Schloss Neuschwanstein aka: Neuschwanstein Castle

Superb. Beautiful and interesting. Combine it with the nearby (and related) castle Hohenschwangau and a stroll around the tourist town Fuessen.

Visiting the castles is a full day trip out of Munich. There is no way around it.

The tourist infrastructure is managed poorly. When we left around 5:30 pm, there were no taxis whatsoever. And buses only came every thirty minutes in subfreezing weather, even though there was a mob of tourists waiting. People couldn’t fit into the buses and were left behind in the cold, hoping they’d be one of the lucky ones to squeeze into the next bus. I don’t want to diminish the castles and scenery but many of us left with a sour taste in our mouth.

The mandatory tours sucked. They were too crowded and rushed, and the tour guides didn’t project well or speak English well. We felt like the people running the operation nearly ruined our experience.

I had an excellent Bratwurst on the long hike up the hill. It was good :)

One word schön! The ALPS are breathtaking!! Go when the weather is nice and enjoy the few folks! I am going to go back someday!!

King Ludwig, you had strange but fabulous taste, and I can’t wait to visit you! You go girl!

Neuschwanstein is the actual castle Disney’s Cinderella’s Castle was designed and named after. It’s the real deal. And breathtaking. You’ll never forget this visit.

Make sure to see it from the inside as well as the outside hike/from the bridge…Plus, King Ludwig is a funny guy himself…look into his background and it makes it all the more interesting.

This is a fascinating architectural work as well as a technologically advanced structure for when it was built. The craftsmanship and engineering is phenomenal and must be seen in person, photos do not do this justice.

Photos don’t due justice to the sheer size of the place. Like Ludwig’s other homes, it’s ornate, and very memorable. a Must do.

I was with a group of people. They all decided to walk up to the Schloss. I took the tram. Which meant I had a crazy experience no one else in my group had: There were two huge groups on the bus, plus me. One group was a bunch of Japanese couples (who all seem to go on honeymoon together – odd), the other was a bunch of well-to-do middle-aged Italian women. Two very different groups, and little old American white gal me. So we head up the mountain – very fast. The driver clearly has done this more than once…today. He whips around sharp corners and breakneck speed. On one side of me, loud, raucous Italian women who whooped and screamed at every turn. On the other side, cautious, polite, Japanese tourists with white knuckles and whiter eyes. I’m fairly certain they were more afraid of the Italians than of the mountain! And there’s me, standing up in the middle, holding on to a bar, trying desperately not to laugh out loud. We got to the top, piled out, and got one of the best views in the area, because the bus lets you out above the two schloss across from each other. Great view! I walked down, snapping pics all the way.

Be prepared to walk… and make sure you check out the bridge that is near by – the view is great.

Some other little known facts – this will be on the 2 euro coin for germany in 2012 and it is a contender for the ‘new 7 wonders of the world’. Go once – that is enough!

I’ve been there more than 10 years ago, though I only remembered it when I was last there in February this year! I saw the horses and images of them shitting all the way up to the castle jogged the memory…

A really lovely castle, very well maintained, a true beauty. I liked the way the few fully-completed rooms were decorated, the mix of Gothic and Medieval in the architecture. Everything was also very well-organised, we had a number for our tour and a time slot to go on it and everything ran like clockwork!

And for a few days after, I was intrigued as to how and why Mad King Ludwig II died the way he did – drowned in the lake near the castle and with a doctor too. Anybody knew the answer?

PS : The reason why we couldn’t take pictures inside the castle was, according to our official guide, because the German Government has copyright to them! So when you’re inside, you can take pictures of the outside (thru the windows) but nada of the inside.