Wookey & the Bear: Day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle

Our second day trip while in Munich was to Neuschwanstein Castle, located in Schwangau, Bavaria. We took the train out there as a part of a guided tour, and it was money well spent. The train takes about 2-2.5 hours during which time our guide gave us a run down on the history of the castle and King Ludwig. We were very lucky with the weather this day, it was crystal clear and you could see for miles! I will say I was just a small bit excited when the snow-capped mountains came in to view, which our guide and fellow tour group members thought was very amusing.

Once you reach the station, you get off the train and catch a bus to the town itself where the climb to the castle begins. Once you reach the small township, you are standing in the shadow of some very impressive snow-capped mountains. We grab a quick bite for lunch before we begin the long assent up the mountain to Neuschwanstein.

The climb up is not for the faint of heart. It’s not so much the distance, it’s the incline that kills you. The assent takes about 40 mins, there is a bus in summer and a horse drawn cart (which stinks and is bloody cold!), but the views on the way up are pretty spectacular and on a clear day you can see for miles. So the walk, while demanding, is definitely worth the effort and feels like an accomplishment.

Upon reaching the top of the mountain ledge there is a lookout point that is petty stunning, giving you a view of the bridge, waterfall and mountains behind the castle. Once you enter the castle grounds you need to wait for your ticket to be called before you can enter the castle proper and begin your tour.

For those that don’t know, it was built in the 19^th century as the personal refuge for the reclusive King Ludwig II. It was designed by Eduard Riedel, and was based on a number of Richard Wagner’s operas. Alas, only about 6 rooms of the interior of the castle were ever completed before Ludwig’s death, so there is not a huge amount to see inside, but what is built is pretty amazing and include secret passages and even a “man cave”. You may also know the castle as the “Sleeping Beauty” castle, as Disney used the castle as the inspiration for its own.

After the relatively short tour of the internal castle (only 35mins), it’s time to head back down the path to the base of the mountain and back to Munich. This was a huge day and is defiantly one of the main highlights of the trip, so if you ever get the chance to visit, make sure you do!!

Once back in Munich we were pretty tired, so it was back to the hotel and dinner across the road at Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant for some yummy Italian food.