanstein is a guided tour the entire way, also you will not be allowed to take pictures inside.
We can use our creative words to describe the most beautiful castle we've seen in all of Europe. Inside is impressive, there are remaining colours on the walls and what felt like the original decor. We heard that Neuschwanstein inspired Disney to create a very similar castle for Cinderella. The castle really looks and feels like a fairytale.
Prepare yourself to spend the entire day visiting both castles. Also, we planned a day trip but knowing what we know now, we would have planned one night in Füssen. The city seems quite small, so one night should be enough to see everything.
We felt the train is the best option from Munich. The ride is very comfortable and the landscapes are amazing in that region.
Serge: 5 Eli: 5
Recommend: Yes, really beautiful castles and beautiful landscapes.
Our Flickr album for pictures of our Füssen day trip and Munich.
