What is Schloss Neuschwanstein?
It's a castle built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who ruled from 1869 to 1886. Ludwig loved medievalism and the operas of Richard Wagner and the castle embodies both of those loves in its Romanticist exterior and interiors. The project was not finished when Ludwig met an unhappy end: he was deposed in 1886 and was moved to Berg Castle, where he died the following day in mysterious circumstances in a lake. The castle was opened almost immediately to the public, even though only around 15 of the 200 rooms had been decorated.
What is Schloss Neuschwanstein like?
It's the archetypal fairytale castle, the one that inspired the Disney castle and appeared in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It's impressive inside and out. If you don't have a ticket to go inside, it's still worth visiting and seeing the best view of the castle from the Marienbruecke. I was in two minds about the interior tour as I had some issues getting a ticket, but I'm very glad I did it - you only get to see a handful of rooms but they are stupendous. Ludwig wasn't a successful king and you get a sense of a man trying to create another world for himself where he could be happy. His childhood residence, the castle of Hohenschwangau, is only about a mile away so Neuschwanstein wasn't exactly necessary. The castle gets 1.5 million visitors annually, which is amazing when you consider that it's not exactly easy to get there.
Where is Schloss Neuschwanstein?
Bavaria, Germany - right near the border with Austria
When did we go?
August 2024
How did we get to Neuschwanstein?
You need to be organised for Neuschwanstein, especially if you're visiting by public transport. The castle entry tickets were sold out when I tried to get one a couple of weeks in advance of my trip, so I found a tour company that could offer a ticket for entry at 10.15am. I was in Munich for work anyway but the early start meant I needed to travel from Munich main train station to Füssen the night before (about a 2.5 hour trip) and stay overnight in a hotel. I collected my ticket at 8.30am, then caught a 15-minute bus to the village of Schwangau (cash only if you don't have a Füssen card), walked up the hill for 30 minutes until I got to the spot on Marienbrucke that offers great photo opportunities, then 10 minutes back down to the castle itself for my tour. The tours (which appear to be mainly audio tours in groups) start bang on time, so don't be late. I didn't visit the other castle, Hohenschwangau, but if you have time it's probably worth it, if only for the scenic hike between the two.
Worth noting:
The town of Füssen, which has the nearest train station for Neuschwanstein, is lovely. I was expecting it to be a tiny village but it has a really upmarket vibe, with several hotels. One lovely thing about arriving late at night is that you don't see the mountains until you venture out the next day and suddenly: the Alps are right there. It's a beautiful area.
What was Schloss Neuschwanstein's place in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?
It was 159. It moved up 82 places in the new edition.
Does Schloss Neuschwanstein deserve its higher place on the 2020 Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?
It's very impressive but does it deserve to be higher than the Pyramids? I'm not sure.
