7 best photo spots for Neuschwanstein Castle

Tuesday 4 September 2018, 20:40 by Michelle Peeters | 19,198 views | 3 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

It had been at the top of my bucket list for years, and I planned countless fantasy trips to Füssen in my head with just one goal: photographing Neuschwanstein Castle.

A real fairytale castle on top of a mountain? Indeed, this castle served as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland. That pink castle, yes.

Neuschwanstein from the Pöllat Gorge
When you say Allgäu, you say royal castles. A series of castles with dreamy names such as Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. And when you say royal castles, you say Ludwig II: the Märchenkönig (fairytale king) of Bavaria.

Although Schloss Neuschwanstein was built solely and exclusively for King Ludwig II at the time, people now come to this castle from all over the world (the irony).

Jigsaw puzzles

The most famous castle on earth is in Hohenschwangau and can be seen on millions of calendars, jigsaw puzzles, postcards, coffee mugs and biscuit tins.

You can park in the village of Hohenschwangau. Note: you have to park in this village (and pay cash!), then walk up the mountain yourself. You cannot park any closer. It is also possible to squeeze yourself onto a packed bus that takes you to the Marienbrücke viewpoint.

Once you have parked your car in the car park, you will probably be wondering anxiously what to do on this sugar cake overrun by crowds of tourists.

But if you walk up towards the Marienbrücke (a good half-hour of steep climbing), you are soon enchanted by the landscape of coniferous forests, mountains, cliffs and emerald-green lakes.

And you will discover that even at Germany's busiest attraction, the age-old Law of Tourist Distribution applies seamlessly here too.

If you walk around the Alpsee (the 1.9-kilometre-long lake at the foot of Schloss Hohenschwangau, which Ludwig could swim across in 22 minutes), you soon will not see a single tourist.

This may well be the most beautiful part of Germany. In between, Neuschwanstein stands so gracefully on display that the landscape seems to have been designed for the castle, not the other way round.

The Marienbrücke and Schloss Schwanstein from the Pöllat Gorge
Walt Disney also visited the castle and used it as inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. Although Schloss Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular sights in Germany (and it also seems as if half of Tokyo has turned out to see it), the castle certainly does not disappoint.

Whatever the season. Anyone can return home from here with beautiful photos.

Neuschwanstein from the Tegelbergh cable car

Mad or brilliant?

I imagine how King Ludwig II flopped down on his bed with its blue satin blankets almost two centuries ago and enjoyed the landscape around the castle.

He really did live in a fairytale world. Although he only enjoyed half a year of his life at Schloss Neuschwanstein, he then died. Trees adorn the steep mountains around the castle on one side, and a shimmering lake lies on the other.

Little Prince Ludwig grew up with constant hunger (considered good for education at the time) and had contact with his parents for only half an hour a day (likewise). Because of these circumstances, he created his own dream world.

He became obsessed with medieval knights, Germanic myths, the French Sun King and Wagner's music too. Hence, many people think he was mad.

As an adult, he had an illuminated starry sky installed above his bed in his bedroom. This gave him the feeling of sleeping outdoors. He could even change the position of the moon. Not mad, but brilliant, you might say!

For Ludwig, all that splendour and grandeur was never really enough. He had palaces and country houses built all over Bavaria. An expensive hobby that may well have brought about his own downfall.

The circumstances in which he drowned (as a proficient swimmer) in shallow water in Lake Starnberg were rather murky. Fishermen claimed to have heard pistol shots. His tomb was sealed, but his descendants still do not allow an investigation...

Neuschwanstein from the path by the Tegelbergbahn to the castle hill

The 7 best photo spots

If you are planning to visit and photograph Neuschwanstein Castle, below are 7 of the best places I found for photographing the castle: the classic spots and some more original ones.

Neuschwanstein beyond the Marienbrücke

How do you get there?

Memmingen, the gateway to the Allgäu, is 720 kilometres from Utrecht, a good seven-hour drive. You can also fly to Munich, from where it is about a two-hour drive (with a hire car) to the Allgäu.

From Würzburg to Füssen (where Neuschwanstein Castle is located), you can take the Romantic Road. This is one of the most popular tourist routes in Germany.

This 385-kilometre-long route runs from the River Main to the German Alps and was established in 1950. This world-famous holiday route showcases the unique diversity of the landscape through which the Romantic Road winds.

Hohenschwangau from the Telgelbergh cable car

Best time to visit

Every season has something to offer in the Allgäu. Spring is bright green and full of flowers, while summers are warm and stable. In autumn there are traditional festivals and you can enjoy the far-reaching views.

In winter, you can choose from several ski resorts (including Oberstdorf) and see Neuschwanstein shining in the snow, almost obscenely picturesque.

From the Franconian vineyards along the Main to the breathtaking Bavarian Alps in the south of Germany. A feast for the eyes in every respect.

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