Fairytale Castles in Germany!! Plus Beer Houses in Munich!!

The river cruise portion of the trip is over, but not the trip itself. We are taking a private transfer from Vilshofen to Munich with a stop at one of the 44 castles in Bavaria. Trausnitz Castle is about the halfway point between the two cities and we were ready to explore! You are dropped off in the parking lot and have the option of walking through the gardens or the street to the castle. Walking up to the castle, you can see the true size of it… it is massive! And it is extremely windy up here… because, of course, the castle sits on the highest precipice in the area. Once you make it to the courtyard, the wind magically stops and you can buy your ticket (5,50€) which includes a 4 page detailed information sheet about each area of the castle, and you can begin your self-guided walking tour.

Duke Ludwig I of Bavaria, founded the castle in 1205 and until 1503 during the Late Middle Ages was the residence and seat of government of the dukes of Lower Bavaria. From the Early Modern Age it served as the residence of the Bavarian ducal heir. This was a fascinating place to visit! There is a chamber of curiosities which in the 16th century was an early museum with artifacts and preserved animals from around the world… and some interesting pieces of art… you have to just see them for yourself. I found other ‘curiosities’ as well such as a horoscope that appeared to be devouring a child and an alter made to relics (in case you don’t know, relics are a piece of a person like a bone fragment). The architecture was beautiful and the views down into Landshut are breathtaking! I love how most of the buildings in this town, including the castle, all have the same orangish tiled roofs.

Once we made it to Munich, and after a rest, we took a walk to the Glockenspiel… what is that you ask? It is a magnificent and elaborate mechanical clock set into the steeple of Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall). It was completed in 1908 and has 43 bells and 32 life size figures that reenact two stories from Munich’s history. The presentation takes about 15 minutes and is done 2-3 times a day depending on the time of year. We caught it at exactly 5pm (I literally ran to make it on time) and it was beautiful. My favorite was the knight scene and when it was jousted from it’s horse, the entire square wowed at the sight! Afterwards, we took a stroll through the city and saw many beautiful buildings in this area. Also nearby was Hofbräuhaus, one of the original beer halls! We grabbed a table for some drinks, food and great live music.

I am a Disney girl at heart and when I found out I had the chance to visit the actual castle in Germany that inspired Walt Disney to shape Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, I was there in a heartbeat!! Schloss Neuschwanstein is a two hour train ride from Munich and is an all day activity that I was really looking forward to. We met our excursion group at 9am and walked together to the train station. The ride was beautiful… especially when the Alps become visible! We pass through picturesque German village after picturesque German village! You can tell each town or village by the church spire at the center. Once we made it to the last stop of the train, a bus picked us up for the rest of the journey.

The first look at the castle was just beautiful! It sits high up on the base of the mountain with the Alps spread out behind it. The small tourist area of Schwangau is a grouping of restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops as well as the museum and ticket buildings for the castles… yes there are TWO castles here! King Ludwig II grew up in Schloss Hohenschwangna and dreamed of his fairy tale castle… which he built when he grew up just up the mountain. We walked the town, grabbed a bite to eat and walked to the lake. The views of the lake and both castles are spectacular from the town. But then it was our turn to go up the mountain. We took the shuttle bus up (it is a steep climb) and then walked the rest of the way up to the bridge… and WOW!! On one side of the bridge, you have incredible views of the castle and the other looks up to the snow covered Alps with a waterfall below. This is the perfect picture spot! It was a magical day and I could see why Walt Disney used this beautiful castle as inspiration.

We ended our day… and our trip, back in Munich for one last dinner. Our tour guide recommended Augustiner Keller and it did not disappoint! Very similar to dinner last night, there was a live Bavarian band, beer and lots of good food! This was one of the best meals of the entire trip and was the perfect ending to my trip to Europe. Until next time…