we chose to take a horse drawn carriage to the top of the mountainside (you can see the castle directly in front on the right hand side of this photo)
After one week of teaching my marketing seminar in Landshut, Germany, my husband joined me in Munich. There we hopped onto the train to visit the famous fairytale castle in Bavaria — Neuschwanstein Castle.
I wanted to start off our week long tour of Bavaria and Austria with a huge bang! This destination certainly packed a big power of jaw-dropping awe!
It’s so hard to describe this famous castle of Mad King Ludwig. It’s simply amazing, both inside and outside. There is no photography allowed inside. So if you can get there, I highly, HIGHLY recommend visiting this beautiful man-made creation.
The king may have been ‘mad’ in his own way, but he certainly had an eye for beautiful design and exquisite taste in the ornate.
Here’s a link to learn more about this famous German king, his castles, and his very sad story.
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I loved the hat of this jolly German carriage driver
We booked an all-day private tour for just the two of us with our own guide (Frederico from Milan, Italy!). It was a major splurge in money, but worth every penny for all of the places that Frederico took us to. I also chose this tour company because of the winter time of year that we visited Bavaria. Winter is a time when the majority of tour companies stop taking you to the top of the mountain where Neuschwanstein Castle is set. Keep that in mind if you visit the castle after October when many tours stop due to snow (which never happened while we were there this year).
The tour company and link is: European Castles Tour. I HIGHLY recommend booking a tour with this company; they offer a lot of different packages with different times and prices. I found this company on my own and I’m not getting paid a penny for making this recommendation. I just want to share good things with you and this is one super tour company!
Here’s our fabulous tour guide: Frederico from Italy!
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Frederico picked us up at our hotel in the nearby town of Fussen where we spent the night before and he did all of the driving for the entire day. The only way to go! Our first stop was to pick up our tickets for the castle tour (audio-led) and horse-drawn carriage up the mountainside (or else you can walk yourself if you like).
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pretty architecture of a tourist stop at the base of the mountain
With the Alps in the background, the visual sensations are everywhere in traditional German architecture at the beginning of the carriage ride.
As you view these photos, keep in mind that although the sun was out. We were literally in the shade of the towering Alps. This position caused the ‘blue-ish’ tint in the photos — from being in the shadows!
the mountainside on which the castle is set, is extremely steep!
it’s straight up, which you can see by the steepness of the ground
from our horse-drawn carriage, tourists also choose to hike up the steep mountainside to the castle
a quaint mountainside tavern on the way up to the castle
even this little tavern has darling exterior design!
The weather was absolutely perfect for a winter day! Normally there is a fog that covers the entire area and the castle! But the sun was out for us, although we’re on the side of the mountainside (that’s why the photos have a slight ‘blue’ tint from being in the shadows of the Alps).
the castle sits high on the side of an Alpine mountain — it’s quite a hike up!
truly beautiful as daylight begins to appear over the mountainside
looking up the mountainside during the carriage ride, the castle is simply breathtaking
bare trees are one of the added benefits to visiting the castle in wintertime
with bare trees, the castle’s beauty becomes more clear
continuing closer to the castle in the carriage
truly a picture perfect fairy tale castle against a pure blue sky
at the top of the steep hill, the entrance to the castle stuns visitors with visual beauty of the snow-covered Alps in the background and the architectural detail of the castle
Frederico snapped a shot of my husband and me in front of the castle!
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carved coat of arms
upon entering the front gate, this view of the beautiful castle awaits
a castle complete with a watch tower!
beautiful architecture
in the royal kitchen of the castle: just one of three walls of copper pots and pans!
one of several displays of all of the royal copper molds — the king ate 16-course meals — alone! He never received guests!
the castle’s kitchen sink! Oh to have a copper kitchen sink!
the kitchen desk area with notes and cookbooks from the royal chef of the king
glimpses inside the royal cookbook, complete with images of swans that the king loved
beautiful architecture all the way to the end of the tour!
