About an hour and 40 minutes outside of Munich, Germany sits a very unique site, Neuschwanstein Castle. Relatively young, as castles in this part of the world go, Neuschwanstein was first constructed in 1869. King Ludwig II, also known as the “mad king,” wanted a magnificent castle for himself out in the country, so he embarked on a 23 year project building a castle that never was fully completed.

This is our experience visiting, hiking around and touring Neuschwanstein on a warm summer day.

There are lots of way to get to Neuschwanstein, as most people take day or overnight tours with groups. No matter how you arrive, the scenery leading up to the caste is spectacular. It’s quite thrilling when it finally comes into view.

We were fortunate, in that we had a rental car, so we drove to Neuschwanstein from Munich at the beginning of an 11-day European rode trip. To see our post on a 3-day visit to Munich, click: HERE. To get to the castle you will arrive in the town of Hohenschwangau.

The town itself is absolutely charming and picturesque with shops and restaurants all around. Behind the village sits Alpsee Lake. It all felt like something out of a postcard or Instagram story

But, as of the writing of this post, you still need timed tickets to Neuschwanstein, so we had to quickly find our way to the top of the hill.

There are three ways to get from the village up to Neuschwanstein; hike, bus or carriage ride. Which would you choose? We were fortunate in that we walked right up to the carriage and had only about 3 minute wait for our ride up. This is the priciest option, but you can elect to go one way and then hike or bus back down.

Note: both the busses and carriage drop you off below the castle so there still is a short walk to the entrance. I did see special shuttles taking those who needed assistance.

From this vantage point you begin to understand the massiveness of the castle. The main structure rises over 200 feet from the top of the hill. Inside the castle has over 65,000 sq feet of “living” space.

Once you arrive near the entrance you have to wait in the cue for your timed ticket. The inside tour is guided. Good time for a photo op outside the castle.

We studied ahead of our visit trying to learn why this castle even came to be. King Ludwig II of Bavaria became king at just 18 years old in 1864. He wasn’t much interested in politics or power — he was a shy, imaginative guy who loved mythology, art, music, and medieval romance.

Instead of focusing on ruling, Ludwig poured his energy (and money) into creating fantasy castles straight from his dreams. Neuschwanstein was his biggest project — not a fortress for defense, but a personal escape into a world of knights, legends, and beauty. Sadly, he didn’t live to see it completed. But what he left behind is one of the most iconic buildings in the world — a real-life fairy tale.

Once inside the castle you visit, along with your guide, about a dozen rooms. One of the most memorable rooms was the Throne Hall. Grand and awe-inspiring, our guide shared the Throne Hall mixes Byzantine style with royal flair in it’s decor. Though King Ludwig II never lived to see a throne placed here, the marble staircase, massive chandelier, and heavenly frescoes still make it feel fit for royalty.

(Sadly there are zero pictures allowed on the guided part of the castle tour. The following interior pictures are courtesy of the Castle’s website, found HERE and are some of the rooms we visited.)

Photo Credit: Schloss Neuschwanstein Website

We also visited the King’s Bedroom. It was just as over-the-top as you’d expect — carved wood everywhere, a royal blue canopy bed, and painted ceilings that look like something out of a fairy tale. Ludwig wasn’t your typical king. He was shy, loved art and opera, and preferred dreaming up castles to dealing with politics. This room, like the rest of Neuschwanstein, was part of the imaginary world he built for himself — beautiful, dramatic, and completely his own.

The Singer’s Hall is one of the biggest and most dramatic rooms in the castle — designed for concerts and performances, especially the operas that King Ludwig II loved so much. It’s full of colorful murals, vaulted ceilings, and elaborate woodwork. But here’s the twist: it was never actually used. Like much of Neuschwanstein, it was more dream than reality. The Singer’s Hall is a perfect example — grand, theatrical, and built more for imagination than function.

At the end of our guided tour there were several spots you could see and even a cafe for some food and drink.

One of the coolest surprises at Neuschwanstein was the castle kitchen, tucked away on the ground floor and open for photos. While most of the castle was all fantasy and fairytales, the kitchen was shockingly practical. Built in the 1880s, it featured what was then state-of-the-art technology: a large cast-iron stove, copper cookware, mechanical rotisseries, and even a kind of early ventilation system to carry away heat and smoke.

There were marble counters, water-powered devices, and a hanging rack system designed to keep food cool — a reminder that Ludwig may have been a dreamer, but he didn’t skimp on the details. It felt more like the back-of-house at a fine hotel than something out of the Middle Ages. If you are kitchen geeks like we are, this was a pretty impressive spread.

King Ludwig II died under suspicious circumstances in 1886, at just 40 years old. He was found in a lake alongside his psychiatrist, only days after being declared mentally unfit to rule. At the time, he had racked up serious debt from his castle-building obsession — and Neuschwanstein wasn’t even close to finished. In fact, of the 200+ rooms he planned, only about 15 were ever completed. Just six weeks after his death, the royal family opened the castle to the public to help recoup the costs. So while Ludwig built Neuschwanstein as his private fantasy retreat, it quickly became one of the most visited castles in the world.

We decided to walk down, as just short hike past the castle is Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge), the famous pedestrian bridge that gives you that picture-perfect view of Neuschwanstein nestled in the mountains. The bridge spans about 300 feet across the Pöllat Gorge, with a drop of nearly 328 feet below — so if you're a bit afraid of heights, fair warning!

The bridge was originally built in 1845 by King Maximilian II, Ludwig’s father, as a gift to his wife, Queen Marie, who loved hiking in the area. The current iron structure was reinforced in the 1980s, but the views haven’t changed — still absolutely breathtaking, for those brave enough to stay on it.

What makes it scarier, is there is an electronic monitor telling you how many people are on the bridge vs. capacity. Truthfully, I made it out about 10 feet, took no pictures and hustled back. Fortunately, he’s much braver than I and scored the amazing shots.

Giddy from a Bucket List Day

We made the hike down, which was not as easy as you’d think, on pretty steep terrain.

One last look at this fairytale castle. And yes, you are not imagining it. In 1930 Walt Disney visited Neuschwanstein. It was his inspiration for Sleep Beauty’s Castle. It was worth the drive and we would highly recommend a morning (or longer) to visit this magical castle.