VISIT THE 2 BEST CASTLES IN BAVARIA: NEUSCHWANSTEIN AND HOHENSCHWANGAU
June 5, 2024
Bavaria castles transport us to a fairytale world. In this article we will explore the 2 best castles in Bavaria: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.
What to see in Bavaria in 3 days? Here is an itinerary that will take you to Lake Lindau, passing through Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle!
What to see in Bavaria in 3 days
We had the opportunity to take a 3-day trip to Bavaria, discovering this southern German region, including magnificent mountain views, fairytale castles, beautiful Munich and also quaint little villages.
There are so many places in Bavaria to see, but if you have three days at your disposal, it is best to focus on a specific area, in this case the south, leaving other areas for future trips.
In this article, we share with you our 3-day itinerary, which we followed to explore the southern part of Bavaria, in the hope that it will inspire you for a future holiday in this wonderful region!
We spent 3 days in Bavaria, exploring this southern German region with its magnificent mountain views, fairytale castles, beautiful Munich and quaint villages. Our trip to southern Bavaria took place over three days, with an extra day dedicated to the return journey.
There are so many places in Bavaria to see, but if you have 3 days in Bavaria, it’s best to focus on a specific area. In this case, we focused on the south, leaving other areas for future trips. In this article, we share our ‘3 days in Bavaria travel Itinerary’ that we followed, in the hope that it will inspire you in planning a future holiday in this wonderful region.
You can follow this 3-day itinerary with the same accommodation as the distances to be covered are not demanding. In fact, we designed this itinerary and chose where to stay accordingly, trying to plan car journeys of a maximum of one hour.
We stayed in Kempten, a small but beautiful village located roughly halfway between Lindau, Munich and the castle area. Fussen is also a good choice as it is only a few minutes from the castles and a reasonable distance from both Lindau and Munich.
As far as the time of year is concerned, this itinerary is suitable for any time of year, obviously each with its pros and cons:
🌲Kempten: Der Furstenhof ⭐Trip To Try Choice
🏰 Fussen: Hotel Ludwigs
⛰️ Lindau: Maximilian Apartments
🍺Munich: Hotel Adria
On the first day of our 3-day itinerary in Bavaria, we left early in the morning and began our journey to southern Bavaria, with our destination as our lodging in Kempten, crossing Austria and passing near the city of Innsbruck, which we took advantage of for a stopover on our return trip.
We arrived in Kempten in the early afternoon and, after a short break at the hotel, headed for the beautiful Lake Constance, located in the southwestern part of Bavaria.
Lake Constance is the third largest lake in Europe, with an area of over 500 square kilometers. Surprisingly, if one were to travel the entire perimeter of Lake Constance, one would pass through three countries-Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The lake is fed mainly by the Rhine River, which is also its main effluent, and is elongated in shape with a narrowing in the city of Constance, which divides it into two parts: the Obersee and the Untersee.
Lake Constance is also a great destination for summer vacations, as it is swimmable, and you can also enjoy water sports there, or ride along its shoreline by bicycle, thanks to a long bicycle path. There are also several trails that will allow you to climb the mountains around the lake with a bit of trekking. A number of islands emerge among its waters, including Reichenau, the largest, Mainau, known as the “flower island,” and Lindau itself.
Our destination on Lake Constance is Lindau, definitely one of the places in Bavaria to see on a 3-day trip. Lindau is a beautiful town located on the southeastern shore of the lake, near the border with Austria.
The island of Lindau is the most interesting part of the town, where the historic heart is located, a mainly pedestrian area that extends to the harbor. Near the historic center, there are convenient and mostly very large parking lots for visiting Lindau. If you opt for the train instead, the train line has a station located on the west side of the island.
We spent the afternoon visiting and walking around the old town, where there are various interesting and especially special places:
We continued our visit in the harbor, home to the lighthouse overlooking the area and Lindau’s Bayerischer Löwe, an imposing lion-shaped statue symbolizing the strength of the Bavarian monarchy, erected following Lindau’s annexation to Bavaria.
After an aperitif overlooking the lake, we headed back to the city center, where we enjoyed a delicious beer tasting followed by a gourmet dinner at Restaurant Valentin (which we highly recommend!).
