My first tip: Plan your trip in advance.
The more time in advance you can do it, the better. This town, though charming, is also on the expensive side. A night in a small hotel (This are the majority of the establishments in the surrounding areas) can go anywhere from 100 to 300 a night, and this hotels have about 6 to 8 rooms total. Meaning prices go up the less rooms they have left.
*Do not expect to have breakfast included as is the norm in the Bavarian Region. This, I was surprised to encounter is not provided. At least not in all the hotels that we researched.
As far a attractions go, they have a lot of them. You can visit the two castles (the only way to enter is trough a guided tour, they do provide those in different languages), the museum and the Alpsee lake at the bottom of the castles is also amazing. In the surrounding areas you will also see cafes and places to eat and drink. Most of the beer is from the area and is called King Ludwig II, my husband and I tried the Dunkel (dark/black Lager), not quite like Guinness, but to us is the closest you can get.
You can also hike, something that is very much done in this part of Germany and this sights are amazing for it as well.
Second Tip: What ever the season, take a coat with you, preferably a raincoat that is water resistant of water proof, a poncho or an umbrella will work to with some sort of sweater. Since the castles are built in mountains, one smaller than the other, still the hike if you want to go up there gets cold.
There are Three ways to get up to see the castles:
- You can go in a horse carriage, this costs about 2 Euro per person per castle and they take 30 mins to Neuschwanstein castle and about 15 mins to Hohenschwangau Castle. When I say horse carriage you might get the idea that is a two person ride and sort of romantic... Well, I did not do it because there are about 15 people with you and two horses to pull the cart. Not romantic in my book. Plus it takes some time to be able to get there....
- The second choice is going up in the bus. Its much faster, and a bit more expensive, about .50 cent euro more per person than the carriage. The buses get rather full to capacity, but if you need to get there quick because of the time on your guided tour, this is the best option.
- Last but not least, you can hike all the way to the top of the mountain to see the castle. This is a great idea if, you like hiking/walking, you want to do some exercise, or you want to see the sights. I think this would also depend on the weather, so check that up before. Its very damp and humid in that trail, specially in September, of course, this is also the most economical way, since its free. It takes apron 45 mins from the parking lot to the castle. Just fallow the sings, there are plenty.
Fourth Tip: The parking costs 6 euro for cars. If you do not want to pay for it there are spots around the same road that will take you to the sighs ann that does not cost anything. Is also not secure and on the side of the road. Literally. Its not something that I would do, but never the less, the option is there.
The Tours. This are highly dependent on the kind of guide you have, and since you can't predict that, then lets move on to some of the specifics.
The Neuschwanstein Tour is rather small. Something I was not expecting because of the size of the outside castle. How ever since it was not finished I think I should have expected it. It's not as ornate as I tough it would be either. This is not my first castle. I have seen others and they tend to be over the top. Gold everywhere, porcelain, chandeliers and glass to imitate jewels, so many decorations in the same room that is hard to focus on something in particular. The expression, Over the top comes to mind.
How ever, since this palace King Ludwig II had it built in honor of his friend Richard Wagner, the composer, famous for his operas, its mostly painted to describe those. The walls in the rooms are usually portraying various scenes from his operas. Something that is said that the King enjoyed very much. Its also said he loved art, something that you can see clearly. how did they not spend their days starring at the beautiful painted ceiling is beyond me. For my neck did hurt by the time we got out. Its very beautiful but very brief. About 15 to 20 mins. Our guide here was not the best to be honest. But it didn't take much from the tour.
The Hohenschwangau Castle Tour:
This was much more interesting to me than the Neuschwanstein one. For one, this castle has a lot more history, since it was inherited to King Ludwig II from his family. His father Maximilian II noticed the place when he was a Prince. He loved the ruins of the castle and bought the land, reconstructing it in a Neogothic style. Prior to that the castle was owned by the Knights of Schwangau(Meaning Swan). The Swan that is at the top of this castle is in fact the knight's heraldic animal, something that King Maximilian the II kept from the history of the first castle, then ruins.
Inside its more what I expected from Neuschwanstein. Draperies, pictures, busts and much more to feast the eyes. This was definitely my favorite castle of the two.
This castle does not allow to take pictures or video in it. There for all the pictures I have are from the outside. The ones from the inside are and will always be forever in my memory.
Fifth Tip: Get to the ticket center early to avoid excessively long lines. Those can become huge very fast. It also helps if you reserve your ticket online prior to you getting there. It does incur in a small online fee, but for us, to be able to get away from the huge lines and the wasted time those end up being, it was worth it.
This picture below was taken from the castle. 2nd Floor.
If you have time do the trail along the Alpsee lake at the bottom, in the middle of both castles, it will be something great. There are ducks and swans in the lake and there is also a choice if you want to rent a water bike or a row boat to take into the lake. For us it was rather cold and we wanted to do something that would keep us warm, not to mention out of the water since my son was sure to end in the water...
Sixth Tip: If traveling with a baby its bets to have a backpack where they can sit up there or a wrap. Strollers are to difficult to maneuver and they are not allowed inside the castle.
The trail is rather long since it goes all around the lake itself. You go along the ends trough the Forest. The sights are breath taking. The Forest here has a green that I have never seen before. Its close to neon green and it contrast beautifully with then mossy green growing everywhere. If you like taking pictures, this place is perfect for it. This is also one of my favorite places to get a shoot of the castles. There is a opening in the middle of the lake trail where the three are not in the middle, and there you can take a picture of the lake, and both castles in the distance as well as the beautiful mountain tops that surround the area. * Such as the picture below.
Another thing about this that is amazing is the color of the lake itself (Note the picture above). Its teal. It has like a ombre effect since the color changes depending on the depth, going from light to dark at the center. It goes without saying that I am in Love with this Lake, and along the trail you can see some of the underground springs that the lake feeds of.This is also across from the Museum of Bayern history. If you like history, this is a must do.
My seventh and last tip is to make sure to check this web site. It gives you information about what could be under repairs and what dates as well as tours and such.
http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/idea/schwan.htm
This is all from this place. I hope you have found it helpful. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more Reviews and Travel Trips.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
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Until the next adventure.
Here are some other pictures...
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