Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein Palace, the eccentric creation of Ludwig II, resides high on the mountainside overlooking the little town of Hohenschwangau. Meaning New Swan Stone Palace in English, Neuschwanstein is certainly a site to behold. The outside is spectacular, even though it was left unfinished. Walking up the snowy road towards the palace, one was able to catch tantalising glimpses before you turned a corner and there it was. 


I opted to take a tour to the palace, which in hindsight really wasn't necessary. Everyone takes the same train (a two hour trip one way) to the town, and then it really is rather simple to get in to the palace. The tour inside the palace was very strange. It was incredibly rushed, with a small, high pitched man shooting off facts about each room which was so crammed full of people that I couldn't actually see much of the room itself. The tours are timed, fifteen minutes each and you are literally pushed from one room to another. I don't necessarily regret going inside, but I do think that the tour that the palace employees run was ridiculous. 

The palace itself though, does not disappoint. They say it is what Walt Disney based his princess palaces off and it is obviously why. Based on Romanesque design, the palace is a mere thing of beauty, rather than anything designed to hold back an army (thus why it is called a palace, not a castle). 


Would I recommend a trip there if you are visiting Bavaria? Yes, absolutely. The tour, however, is a whole other story. The town is gorgeous, and the palace magnificent. The whole place was covered with snow and so felt rather magical.