Celebrating the New Year at Neuschwanstein

We didn’t waste any time in 2015 before heading out to do something new. We set out for Schloss Neuschwanstein with our guests on January 2^nd – and this time actually went inside!  We had visited the castle in the fall of 2013 but we weren’t in the mood to fight the crowds to take a tour.  Instead we had opted for the more relaxed (in terms of crowds) Hohenschwangau Castle tour across the way. Aunt Ellen and Uncle Rüdiger were more than disappointed in our decision and have made fun of our cultural blindness for the better part of a year.   How could anyone visit the world’s most famous castle and not go inside!?  Well in 2015 we redeemed ourselves! 

Julie’s uncanny planning skills came in handy on January 2^nd.  She motivated us to get out of the house by 7am so we could beat the crowds and the forecasted bad weather.  Upon arriving we found a front row parking spot and already the parking attendant warned us to hurry to the ticket office and secure our castle tour.  They were expecting double the number of visitors because Neuschwanstein is closed New Year’s Eve and Day, and there were plenty of tourists visiting Munich/Bavaria for the holidays (including our 3 guests). 

The drive in wasn't too shabby

After securing tickets for a 12:45 tour and making the 15 minute ‘hike’ up the hill to Neuschwanstein’s entrance, we were initially disappointed to see the trail to the Marienbrücke (Mary’s bridge) was blocked off due to the snow.  This bridge is where you can get photos of the castle in its entirety – and the main reason Julie wanted to come that day (to photograph the castle in snow).  After about 5 minutes of deliberating if we should ignore the fence, we saw a couple come through the barricade from the bridge’s direction.  When they said the path was just fine, we made the decision to duck through the railings and make our way down the trail. 

It ended up being an easy walk to the bridge, even in the snow, and we were able to capture some really great shots of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau in the winter elements.  And we were not the only ones that had ignored the warning signs/gone around the fences – there were a handful of other people with their cameras enjoying the views. 

The castles weren’t the only things looking beautiful under a blanket of snow – the Bavarian countryside wasn’t too shabby either. 

After an early lunch it was time to take the castle tour.  The tour itself was quick and dirty and involved too many people to really absorb much information.  However we were all stunned by how amazingly beautiful the castle was on the inside.  We had expected that because it was technically not finished that the interior would not be very lavish.  Instead the level of detail in all of the architectural elements is incredible and there are some wildly unique decorations including a rainbow, some vibrant blue tiles, and the most detailed woodcarvings I have ever seen.  I guess you will have to see it for yourself because you are not allowed to take photos inside. 

Ok, we took a selfie in the gift shop as proof we went inside.  I think this photo is ok - the only 'artwork' we put at risk were those plastic placemats behind us.

At the end of the tour, we passed by some windows facing the valley.  As we looked out in the distance we were all shocked to see the incredibly long line of cars sitting in traffic all headed to where we were. 

And they weren't even close to the parking areas.

Upon exiting the castle we observed the trend of jumping the fence to go to the bridge had only increased 10 fold.   The crowds were so thick and intense it was quite entertaining to watch people pushing their way forward and essentially falling through to the other side of the fencing.  And when we saw the Marienbrücke from the castle, we could see it was packed full of people. 

The weather had turned cold and rainy (as forecasted) while we were taking the tour, which meant it was time to leave the massive crowds at the castle and make our way down the trail.  We finished up by taking some photos at the lake and then piled into the car for road trip cupcakes and our journey back to the apartment. 

So now we are proud (and relieved) to be able to visit with our aunt and uncle without feeling shame that we have been to Neuschwanstein but haven’t gone in.  This time we took the tour and can honestly say we were thoroughly impressed!  So what is the secret to having nice weather and minimal crowds when visiting Germany’s biggest tourist destinations?  Make sure you have Julie in your group to make the plans.