Schloss Neuschwanstein

Once upon a time there was a fairy tale castle called Neuschwanstein. It nestled neatly on a steep cliff next to the 2,000-meter high mountain of Tegelberg, 100 kilometers south west of Munich. Behind the castle, a waterfall thundered down a gorge called Pöllatschlucht and before it lay the Alpsee. Bavaria’s fairy-tale king Ludwig II laid the foundation stone for this dream castle in 1869. Sadly the king didn’t live long enough to see his dream come true with the completion of this magnificient building in 1892.

But the castle became the embodiment of the German romantic period. Neuschwanstein’s appeal far overshadowed that of the neighboring Castle Hohenschwangau and it became famous all over the world. Every year thousands of visitors were enchanted by the castle’s tall towers, battlements and white walls and afterwards enjoyed a day by the scenic lake Alpsee or strolling in handsome Hohenschwangau with the beautiful backdrop of Neuschwanstein. So dreamed thousands of romantics across the world. And they lived happily ever after...

Getting there: A95 to Füssen, then B23 and B17 to Hohenschwangau, open: April-September: 8 am-5 pm, Oktober-March: 9 am -3 pm, www.neuschwanstein.de