Bayerischer Löwe and Lindau lighthouse
View of Mangturm
Lindau Town Hall
The second day of our ‘Bavaria 3 day Itinerary’ was dedicated entirely to visiting the famous castles of southern Bavaria, which are definitely the first answer to the question ‘What to see in 3 days in Bavaria?’.
The first castle we visited was Linderhof Castle, smaller than the others, but very charming, as it has a style inspired by French royal residences, so much so that it is also called the ‘little Versailles’.
This castle is the only one that was completed by King Ludwig II and is a place where opulence reigns supreme, as can be seen in certain rooms such as the Audience Chamber.
The grounds of Linderhof Castle are a great place for those who love to explore, where you will find places that are completely different from each other:
If you are interested in visiting Linderhof Castle, we recommend the official website at this link.
After visiting Linderhof Castle, we headed to Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle, which are located opposite each other. Neuschwanstein Castle is the iconic fairytale castle from which Disney drew inspiration for some of the castles that appear in cartoons, such as Sleeping Beauty.
We parked at the foot of the mountain where the castle is located and followed the footpath, which offers great views of Fussen and the surrounding countryside, as well as Hohenschwangau Castle.
The path leads to the main entrance, from where the guided tours start, the only way to visit the castle.
The tour leads through the inner rooms of the castle, starting on the third floor, where a large part of the tour takes place, beginning in the Entrance Hall, decorated with wall paintings narrating the saga of Siegfried, and continuing on to the sumptuous Throne Room and the private rooms of Ludwig II, among which the Grotto and the Winter Garden stand out for their particularity. The upper floor leads to the corridor above the Throne Room and the Singers’ Room, one of the largest and most beautiful spaces on the tour.
The visit to the castle takes a little less than an hour and, once you have left, we recommend you head for the Marienbrücke bridge from where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the castle and visit the waterfalls nearby. During the autumn period, the vivid colours ranging from yellow to red and green surrounding these places are amazing.
In the early afternoon we headed for Hohenschwangau Castle, which is about a half-hour walk from Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle grew out of the ruins of a medieval castle, which was abandoned and remained uninhabited for many years. In the 19th century, King Maximilian II, father of Ludwig II, bought it and entrusted the renovation work to the master of art, painting and architecture Domenico Quaglio. Maximilian II’s wife, Maria of Prussia, also loved this castle and its surrounding forests. Ludwig II was born here and grew up in this magical place, drawing inspiration for Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Castle.
A visit to Hohenschwangau Castle takes about an hour and we recommend that you also make a stop in the small but beautiful garden, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and Lake Schwangau.
This link will direct you to the official website of the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, where you can find interesting information and buy tickets for your visit!
These castles are definitely must-sees during 3 days in Bavaria and we recommend that you dedicate at least one day to discovering these wonderful places.
The second day of our itinerary was devoted entirely to visiting the famous castles of southern Bavaria, which are definitely at the top of the list of things to see in 3 days Bavaria.
The first castle we visited was Linderhof Castle, smaller than the others, but very charming, as it has a style inspired by French royal residences, so much so that it is also called the “little Versailles.”
This castle is the only one that was brought to completion by King Ludwig II and is a place where opulence reigns supreme, as can be seen in some rooms such as the Audience Chamber.
The grounds of Linderhof Castle are a great place for those who love to explore, where you will find places that are completely different from one another:
The Venus Grotto, the Gurnemanz Hermitage, and the Hunding Hut, three settings created for performances of Wagner’s operas in the northern part of the park;
The Moorish Kiosk, where the impressive Peacock Throne is located;
The Moroccan House, where Ludwig II lived for some periods;
The King’s Lodge, where Ludwig II lived during the construction of the castle and until the end of construction.
If you are interested in visiting Linderhof Castle, we recommend checking out the official website at this link.
Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entrance fee: 10 €
Our tips: not all rooms in the castle have the same opening hours, plus some rooms may be closed for restoration or be closed at certain times of the year, such as the Moorish Kiosk. So check the website to avoid unpleasant surprises!
Hohenschwangau Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle
Linderhof Castle
After visiting Linderhof Castle, we headed to Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle, which are located opposite each other. The former, Neuschwanstein Castle, is the iconic fairy tale castle from which Disney drew inspiration for some of the castles that appear in cartoons, such as Sleeping Beauty.
