Our trip with EuroTrip Adventures to one of the most beautiful castles in Germany, the Neuschwanstein Castle was filled with breath-taking views and, my least favorite, heights.
Scenic Route
According to one of our wonderful bus drivers, Marcus, we took the scenic route to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. He said he did it just for our group, but I am fairly positive that it is the only route you can take. Regardless, I was absolutely stunned by the mountain side, and took a ridiculous amount of pictures. The Alps have a sort of cartoon-ish look to them. They are beautiful to look at, and wretched to climb.
Neuschwanstein
We first arrived on our trip at the bottom of the hill to the Neuschwanstein Castle, and to my surprise, it was a bit of a hike. I was unwillingly forced by my coworker, Jane, to perform a treacherous hike up the mountain instead of taking the horse drawn carriage. It is only 8,50€ round-trip to take the carriage, so it is relatively inexpensive if that is something you’re interested in. The hike up the mountain isn’t really that bad, I may be over-exaggerating a bit. It’s more of a winding hill that provides beautiful scenery.
Once you get to the top, you are instantly gratified by the views. The castle has a viewing point, where you can take a photo with the castle behind you. There is a tour of the castle, but unfortunately the castle is still under construction, and you may only tour the first floor. The Neuschwanstein Castle is awe-inspiring and is the muse for the castle displayed at Disneyland Paris.
Hohenschwangau
At the bottom of the hill, you will find the Hohenschwangau Castle, also known as the ‘yellow castle’. It is the childhood castle of the Bavarian King, who originally designed the Neuschwanstein Castle. The king wanted to build the Neuschwanstein to live in during his adulthood, but again, due to the continuous construction, was never able to actually live there.
Get the Goulash
Before I forget, beside the parking location for the Neuschwanstein Castle (Parkplatz 4), you will find a cool biergarten. Biergartens are aplenty in Germany. This one has a restaurant on the inside for the colder seasons and provides really delicious food. I got the goulash as an appetizer and the flavors were mouth-watering. I had never had German goulash before, but honestly believe it is better than American goulash.
Optional Extra – Trip to Highline 179
The first thing you see when you pull up to the Highline 179, is the bridge. To get to the top, you can take a cable car, or you can choose to hike. Unlike the Neuschwanstein, this hike is actually strenuous. So if you plan to hike, I recommend wearing good hiking shoes because the terrain is rocky, and depending on the season, icy. The bridge, itself, is 114m high, and it moves back and forth as you walk across it. It’s terrifying. I, personally, could not walk across it (you know, fear of heights and all).
Many of our brave travelers were able to cross the bridge completely. I got about 1/16 of the way out, just to take the picture above. The middle of the bridge provides a marvelous site of the snow-covered alps.
Ruins
After you have braved the bridge, you can walk up a path to find the Ehrenberg Castle ruins. We had a traveler with a drone take this picture, and they were able to give a different vantage point than what you can see in person. This was our last stop before heading back home after a long trip and wondrous adventures.