Bavaria, Germany: Fairytale Castles

If Oktoberfest isn’t your speed, fear not – southern Germany has much more to offer! For starters, how about the inspiration for the Disney Cinderella Castle? Neuschwanstein truly is a fairytale, and it is also close to the Linderhof palace. Together, these castles make a great day trip from Munich.

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Tips & Tricks

While Munich does offer private tours and public buses to the castles, we elected to drive for greater flexibility and a quicker commute. As far as we are concerned, this was absolutely the right decision. Parking was plentiful at each location, and having our own vehicle let us spend as much time as we wanted at each stop.

An additional benefit of driving: we were able to stop for dinner in a cute little town, Oberammergau, that had a delicious local brewery and restaurant (Ammergauer Maxbräu). The beer admittedly didn’t quite measure up to that served at Oktoberfest – in quality or quantity – but real Bavarian beer is always delicious. You also can’t go wrong with the schnitzel and apple strudel on the menu.

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Neuschwanstein

It is honestly hard to believe this castle was built for real life. Imagine that you’re walking through an amusement park, let’s say Disney World. As you walk from park to park – giant funnel cake in hand, of course – you notice all the over-the-top structures around you. A 145-foot tree. A giant golf ball geosphere. This stuff is so excessive, there’s no way it could exist anywhere but the park. Except, apparently it can, in the middle of southern Germany. That realization is how it feels seeing Neuschwanstein for the first time.

The castle is beautiful and towers over the entire town and valley. It is always crawling with tourists, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find a time when it’s not crowded. You must park at the bottom of the hill in the town of Hohenschwangau. From there, you have the option to walk, take a horse-drawn carriage (like a true royal), or take a shuttle bus to the castle at the top of the hill. Walking is the only free option, but expect a 30-40 minute walk uphill from the ticket center. Once you make it to the castle, don’t forget to visit the Marienbruecke. It’s truly the best view of the castle, and there’s no better place to get your Instagram on. While the outside of the castle is magnificent, we heard from friends and other bloggers that the interior isn’t too impressive. We decided not to go inside, but if you do decide to take the time, expect a bit of a wait along with the price tag.

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Linderhof

Inspired by the Palace of Versailles, Linderhof may not look as grand as Neuschwanstein, but it truly is beautiful and quaint. In front of the castle, there is a large fountain and pool, and on the other side of the pool (opposite of the castle), there are sets of stairs with various sculptures. To top it all off, the castle grounds are surrounded with beautiful gardens and greenery. Unlike Neuschwanstein, Linderhof tends to be a more popular tourist destination for Germans than for international tourists – just one benefit of visiting a smaller castle!

A quick historical fact for the history nerds: Linderhof is the smallest of the three castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It is, however, the only castle the King completed and lived in prior to his passing. Per a friend’s recommendation, we decided to do a tour of the interior of Linderhof. Fortunately, we visited the castle closer to closing time, so all of the tour buses had cleared out. This more intimate setting made it feel like we were getting a private tour, and the stories of Kind Ludwig II really brought each room to life. Along with the grandiose beauty of Neuschwanstein, this tour capped a great day in the real-life German fairytale.

Happy traveling!

Kitrina & Jordan