We parked at the foot of the mountain where the castle is located and then followed the pedestrian path, from which you can enjoy the beautiful view of Fussen and the surrounding countryside, as well as of Hohenschwangau Castle.The path leads up to the main entrance, from which the guided tours start, the only way to be able to visit the castle.
The tour takes in the inner rooms of the castle, starting on the third floor, on which much of the path is laid out, beginning with the Entrance Hall, decorated with wall paintings narrating the saga of Siegfried, and then continuing to the sumptuous Throne Room, Ludwig II’s private rooms, among which the Grotto and the Winter Garden stand out for their particularity. The upper floor leads to the corridor above the Throne Room and the Singers’ Room, one of the largest and most beautiful spaces on the tour.
The visit to the castle takes a little less than an hour, and once you leave, we recommend heading to the Marienbrücke bridge from which you can enjoy the beautiful view of the castle, and visit the waterfalls that are nearby. During the autumn period, the vivid colors ranging from yellow to red and green that surround these places are truly wonderful.
Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter
Cost of admission: €18
Our advice: this is the most popular castle of all, so buy your tickets online early because you may not necessarily find them on site. Alternatively, you can opt for skip-the-line tickets, they will cost you a bit more but you can make your visit on your own without where to wait!
In the early afternoon we headed to Hohenschwangau Castle, which is about a half-hour walk from Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle grew out of the ruins of a medieval castle, which was abandoned and remained uninhabited for many years. In the 19th century, King Maximilian II, father of Ludwig II, bought it and later entrusted the renovation work to master of art, painting and architecture Domenico Quaglio. Maximilian II’s wife, Mary of Prussia, also loved this castle and its surrounding forests, where Ludwig II was born and grew up in this magical place, drawing inspiration for Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Castle.
A visit to Hohenschwangau Castle takes about an hour, and we recommend that you also make a stop in the small but beautiful garden, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and Lake Schwangau.
This link will direct you to the official website of the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, where you can find interesting information and even purchase tickets for your visit!
These castles are definitely must-see places in Bavaria, and we recommend that you devote at least one day to discovering these wonderful places.
Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in summer, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter
Cost of admission: €23.50
Our tips: you can save on the cost of individual tickets for access to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwantein by purchasing a combined ticket. Of course, calculate your travel time well so as not to be late for your second visit. Want to learn more about them? We have dedicated an article to these two castles!
Bavaria castles transport us to a fairytale world. In this article we will explore the 2 best castles in Bavaria: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.
At the end of our visit, we returned to Kempten so that we could devote the last part of our afternoon to visiting this small town.
Kempten is a very quiet and well-kept place, with the River Iller running through it, giving way to places that seem to have come straight out of a fairy tale.
The old town centre is small but very beautiful: starting from the Town Hall Square, where there are nice cafés and several benches to relax on, we recommend you continue along Ratahusstraße, until you cross Fischerstraße, which is also pleasant to walk along, as there are many shops selling typical products here.
In the evening, we stayed in Kempten to dine in the historic and traditional Weinstube Hensler restaurant, which offers excellent typical Bavarian cuisine, accompanied by fine wines and the excellent company of the owner with whom we had the opportunity to discuss local traditions at length.
Kempten
The third and last day of our ‘Bavaria 3 day Itinerary’ was entirely dedicated to the beautiful city of Munich, one of Bavaria’s must-see cities. Here are the most important places in the city:
Bavaria Itinerary 3 days: the Glockenspiel
Bavaria Itinerary 3 days: view of Neuhauser Straße from Karlsplatz
Bavaria Itinerary 3 days: Antiquarium at the Munich Royal Residence
If you want to learn more about Munich, please read the article we shared below!
What to see in Munich in 1 day? Among museums, parks and traditional breweries, here’s our “1 day Itinerary Munich”!
The fourth day of our 3-day trip to Bavaria was dedicated to the return journey, during which we recommend an intermediate stop in the beautiful city of Innsbruck. We hope our ‘Bavaria 3 day Itinerary’ has inspired your curiosity to discover what to see in Bavaria, a destination that offers a combination of excellent cuisine, natural beauty and fascinating history. If you are interested in visiting castles in southern Bavaria, we recommend you read the article we dedicated to these wonderful places and, above all…trip to try!
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