Neuschwanstein Castle: A Real Life Fairytale

Once my best friend and I decided we were going to Germany, I put Neuschwanstein Castle on our “must see” list. I did some research and found out I was not the only one with this idea. Although there are thousands of castles to visit in Germany, Neuschwanstein castle is the most well known. In fact, it is the most popular tourist attraction in all of Germany.

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Getting to Neuschwanstein Castle

So, where to begin? The most important thing to keep in mind is just how many people visit Neuschwanstein castle. In the summer, up to 6,000 people a day make their way to Füssen, Bavaria for the sole purpose of visiting Neuschwanstein Castle.

A prime example of this was the train ride. In general, traveling by train in Germany is a pleasurable experience. In winter, the snowy views from the comfort of the railway are exquisite and often surreal. The train ride from Munich to Füssen, the town at the base of Neuschwanstein castle, was not exactly up to normal German rail standards.

The train was jam packed with people from all over the world. Unaware of this we arrived to the train station in Munich with only a few minutes to spare and every car was overcrowded, definitely not the first time I’ve experienced train troubles! It was impossible to find a comfortable place to stand, let alone a seat. My advice, arrive to the train station early for this adventure!

Once we got to Füssen, the train came to a halt and the masses of people resembled animals as opposed to humans. People were pushing and shoving their way to the edge of the platform. Hundreds started hopping into the knee deep snow directly into the rails and leaping over bushes to reach the buses parked only a few feet away. It was an incredible sight and a slight disaster.

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Neuschwanstein Castle

Eventually, we made our way onto a bus and continued our ascent to Neuschwanstein castle. The fight wasn’t over yet. Now, the ticket lines. The line begins to form well before the ticket office opens at 9 am, therefore there was no hope for us. The next available time to visit Neuschwanstein Castle was at 4:30 pm. After waiting in line for a half hour or so we decided to forgo the half hour visit to the interior of the castle and enjoy what we really came to see, the outside!

A well-kept secret: Tickets can be reserved online up to two day prior to your visit. I attempted to reserve tickets online but found out a bit too late that my email was sitting in my “Drafts” folder for over a month and never sent. It is well worth reserving tickets online just make sure your email sends! If not, arrive as early as possible to beat the tour buses. 🙁

Now for the walk. The walk up to Neuschwanstein castle took us around 30 minutes. There are also horse and carriage rides (I’m pretty sure we were walking faster than the poor horses) and a bus that runs when there is no snow on the ground.

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Hohenschwangau Castle

The walk starts in the town and passes the smaller and slightly less famous Schloss Hohenschwangau Castle, a tourist shop, and mostly snow covered trees. At the top is the first visual reward. Panoramic views of the mountains and countryside… but if you are old school, don’t use all your film here, much more impressive views to come.

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The Walk to Mary’s Bridge

After spending a few minutes relaxing, warming our toes, taking very necessary selfies, and admiring the structure of the castle up close, we continued onto where we were told is the best view of the castle: Marienbrücke or in English, Mary’s Bridge. What we were not told is that Mary’s Bridge was closed due to inclement weather.

In the warmer weather, Mary’s Bridge is a safe, ten minute walk from the castle, but in these conditions, quite the contrary. The path to the bridge was indeed closed but it seemed like no one was satisfied with this idea. Without anyone guarding the path and a small gate blocking the starting point, there was not much stopping us from climbing the fence. Filled with energy and anxious to get the perfect photo, we hopped the fence and continued on.

The path resembled less of a path and more of a ski slope. Instead of walking we were shuffling our feet along attempting to avoid an embarrassing tumble with every movement. Slippery, snowy, sweaty and icy would be the best words to describe it. It took nearly a half an hour to reach Mary’s Bridge, but this was where the real reward awaited.

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 As you probably know, Neuschwanstein castle was Walt Disney’s inspiration behind Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Immediately upon seeing the castle from this angle, I understood Walt Disney’s awe.

In the summer, I am sure Neuschwanstein castle is equally as beautiful, but the white castle and the snowy backdrop were breathtaking. It was a magical and slightly terrifying experience. The narrow, rickety bridge was suspended high over a steep waterfall and there were far too many people on it for it to be considered a wise place to be standing.

Although I missed out on the inside of the castle and the walk to Mary’s Bridge became a laughable trek through ice and snow, Neuschwanstein castle was a highlight of my trip to Bavaria.

This part of Germany is an absolute must see! For more reasons why you should visit Germany in the winter, read my most recent post 11 Reasons Why You Should Visit Germany in The Winter! Have you had a fairy tale experience in Germany? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!