One of the most beautiful castles in the world is Castle Neuschwanstein rising up in the middle of the Bavarian Alps. King Ludwig II ordered the construction of the castle beginning in 1869 and was made in homage to Richard Wagner.
You can do all the research you want when you are on a trip, but some of the best tips do not come from guidebooks but come from fellow travelers. As a college student studying World War II my senior year at the University of Tennessee, I was unleashed for a month of travel in Europe armed with a Eurailpass after my seminar was over.
While in Munich, Germany we met some travelers at the hostel that were embarking to Füssen, which is the town in Bavaria closest to the castle. They invited us along, so we went.
The castle itself is spectacular. For some great shots of the castle please check out Eurotravelog’s beautiful shots. This post is not so much about the castle, but the amazing scenery around it. We only had time to take the train in and back as our trip was ending. We only had time to check out the castle, eat lunch, go for a short walk around the lake, and catch a train back to Munich.
The title of this post is about the four photos I took not of the castle but from the castle. The castle prominently juts up in the middle of a mountain valley and has pristine views of an alpine lake, the countryside surrounding Füssen, the Bavarian Alps, and even a waterfall. Not only do you get an amazing castle when you visit here, you get awesome views from the castle.
I could have spent weeks here as it was so beautiful. The song “Sound of Music” kept echoing in my head, and I drove my travel mates crazy with my own rendition. My falsetto of Julie Andrews was not as pleasing to the ear as the original version. The castle has been described as fairy tale like, but so is the town and the countryside.
One of the best memories from the trip was walking around the lake. I still remember saying “gutentag” to all the groups of people we came in contact with which pretty much extended my German dialogue.
Some travel tips are only good as long as they have current information. Others like the beauty of a fairly like castle, the amazing Bavarian Alps, and the Füssen countryside are sure to stay current for decades. I have no doubt this area is unchanged from when I visited it over twenty years ago.
Another memory I have of this trip is when me and my travel mate returned to Munich, one of the people we were invited to join stayed in Füssen. I was so jealous as I wanted to stay and explore the area as well. It pays to be flexible when on vacation. I will return one day and soak up the scenery of the Bavarian Alps for more than just one day next time.
Füssen is less than a two hour drive from Munich and easily accessible by rail. Tours are plentiful and simple to arrange in Munich.
The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).
On the right sidebar is a donate button. If you would like to donate in order to support the site, it would be appreciated. All donations would cover travel expenses and improvements to make the site better.
I love Neuschwanstein! I saw it many years ago. Ludwig was a crazy dude but built a great castle.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..5 reasons you shouldn’t spend all your time on South Beach
He sure did. I am not a huge castle person, but this place is phenomenal.
Great photos but I’ll pass on the bridge. Yikes!
The bridge affords incredible views of the castle and of course the countryside and mountains.
Castles and water falls, who could ask for a more beautiful post, thanks Ted.
robb714 recently posted..Handling the Holidays
Best of both worlds if you are a lover of the waterfall and castle worlds, and who isn’t? You would have to be a pretty cantankerous person to not like waterfalls or castles. That is almost as shoddy as not liking dolphins and baby seals.
Certainly one of the most picturesque settings in all the world…I love Bavaria and Neuschwanstein. Thank you for including a link to my post in your article however, I have written a lot more about the castle in another post on my site entitled “Christmas in Bavaria.” You want to see exquisite pics? Check these out from my guest photographer.
Jeff Titelius recently posted..Halloween’s Haunted Past and Present
Thanks Jeff,
I found your other post on Neuschwanstein and linked that instead. It has better pictures and more information. Thanks for the 411.
One of my most favorite places in the world!
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures recently posted..Review: Roomorama (Part 1)
If it is an Andi’s pick, then you know it is quality.
Gorgeous place…great inside info
Cheers…
Charles Higgins recently posted..Legends in Concert announces 2012 holiday season performance lineup in Las Vegas
Thanks as always Charles!
The most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my life – the castle and Bavaria. This is a must-see! Too bad King Ludwig didn’t live to see the completion and enjoy its splendor.
Nance Carter recently posted..5 rainbows over Salem
I agree Nance, it is on my top list of most beautiful places too. It was definitely the most beautiful outdoor place I saw when I was in Europe.
One of the most picturesque castles you’ll ever see! I couldn’t agree more with you, the area is spectacular and I too would love to spend weeks in this part of Bavaria. Had to laugh when you mentioned hearing the Sound of Music because I do exactly the same thing when I’m in the area!
Great minds sing and think alike 🙂
I have been to Munich, Salzburg and other places in the area but this is one sight I have not seen yet! It is definitely something I plan to see – glad you discovered it early in your European travels.
Raul (@ilivetotravel) recently posted..Virginia is for lovers. Wine lovers.
If you ever get back to Munich, you definitely must make a trip to see Neuschwanstein.
love the photo from the Castle of the alpine lake. yeah, the hills are alive in your pictures 😉
lola recently posted..i’m a winner & you can be a winner too!
Thanks Lola, they definitely are alive with the sound of muuuuuuusssssiiiiic!
I absolutely love the first of the 4 photos…the pillar makes it.
I still need to get to Germany and when I do, this is now on the list.
stay adventurous, Craig
Craig Zabransky recently posted..Sunset Sunday – The Road Back to (for) New York
I was just talking about Germany and how I wanted to visit, but not just the cities. This is a prime example of what I want to see. Simply spectacular.
Leah Travels recently posted..Cramming an Inordinate Amount of Stuff into a Bag
Ted doing Julie Andrews… I can’t even 🙂
Germany is in our near future; it’s at the top of Mark’s list. We definitely will be visiting Neuschwanstein and Lucia will lose her mind when she sees the castle! Thanks for sharing photos taken FROM the castle. They’re just as stunning.
Francesca (@WorkMomTravels) recently posted..Longing for Istanbul