Day 3 it was!!! It was kind of exciting to let my little screams before we started driving towards the place where 1.3 million people visit annually. A place which had made a home in my mind since the time I had read the ‘Cinderella’s Story’; a place which had inspired Walt’s iconic creation. Yes!! It was the ‘Sleeping Beauty Castle of Germany’ known as Neuschwanstein Castle.

The key is arriving as early as possible to this place so that you have most of the place all to yourself. We started early with a plan to reach Füssen by 9am. As we drove towards southern Germany, we saw the stunningly beautiful mountain ranges all around us. This region is considered one of the most beautiful landscapes of Germany. The mountain ranges are quite old. It is said they are quite chiseled at their peaks to portray to the travellers spectacular views like the mountain ranges of Berchtesgaden. We spent some time trying to soak-in the captivating beauty around us.

The nearest town to the castle was the Bavarian village of Hohenschwangau. The medieval styled snow-white limestone facade just peeps through the rolling green Bavarian Alps. It overlooks an adorable little town and the blue Alpsee. It is just perfect! The Hohenschwangau Castle is nearby and worth visiting, thanks to the mysterious ‘Mad King’ Ludwig II. He wanted to build the Neuschwanstein castle and it was supposed to be a place where he could escape and recluse. Unfortunately he died of a mysterious death in 1886. This Neo-Romanesque castle was opened as a museum to the public. The intricate work welcomes thousands of travellers every day. Once you reach the base of the castle it is around 30 min walk uphill. Alternatively, you can also take the shuttle buses to horse carriage rides (€ 6,00 to go uphill and € 3.00 to go downhill).

Nothing can ever compete with the view from Marienbrucke (Mary’s bridge). Marienbrucke presents you with an insanely beautiful view of the Disney Castle. It is about 15 min walk from the castle with an amazing view of Alpsee enroute. Many tourists who visit in winters wish to visit in fall and vice-versa. Undoubtedly the most loved castle.

If you wish, you can take guided tour which lasts for about 25 minutes (Tickets need to be booked in advance)

Price: €12.00

Tip: To save time/guarantee tour inside, buy tickets online

Once back to the foothills, we continued to drive towards the Linderhof palace. The palace is built in Rococo style and inspired by Palace of Versailles in France! This was the only palace which Ludwig saw to its completion. It is a royal gem with an amazing park right at the foothills of Bavarian Alps.

Alps…they never fail to mesmerize us! Linderhof was a very small palace but the palace exteriors which were built to honor the Bavarian monarchy were beautiful. The fountain in between the garden shoots upto 98feet up in the air. Behind the garden there is a temple with statue of Venus. Without spending too much time here we drove further to Oberammergau.

Oberammergau is a home for about 5000 people. It is a jewel-box village perched in the Bavarian Alps. It is a unique place where people follow the Alpine tradition of painting their homes with some sort of fairy tale paintings. It is called Luftlmalerei and is truly magical. Apart from the paintings another reason which attracts thousands of people here is the ‘Passion play’ which takes place once in a decade. It is a play which depicts the story of Jesus’s life and death and is performed by the people who have either stayed here for at least 20 yrs or born here.  Oberammergau can be definitely called as a charming Alpine village.

It is said ‘In old customs lives a deep meaning’. If you want to live it, then Unterammergau is the place of pure tradition, history and beautiful nature. The Joseph chapel in the centre of the village is beautiful. It was attached to a tree till 1907 and was dedicated to the people who were injured in the mountains. Another interesting tradition of this place is whetstone making. This was the occupation of the people years back. The quarries from which the stones had been mined are still present in those areas.

By now it was quite dark and we headed to our stay in Murnau-Am-Staffelsee which was around 20 min drive. Murnau is a picturesque town and we had a very pleasant stay.