Neuschwanstein-Germany

The beautiful castle of Kind Ludwig II of Bavaria happens to be the inspiration behind the logo of Disney. Built from the king's own personal funds, the castle was a place the King built to take refuge but unfortunately he died soon after it was ready. The castle is near the place called Fussen and in the town of  Hohenschwangau which is about 10 minutes from Fussen.

The castle view.

Where we stayed? Schlosshotel Lisl and Jagerhaus


AAview: We paid about 125 Euros per night excluding breakfast. The room was magnificent with huge pictures of kings hanging on the walls. The view of the castle from the room was spectacular and a night at the town makes you wonder if you were part of a time travel experiment to the 1950s:) The quite town is really a escape from the fast paced mundane life. The hotel is bang on there near the entrance to the castle. Check with the reception folks about reserving your tickets for the castle tour if possible in advance especially during the holiday season. We had been there twice and found a huge line of people waiting to buy tickets. We are pretty sure the wait is a minimum of 20 minutes from there. Make sure you get that arranged prior. The tours with an English speaking guide happen every 2 hours.

How we got there? We took a train from Munich Hbf towards fussen and took a taxi to Hohenschwangau the first time but subsequently drove. The drive is easier with family around and should be very comfortable.

Things we did:

• Trek atop the castle
• Castle tour with an English tour guide.
• Walk to Marienbrucke (Mary's bridge)

A and A's recommendations: 
Please do not miss the walk through the Marienbrucke. The actual castle view is breathtaking from this hanging bridge. Be careful with kids as this bridge is quite crowded and is wobbling randomly.
If you are looking for good places to lunch or dine - go back to Fussen and you can find a variety of cuisines from Asian to Bavarian. We dined at this restaurant called Moti Mahal where the food was fairly good.

What we missed?
The only thing we can think of is maybe spent a day longer and trekked endlessly in and around the castle. Oh! yes we missed visiting the smaller castle.

Pics:

View of the Bavarian region from the castle top.

Quoting Disney- Happy just very very happy :)

Walk to the Marienbrucke.

The small castle.

Who says time travel doesn't exist?  Town of Schwangau.