The Neuschwanstein Castle is one most visited castles in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destination in Europe. The castle is located in Bavaria, near the town of Fussen. It was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, also known as the “Fairytale King”, or “Mad-King Ludwig”.

There were three different ways to get to the top. The cheapest but slowest way was to walk, but that was quite a climb. The distance from the ticket counter to the castle was a little over a mile, we reckoned, at a fairly moderate angle. Those in good physical condition would have little difficulty.

There were 2 means of transportation available for those not who is not willing or without sufficient time to do the walk. The popular way is by horse carriage, the other way is by a bus, which made runs up and down every ten minutes. However, the bus stop did not go to the castle itself, but to the base.

Ok, finally we were there. The time was sligthly over appointment. Luckily our turn haven’t come yet, still have 2 groups ahead of us. Whew…still have some time to go to the toilet to release the water pressure.

We waited in the inner courtyard for our turn for the tour. The time was printed on the ticket. After 15 more minutes, our number came up on the indicators and we went inside.

The Neuschwanstein Castle is one most visited castles in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destination in Europe. The castle is located in Bavaria, near the town of Fussen. It was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, also known as the “Fairytale King”, or “Mad-King Ludwing”.

Neuschwanstein is a castle of the paradox. It was built in the 19th century in Bavaria, in a time when castles no longer had strategical and defensive purposes.

While Neuschwanstein’s look is that of a medieval castle, it was equiped inside with state of the art technology at that time. For example on every floor of the castle there were toilets with automatic flushing system, as well as an air heating system for the whole castle.

King Ludwig did not allow visitors to go to his castles, but after his death in 1886 the castle was opened to the public (in part due to the need to pay off the debts Ludwig incurred financing its construction). Since that time, over 50 million people have visited the Neuschwanstein Castle. About 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6000 per day in the summer time.

We waited for another 10 minutes before our tour guide came to greet us. He is young, cheerful and handsome, I’ve forgotten all the frustration in waiting for him to come. And yes, he speaks very good English too.

Again, public photography of the interior is not permitted. But, my mind couldn’t control my hands, and I did snap one photo in this room. I guess Mad King Ludwig had made me mad too, seeing how mad he built this castle. Overall, the interior decor in the castle is astonishingly ornate.

Back to this ballroom on the fifth floor, it is one of the highlights in this caslte. The room is full with incredible display of artwork. As King Ludwig was a big fans of Richard Wagner – renowned composer, scenes from his operas were posted on murals throughout the building, especially in the bedroom.

The Neuschwanstein Castle really looks like a fairytale castle, also known by several names – “Cinderella’s Castle”, the “Fairly Tale Castle”.

In fact, the famous Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland was modeled after Neuschwanstein Castle. It was undoubtedly Germany’s best-known and most-visited castle, and the one that most often appeared on souvenir trinkets and postcards.

Although King Ludwig is not a very good king to his people, he did, create one of the greatest architectures in the world. What can one say?

Neuschwanstein has fulfilled its bill as a great castle and tourist attraction, one that it routinely draws visitors to.

Feeling recharged, we left the castle and walked to the nearby Marienbrucke (Mary’s Bridge, name after Queen Marie of Prussia), a bridge spanning a chasm over Pöllat Gorge.

Husband said this bridge was constructed precisely to offer the perfect side views of Neuschwanstein. Looking from here, I felt a bit nervous to imagine myself standing on that suspension bridge.

The scene along the road to-and-fro the Neuschwanstein Castle is very beautiful. Hohenschwangau Village on left, Schloss Hohenschwangau on right, as seen from Neuschwanstein Castle.

The bridge was full of people. For a split second, I felt hesitated if it’s safe to walk on the bridge. But seeing husband and the boys walked towards it without thinking, I followed too.

Neuschwanstein as seen from the Marienbrücke. No doubt, the bridge offer a perfect side view of the castle. Just that the maintenance of the outer wall has spoilt everything.

I felt very shaky standing up there, especially when the people was moving to-and-fro around me. It’s so scary…So, I pushed husband and the boys to leave soon after we have seen enough of the castle from here. We left the castle village at around 4 pm. One last look at the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle.