Germany – Castle Day
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are the most castle-looking castles I have ever seen. Well, that is beyond the Disneyland castle, which Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for. I am not the first to compare not only the castles, but also the crowds to Disneyland and I won’t be the last. But it wouldn’t be Disneyland-esque without a touch of magic, would it? Read below for how to see the get tickets, see interiors of each castle, and what a visit to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau is like.
Getting to “Castle Day” – Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
We rented a car for our time in the Bavarian countryside and stayed a couple nights in Füssen. Having a car makes it very easy to get to the castles, as it is less than 10 minutes outside the town of Füssen. Füssen is about an hour and a half south of Munich. You can also bike to the castles, take a bus, or a tour from Munich. Parking is 6 € for the day and there are at least three major parking lots to choose from. The only way to see the inside of the castles is through a ticketed guided tour. To get tickets, you can make a reservation two days in advance for a prepaid charge. I would recommend reserving them if you are visiting during the summer or have a very specific time-frame to see the castles as the tours do fill up. Pick up your tickets from the ticket center.
To make the most of seeing and engaging with the castles, we devoted an entire “Castle Day” to them. It was worth the effort to arrive 20 minutes before the ticket center opened to be able to park and organize ourselves. We also had our pick of tours without a line behind us and could meander up to first castle in peace. The moments before entering the first castle were so quiet it was, dare I say, magical.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 3 (out of 4) stars – would do it again, if I was in the area, but maybe not the full two tours (see final thoughts)
- Intensity: Castle outfit and walking shoes
- Location: A few miles outside Füssen, Germany
- Cost: 26 € for both tour, 13 € for each castle, 2.50 € for advance reservations
- Timing: 4+ Hours
- Restrooms: At various locations and definitely near the entrances of each castle
Highlights:
- Organized, efficient tours
- Enormous fairy-tale like castles
- Horse-drawn carriages
- Beautiful hillsides overlooking the blue Alpsee lake
- Coffee in Neuschwanstein
Lowlights
- Crowds! Busy, Busy Busy
- Parking is expensive and.. Busy.
Neuschwanstein was our first tour and is a 40 minute walk from the ticket center up a paved road. It was a little confusing without the crowds of people to follow and we accidentally took a hiking path up the hill. This lead us to the spot where Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge) trail begins. The trail and bridge were having maintenance done and access was completely blocked off, which was a huge bummer. However, starting here allowed us to reach Neuschwanstein from above and get incredible views of both castles without the crowds.
Neuschwanstein Castle Tour
You can walk around Neuschwanstein and into the central courtyard without a ticket, but it can get quite chaotic with the timed entry system. There are tours every five minutes and you only have five minutes to get through the electronic turnstile for the tour. Watch the monitor closely for your time to enter. With less than 5 minutes separating them, I thought for sure the tours would be bumping into one another in the castle, but that was not the case. We were efficiently lead down a hallway, up some stairs, and given a handheld device to hear our tour guide.
Upon entry, it was surprising how simple and stark the interior of the castle is. I know the corridors and stairways are not usually super adorned, but after seeing what Ludwig II did at Linderhof Palace this was a change. Our tour guide was polite, petite, and efficient. She kept us moving. With every group having handheld devices, the castle was very quiet and the small gothic windows and dark wood made it quite dark.
Meant to be a retreat from the world, Ludwig II dedicated the castle to the style of the poetic Middle ages. Legends of knights and kings surround him in his bedroom and rooms surrounding his bedroom. Images of swans are also hidden throughout the castle. The throne room and great hall were impressive in their likeness to the Middle ages, but not give me the same the glitsy-glam detailed feeling of amazement that I felt at Linderhof. However, I could see some of the over-the-top eccentricities of Ludwig II in the hallway made into a cave and his dressing room. Throughout the tour, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like finished.
A break during Castle Day
Before running off to your next castle or item, I recommend having a cup of coffee in the cafe, which is in a room decorated with more medieval images and views of the surrounding hills. It was peaceful in the cafe and you can take a moment to process what you saw on the tour. One of my favorite curiosities was how the medieval decor hid the modern technology throughout the castle. There is running water in many of the rooms, a flushing toilet in the King’s room, and telephones on two floors. Also, the construction and high walls of this castle would not be possible in the Middle Ages.
