A Perfect Day At Neuschwanstein Castle

I’m still riding high from the memories of our latest vacation. It was one of the best we’ve taken and I have so much to share! I’ve done some reflecting and hands down my favorite moment of the ten day trip was the visit to Neuschwanstein Castle. If it looks or sounds familiar it’s because you’ve likely already seen a representation of it if you’ve watched a Disney movie. This is THE castle that inspired Walt Disney and his imaginary world. Neuschwanstein Castle is a real life scene from Grimm’s fairytales!

King Ludwig II of Bavaria built the castle. He was a troubled king and a bit insane. But he had a true talent for architecture and incorporated his obsession with fairy tales into the castle’s interior design.

Sadly, Ludwig never saw his completed castle. He was killed (or murdered depending on who you talk to) before its completion. If you’re interested in learning more about that story you can read about it here on the official state site!

What makes this castle special is its location. The castle is in southeast Germany, the heart of Bavaria. The landscape is filled with rolling fields, picturesque farms, and towering Alps mountains. Ted and I visited in the first week of October. Lucky for us, the changing fall leaves enhanced the area’s natural beauty and fairytale feel.

How We Got There

Since we were based in Munich, Ted and I traveled to Neuschwanstein Castle with a tour company called Mike’s Bike Tours. They took us on one of the best group tours we’ve ever been on. This is saying a lot considering Ted and I like to do a few each time we go on vacation. Why do I say this? They were on time (like everything in Germany), entertaining, provided informative commentary, and took awesome photos for their group.

Our tour guide loved photography and made a point to take us to the best spots for photos and took them himself since he knew how to get the light right. As someone who loves photos – I was impressed!

The tour started from Munich at 8:45 am. We met at the Discover Bavaria Shop, right across the street from the Hofbräuhaus, the world’s most famous beer hall. From there we took a coach bus through gorgeous Bavarian scenery. At this point of the trip I was exhausted but forced myself to stay awake because I wanted to take in all the sights. Look at how beautiful the mountains are!

We also got to bike along Bavarian farms and woods to get more of a feel for the area and enjoy some nature. This castle receives millions of visitors a year and most tourists spend up to two hours waiting in line for tickets to the castle. With our tour the tickets were pre-purchased and instead of standing in line we went on a bike ride — a much better way to spend the day. Look at how gorgeous the road that we got to bike on was – golden! In the background we had views of the castle.

We biked to a beautiful lake nestled in the woods surrounding the castle. Look at these views! I’m a mountain girl at heart.

After all biking we enjoyed a hearty German lunch. After filling our empty stomachs we chose our method of getting to the castle: bus or hike! Ted and I chose to hike. The hike took about 30 minutes, but during this time we ascended over 1,000 feet! It was steeeeep! Here’s a picture of a map of the castle grounds – I love the colors here. Even the tourist signs have style haha.

The Castle

The magic of this castle is indescribable, instead I leave you with pictures. We could not have asked for a more perfect day. The sun gave the colorful fall leaves a golden glow and the air was cool but crisp. One of the best days ever!