Black Forest Torte, Apple Strudel and an Apricot Cheesecake to select a treat from after an exhausting tour of walking up and down hundreds of steps!
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perfect apple strudel in custard sauce!
the little café at the end of the tour is decorated with the coolest lit up tables!
one last view from the castle looking down onto the village the king’s boyhood castle
Great that you are living your dream of a Bavarian Christmas – too bad it isn’t white though.
It was a fabulous trip Larry . . . even without any snow!
Roz
Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing. I have not yet made it to Munich….next trip. You got some great shots of the castle!
Hi Kate,
This was our very first time to Munich too. We really enjoyed it and sadly only spent a few days there which is not enough to pack in the Christmas markets and all of the other historical things to see. This calls for a second trip!
Roz
Roz,
Love the photos. Everything looks beautiful. It looks like you had a wonderful time.
Annamaria
Annamaria, I don’t know what is going on with my email subscriptions to your and many other blogs either. I had a ‘bug’ on my computer that I thought that i had (paid dearly to be) fixed, but others besides you have written that my blog posts still continue to ‘not’ be delivered.
I just don’t know what to do after spending over a thousand dollars to try to fix this issue. Thank you so much for stopping by ‘on your own’ . . . I’ll continue to try to fix this issue, but as you can understand, I’m tired of spending so much money on this problem that doesn’t seem to get solved.
I hope that you have a most wonderful and blessed New Year!!!!!!! xoxo Roz
What a wonderful experience for you. I once read that Neuschwanstein inspired the castle at Disneyworld.I remember going to Neuschwanstein decades ago when our kids were young and will never forget it. I loved the murals of the scenes from Wagner’s operas in some of the rooms. I hope they’re still there.
Hi Linda! How wonderful that you took your kids to Neuschwanstein. Yes, you’re right that it inspired Disney. All of the Wagner opera scenes are still on the walls. The painting of the inside of this castle was so amazing! I need to listen to more Wagner now!
Wunderbar!!! 🙂
Have a nice journey in Germany.
I wish you a Happy New Year!
Cara bella Ilaria,
The trip to Germany was, yes, very wonderful. We hope to return again someday, and possibly in spring! But of course, our next visit to Europe is Northern Italy!!!
Baci,
Roz
I was there many years ago when I studied in Austria (so many, many, many years ago). I am hoping to make it back when I go to Germany in September 2016. So much to see! The photos brought it all back. Happy New Year, Roz to you and yours.
I don’t blame you for wanting to return to Austria. It rained on the days that we were there, so we’d love to return again, and this time in spring. What a beautiful part of the world!
Roz
Gorgeous! You are so lucky to travel in such beautiful countries! And the food in your photos are making us hungry!
Have a Happy New Year!
It was a blessing to be able to visit Germany and Austria in December. We can’t wait to return someday!
Roz
Oh my gosh, how amazing. With little girls of my own, the castle made me think of a classic Disney movie. Incredible.
This castle was actually the exact castle that Walt Disney imitated for the Cinderella castle at both Disneyland and Disney World and all of the movies and branding. It’s quite lavish and extraordinary. There’s a reason the king who built this died broke . . . he never finished it!
Roz
What an amazing place to visit! I loved all the pictures of the castle and the alps in the background. It was fun seeing the kitchen and all the pans and copper sink. How wonderful that you got to go on a private tour! You must have learned so many details about life there. Very fun post, Roz!
Hi Shari,
You’re right, it was a superb trip and we learned so much about life in Bavaria that we never knew about before! We want to go back again someday!
Roz
You are right, you do see more of the castle in the winter with the bare trees. I’m glad the weather is so nice while you are there.
Thanks Karen. The weather was perfect and almost a little TOO warm for all of the heavy clothes that we bought for the trip. I gave much of it away for those that needed it more than I do. I hope to visit Bavaria in the spring sometime too!
Roz