Outside the cafe is a balcony facing Hohenschwangau and Alpsee Lake. You can see the surrounding hillsides and mountains – some of the mountain peaks are in Austria! The crowd on the balcony ebbs and flows, but everyone was polite and we would each have a moment with the view and for pictures. Being there in mid-October, the leaves were turning and beginning to fall. With one gust, a bunch of leaves began to fall from the top of a hillside all the way to the lake. I was a slow sparkling dance that made the view feel even more magical.
On our way down, we opted for a horse-drawn carriage. This was 3.50 € per person and cute. However, do not believe them when they say they will leave soon – they will wait for a full carriage. I get that it would be more efficient and cost effective to have a full carriage, but when you are on a time constraint it can be a little nerve wracking. It is only mildly faster than walking, but was a fun experience on the way down the hill.
Hohenschwangau Castle Tour
We had to do a little hustling to get up to Hohenschwangau, but ended up arriving with plenty of time for our tour. Instead of a long walk, it is a series of stairs to get to Hohenschwangau. The timed electronic turnstile was how we got on the tour again. Immediately I noticed that Hohenschwangau was not nearly as spacious as the outside alludes. We waited for our tour guide and this time did not have a handheld speaker. Up another set of stairs the tour began.
Hohenschwangau was bright with a lot of natural light. The floor we started on was the queen’s floor with the king’s floor one above. On the queen’s floor, there are images of Ludwig II and his brother as boys and it brings forward the elements of family and where the boys grew up. There is a tea gathering room that is darling on this floor and on one side of the building are beautiful views of Alspsee lake. On the king’s floor, you can see where Ludwig II watched the progress of Neuschwanstein’s construction. In the bedroom, he aslo drilled holes in the ceiling of his father’s room so candles could be lit in the ceiling above and he could have a starry night sky.
Our tour guide gave interesting tidbits in each room, giving long pauses for us to look around or for comic effect. The tour was at a relaxed pace and seemed more casual. We learned that the kitchen was in the separate building in the courtyard, which is also where Ludwig II and his brother stayed. I enjoyed that the tour focused more on the family and life, rather than focusing on wild ideas that Ludwig II. After visiting Hohenschwangau, you can see why Ludwig II loved the area and decided to design a castle here with a medieval interior.
Other activities near the Castles
At Hohenschwangau, the hunger pains started to sink in. The crowds were also about in full force, so we headed back to our Airbnb. However, there is more to do to engage with the castles and fully soak up the magic.
- Walking up to Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge)
- The King’s Museum
- Paddle Boat Rental
- Bike to the Castles
- Take a Horse-drawn Carriage up or down the hill
I give more details on the first three items in my Things to Do in Füssen post. Now that I have seen the interior’s of the castles, if I head back to Füssen, I would love to make a day out of the following. Start the day by walking up to Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge) for a view of Neuschwanstein, then going to the Kings Museum, then having a picnic lunch on the shore of Alpsee. Lastly, I would want to rent a paddle boat around Alpsee in the afternoon. How very romantic!
Overall thoughts: Germany Castle Day
From the moment we booked our flights to Germany, I excitedly looked forward to seeing Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau during our Castle Day. Although the crowds were very present and the interiors were not what I expected, they still exuded a bit of magic in their own way. If you know it will be busy, you can better prepare in terms of arriving early and be less bothered by the crowds.
A note about the order and timing: most things I read said Hohenschwangau first, then Neuschwanstein. Based on the English tours available, we did the reverse and headed up to Neuschwanstein frist. I personally liked doing Neuschwanstein first because it was peaceful and chilly morning to climb the hill. Also at Hohenschwangau, it was nice to have a more casual and entertaining tour when we had less energy. I don’t think there is a wrong way to experience the castles.
What other German or non-German castles do you recommend visiting? I absolutely loved our Castle Day and cannot wait to have many more.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
