After our golf stop over in the Czech Republic, we met up with our daughter, Lisa, in Vienna. She had spent a few days in Austria visiting a friend, also named Lisa. The three of us drove to the German town of Fussen in Bavaria. We spent the night there with the plan of seeing Neuschwanstein Castle the next day. It was something Lisa had heard about from friends who had studied abroad, but none of us than been there before.
Construction of the castle began in the 1860s, which seems very modern to me. King Ludwig II saw this castle as his get-away – keeping much distance between him and his subjects. He died, shortly after being declared insane and arrested (perhaps an attempt to curtail his excessive spending) during construction – the cause of death was never determined. Within a matter of weeks after his death, the castle was opened to the public with paying visitors eventually covering the costs of the lavish building project. Because of its remote location, the castle came through both world wars without damage.
The only way to see the inside of the castle is to participate in a guided tour – available in English and German with audio guides in other languages. We waited in a very long line (30 – 40 minutes), to buy our tour tickets, only to find out that the next available tour wasn’t for 4 hours! Fortunately, the little village where you purchase your tickets has a few restaurants and shops. We had a very long, leisurely lunch before making the rainy hike up the mountain. The walk to the castle is about two miles with a change in elevation of about 500 feet.
This is supposed to be Disney’s inspiration for Sleeping Beauties Castle, but we heard the same thing about the alcazar in Segovia, Spain. |
My advice to you if you plan to visit Neuschwanstein, reserve your tickets online! The line for reserved tickets is very short and you’ll know what time your tour is and can plan your day accordingly. There is a fee for this service, but it must be cheaper than drinking beer for four hours!
We had the most unlikely tour guide. The young man spoke barely above a whisper in accented English and seemed terrified of the 40 or 50 people in our group. Maybe I should write things out in script form; I’m sure Saturday Night Live would be interested.
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Marianne
I have been wanting to visit that castle – thanks for the tip about ording tickets ahead of time too. Oh, I think you should do a SNL version! 🙂
Marianne
Lois B
Marianne – will you take the English tour or one in German? Wouldn't that be something if we had the same guide? You'd know it before you moved to the second room!
Mary
Oh my, that would be hysterical!!
I would have a hard time walking two lmiles uphill after drinking beer for four hours!
Lois B
Mary – haha, you have to pace yourself – order just enough to keep the table!
Twisted Red Ladybug
But how was inside? How did you like it? Was it worth the wait? Was it “THE” Disney castle?
polishhousewife
The inside was grand, as you would expect, but our tour guide was so weird that he has become the most memorable part of the tour.