Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria
Germany,  International Travel,  Travel

Germany Must See: Neuschwanstein Castle

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links you don’t pay a penny more but we may receive a small commission.

After spending the previous day travelling to Germany, we woke early on our second day so that we could get a head start on the trip down to Southwest Bavaria in Germany, near Austria. Before leaving home, we had booked a Neuschwanstein Castle trip through Viator tours. Neuschwanstein Castle is said to be Walt Disney’s inspiration for Cinderella’s castle. I love all things Disney so the chance to see a location that inspired Walt’s creation was definitely on my list of places I wanted to see.  The tour package we selected included a private ride down to the castle in a minivan.  The meeting point was outside of a hotel in central Munich.  Just a short walk to the Nordfriedhof Station from our hotel we caught the underground train to the main station, Hauptbahnhof, then it was only a quick walk to the meeting point for our driver.  Our driver was waiting for us, right on time and right where he was supposed to be. This adventure would be me, my son, and my brother’s family who were also travelling with us. We all loaded into the minivan and we were on our way. It is a little over two-hour drive to the castle.

Minivan for Bavaria trip
Minivan and driver for our trip to Bavaria

As we approached the drop-off point for the castle our driver gave us the tickets for each of us to enter the tour.  These were billed as “skip the line” tickets.  Essentially what this means is that we did not have to wait in the line to purchase the tickets at the base of the mountain. The ticket line can get very long and, as the tickets are timed-entry, you may have a long wait until your time slot is available, if you buy tickets after you arrive.

Ticket Line Neuschwanstein Castle
Ticket Line for Neuschwanstein Castle later in the afternoon, tickets were selling for tours about three hours later

As luck would have it, just about the time our driver dropped us off in the Village of Hohenschwangau, at the foot of the mountain below the castle, the sky opened up and it started to pour. A quick check of local radar and it looked like the rain was not going to let up any time soon.  We couldn’t let a downpour deter us from our adventure so we ducked into one of the souvenir shops and purchased plastic ponchos for each of us. At €2.50 each it was worth it to not be soaking wet the rest of the day. Since it was raining so hard and the “walk” up the hill looked more like a hike up a mountain we decided to purchase a one-way bus ride up to the top.  As the bus began to climb the very steep mountain, I was extremely glad we opted for the bus ride instead of a strenuous hike uphill in the pouring rain. After the bus dropped us off, we made our way to the bridge where, despite very strong winds and driving rain, we had a beautiful view of the castle.

ponchos at Neuschwanstein
Our first look at the castle, my nephew and I are wearing ponchos to try to keep dry in the driving rain and strong gusts of wind

A short walk down a paved path and we were at the castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle up close
Castle Details
Interesting details all around the castle

When our assigned time approached we made our way to the entry turnstile then through the doors where we picked up our translation/listening wand.  These are available in different languages.  As you followed the guide to different rooms in the castle the audio would play describing a bit of history about each room we were in.  Each person simple held their own wand to their ear and could listen to the narration in their own language.  No photography is allowed inside the castle so no pictures to share.  The no-photography rule was disappointing but I can see how allowing people to take photos would not be conducive to keeping people moving through the castle rooms.

As our tour finished we were pleased to see that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Kind Ludwig II had an awesome view out his windows!

View from the castle balcony
View from the castle balcony

This is the bridge where we are standing in the rain ponchos in the earlier photo.

Bridge
Bridge viewed from Neuschwanstein Castle

Once back outside, we made our way back to the bridge only to find that there was now a long line of visitors waiting for their chance on the bridge.  After analyzing the speed the line was moving (or not moving, actually) we decided we did not have time to wait so we started our walk down the hill to meet our driver. As we descended the steep hill on a nicely paved walking path we could occasionally catch glimpses of the castle from different angles.

Neuschwanstein castle through the trees
Neuschwanstein Castle through the trees

Our driver pulled up just as we returned to the base of the mountain. Perfect timing.

Bahnof in Tirol Austria
Headed to the Bahnof (train station) in Tyrol, Austria

Next we drove to Austria where our driver purchased train tickets for us (also part of our Viator tour package). We caught the train in Tyrol that brought us through the scenic, beautiful countryside back to Munich. The train was clean and comfortable.

Train from Austria to Munich
Train from Austria to Munich

Austria was very picturesque, I plan to return for a visit another time when we can stay and explore more of the country.

View from the train
View from the train on the ride from Austria to Munich

The train ride back lasted about two and a half hours. We just sat back and relaxed and enjoyed the view.

Fields of Flowers
Fields of flowers viewed from the train window

When we arrived in Munich we realized we were quite hungry so we took a short walk from the train station to the Augistiner-Keller Beer Garden.  We were seated outside on a hill of trees overlooking the surprisingly large beer garden right in the heart of the city.

Augintiner Keller Beer Garden
Augistiner Keller Beer Garden
German beer steins
Me and my sister-in-law enjoying our steins of German beerThe beer garden staple, soft pretzels, were once again tempting us at the table. It is easy to fill up on beer and pretzels before your food arrives.

The beer garden staple, soft pretzels, were once again tempting us at the table. It is easy to fill up on beer and pretzels before your food arrives.

Soft Pretzels
Soft Pretzels at Augistiner-Keller

The beers were refreshing and we enjoyed a delicious meal of spätzle and chicken in a mushroom cream sauce. This was hands down my favorite meal of the entire trip!

spätzle
Delicious spätzle

My nephews ordered the schnitzel, it became their go-to meal at each restaurant we visited in Germany.

Chicken Schnitzel
Chicken Schnitzel

From Hauptbahnhof, taking the underground train back to our hotel was simple.  The trains are clean and easy to understand with a simple map on the wall above the door of each train car.  There is also a digital readout that lists the upcoming station name.  We did not rent a car and I never wished that we had, it was so nice to be able to jump on a train to wherever we wanted to go someplace and not need to look for or pay for parking anywhere.

Thinking of booking with Viator?  Check out these special deals they have for tours in all parts of the world

Stay tuned, the next day we toured around Munich.

Do you think that Neuschwanstein castle resembles Cinderella castle at Disneyworld?

Viator a trip advisor company

We arranged our Neuschwanstein Castle tour transportation through Viator.  Viator offers several different variations of Neuschwanstein Castle tours in addition to tours and transportation in other parts of the world.

Click HERE to go to Viator’s website to see what tours would be best for you. Also check out: Red Hot Discounts from Viator! Find and book tours and activities ahead and have more time for fun.

 

Share this with your friends!

4 Comments

  • Christina

    Your photos are stunning! 🙂 I have had the pleasure of visiting Neuschwanstein Castle when I was younger. It is truly something out of a fairytale! 🙂 I think you captured that beautifully with your pics.
    The soft pretzels in Germany are delicious!!! 🙂 I’m glad you added that here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *