Detour to Neuschwanstein Castle
Visiting Southern Germany and want to visit the castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland? Check out our review below to find out what to expect during your visit to Neuschwansetin Castle:
Neuschwanstein Castle sits on a hill in southwest Bavaria, Germany. This castle is more popularly known as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland, but it is also has an impressive history known for its survival through WWII. The Germans stored plundered goods from France in the castle. Near the end of the war there was a plan to blow up the castle to get rid of the evidence of the stolen goods, but this never happened. Thankfully, this plan fell through keeping the castle intact and the goods inside were preserved.
As soon as you arrive in the Neuschwanstein Castle area you will quickly realize that it is a big tourist attraction, but when Walt Disney is associated with the castle what else do you expect? There will be many tour buses and parking costs 6 Euro in any of the open lots. Expect to pay to use the restroom which is another sign of a high traffic tourist area. As you start walking past gift shops, you will eventually find the building selling tickets for castle tours. There is another castle near Neuschwanstein Castle called Hohenschwangau Castle, so you have the option to purchase a ticket for both castles for 20 Euro. It depends on how much time you plan to spend in the area, but there are several ticket options that you can choose between. Since we were only making a quick stop we simply wanted to walk up the hill to see the castle from the outside. We found the entrance to the road that climbs to the castle right across the street from the ticket building, it is not a terribly steep road, but it does get your heart rate up! There is an option to take a horse and buggy, but we wanted a little workout and a break from sitting in the car on our road trip. So if you are healthy and able to walk, we suggest walking. At the very least it will cancel out that extra beer at dinner later.
Once you have dodged the horse poop and worked up a little sweat you will have reached Neuschwanstein castle. It is just as beautiful up close as it is from a distance. The disappointing part is that you cannot walk completely around the castle, but you can walk into the courtyard area where people are waiting for their tours to start. There is free wifi available at the castle. We took a few photos and stopped at a vendor to pick up some really affordable magnets for our magnet collection before heading back down towards the parking area.
Another really fun way to view the castles is to hike to Mary’s Bridge. I didn’t hear about the hike to Mary’s Bridge until after we had visited Neuschwanstein Castle, but I highly recommend looking this up and taking this hike for a beautiful alternative view of the castle. You are able to see the other side of the castle that you are not able to see when you are at the castle. However you plan to visit Neuschwanstein, you cannot go wrong. There is plenty to do here to fill a day or it is an excellent detour on a road trip to another destination.
Check out our other Germany Destination Guides 10 Tips for Surviving Oktoberfest and Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.
