Although it was Oktoberfest that brought me to Munich, I had no intention of missing the other main attractions of Bavaria.
Chief on my list was Neuschwanstein Castle.
Review: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof Royal Castle & Oberammergau Tour From Munich [Gray Line] (Munich, Germany)
Editor’s Note: This post is part of my ongoing Travel Series on Europe. Click here for more posts on this European trip including France, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.Â
About The Gray Line Neuschwanstein, Linderhof Royal Castle & Oberammergau Tour From Munich
The tour I selected was the Neuschwanstein, Linderhof Royal Castle & Oberammergau Tour From Munich by Gray Line tours.
This tour had a great itinerary and visited several major sites in Bavaria.
The 10.5 hour full-day trip picked-up in Munich and featured an air-conditioned bus with a tour guide.
Image: grayline.com
Image: grayline.com
Map Of The Sites On The Tour
From left to right: Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau, Linderhof Castle, Munich
The Drive Through Bavaria
Leaving Munich, we drove south on the infamous Autobahn freeway for a ways, before exiting the roadway and heading west into the mountains along the Austrian border.
Tour Stop #1: Linderhof Palace
The first stop was Linderhof Palace. This palace was an 1870’s project by King Ludwig II built on the property where his father’s (King Maximillan II) own castle once stood.
Heavily influenced by King Louis XIV’s Versailles castle in France, this would be the smallest of King Ludwig II’s three castles (including Neuschwanstein), and the only one that he lived to see the completion of.
Note: Although the inside of the castle was quite immaculate, photos were not allowed.
Tourists in the queue to get in
Tour Stop #2: Oberammergau
The town of Oberammergau is most famous for its Christian-themed “Passion Play” which is held every ten years (on every year that ends in zero).
The town is also famous for its woodcarving (Cuckoo-clocks), and the frescos painted on several buildings inspired by the many infamous Bavarian fairy-tales, such as Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood.
Tour Stop #3: Neuschwanstein Castle
Upon arrival in the town of Hohenschwangau, we were told about the two options to get to Neuschwanstein Castle: Make the long uphill trek on our own (free), or hire a horse carriage (pay), before being turned loose to eat lunch, see the town, and visit the Castle on our own.
Image: Thomas Wolf
The Town of Hohenschwangau
I opted to eat lunch at Hotel Alpenstuben’s aptly named restaurant, “Restaurant Alpenstuben”, which was an excellent choice for both the food and the beer.
Hohenschwangau Castle
The horse carriage option
The castle on the hill
The Walk Up The Hill
After lunch, I made the long trek up the hill to several incredible viewpoints of Bavaria.
Although this walk was only a distance of 1.5 km, it was up a steep hill in the mountains and took me about 40 minutes to make the trek to the castle.
There was a possible side-trip to the Queen Mary’s Bridge (said to provide the best view of Neuschanstein Castle), but the line to the bridge had a wait time of two hours.
Being that I only had 1.5 hours left to tour the castle and hike back down to the bus, this was [sadly] impossible.
Arrival At Neuschwanstein Castle
Upon arrival, I handed in my ticket and in turn received an automated entrance number and time (conveniently posted on an electronic board).
After only about a 5 minute wait, I was let inside to join the next tour. A tour guide greeted us and then began the tour through the [unfinished] castle.
Neuschwanstein Castle was built by King Ludwig II as his personally-financed [intended] residence and retreat in honor of Richard Wagner.
The king died before its completion, but the Castle was opened to the public by the late 1880’s.
Today, the castle is said to be the direct inspiration for many of the famous Disney castles (especially Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland), and is one of the most visited destinations in all of Europe, visited by nearly 1.5 million people every year.
View of Queen Mary’s Bridge
The Drive Back To Munich
The drive back to Munich was most serene.
To be honest, I was asleep almost instantly and awoke back in Munich.
The Bottom-Line Review: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof Royal Castle & Oberammergau Tour From Munich [Gray Line] (Munich, Germany)
This was a great tour.
Bavaria is even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. At once rugged and manicured, it was easy to see why this place is so highly featured in European folklore.
All three attractions were worthwhile and stunningly beautiful.
The Bottom-Line Review: Highly Recommended! The Gray Line tour was easy, affordable and worthwhile!
