Neuschwanstein Castle is what brings millions of tourists to the town of Schwangau in Germany every year.  This fairytale castle is the most magnificent I have ever seen.  I wonder if there’s another one in the world that can topple it off my heart of hearts.

To get there, you can either walk about 2-3 kilometers from Schwangau or drive to Hohenschwangau and leave your car at a parking area for €5/ day.  The distance from the foot of the hill to the top is about 1 km in which you can walk or take a horse-drawn carriage.

Just be aware that in the peak season, finding a parking space in Hohenschwangau can be a major headache and the queue for the carriage is insane.

For the perfect angle of the castle,  one has to get to Marienbrucke or Queen Mary’s bridge but skip this part if you have a serious fear of heights.

Marienbrucke is not for the faint-hearted.  This bridge is so narrow,  just for two people wide and there was a mad swarm of tourists wanting the same thing – to get a good view or photo of the castle.  It’s skin to skin, so it’s not just the fear of heights you have to consider but also calming down your temper.  The woman before me annoyingly pushed everyone out of her way.  Lucky for her she was  only thrown with profanities in different languages.

My biggest issue of this bridge was that it’s wooden and the wood sort of shifted in my steps.  With the amount of weight it had to hold, I feared it would snap anytime.  I actually chickened out at first while my husband was already lost in the crowd on the bridge. He had to squeeze his way back to convince me it’s okay and held my hand most of the time.

This is what’s under you 90 meters down.  I’m not usually scared of heights but this bridge really got my heart pounding.  Good thing my husband took great photos from this point because I was completely useless.   All I could think of was to get off the bridge, stat.

Sadly, we didn’t go inside the castle.  The queue for the tickets was just ridiculous. Martina, our host, told us it’s better to drive to the ticket booth at 8am when there are only few people in line.  But really, who wants to get up so early when you’re on a holiday?

On top is the view of a much smaller castle, Hohenschwangau, seen from Neuschwanstein. My feet were badly blistered after this hike but it was worth all the pain.  Yes, this place should be on everyone’s bucket list.

xoxo