Bucket list experience:
Built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig with the aid of a stage designer, Neuschwanstein is the prototype fairytale castle with Gothic turrets, drawbridges and ridiculously extravagant interiors. Useless for defence, the main fortress was completed in 1886 after Bavaria ceased to be an independent state.
It’s fantastically situated on a crag looking over the shimmering Alpsee, and the furnishings set new standards of royal excess. Ludwig’s bedroom alone gave 14 woodcarvers five years’ steady work.
Neuschwanstein Castle was evil Baron Bomburst’s castle in the 1968 classic British children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. If you haven’t seen it, watch it before you go.
One of Bavaria’s most scenic walks to Pöllat Gorge is just behind Neuschwanstein. Walk ten minutes to the cast-iron Marien Bridge to admire postcard views of the castle and the 45m Pöllat waterfall.
An hour’s hike south of the castle lies Bleckenau, King Ludwig’s old hunting lodge. Great for a snack of bread and sausage, game or a mug of the foamy stuff.
For a lofty view of the castle take the Tegelbergbahn cable car, which runs to the summit of the Tegelberg north of Neuschwanstein. The mountain station is a popular launch point for paragliders.
The castle is about 1-1.5 hours by car from Munich), or about 2 hours by train to Füssen station plus a short bus ride to Neuschwanstein.
Entrance tickets are available only at the Ticketcenter Hohenschwangau in the village of Hohenschwangau, a 10-minute walk south of the castle. Tickets for a specific visiting time can be reserved for an additional prepaid charge up to two days before your castle visit – well worth it in peak season if you’re not going with an organised tour. Call or email the ticket office to book.
You can only visit as part of a guided tour – either book with an operator book or you can join their tours (in English and German. Audio guides for other languages). Tours take 30-45 minutes, but add a walk to the picturesque Pöllat gorge, lunch and the return journey, and you’re talking a full day out.
The castle is open all year round, seven days a week.
During the German and European holiday season in July and August, the castle throngs with visitors. Avoid if possible.
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The great civilisations of the past have left a legacy of constructions that still stand out and inspire. Built without the wonders of 20th-century technology, many are also monumental feats of engineering; others offer such grace and beauty, that they’ll literally take your breath away.
