Hiking to Fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle as well as many others, and it is no surprise why. The castle looks as if it came straight out of a fairytale, sitting majestically on top of a mountain nestled in the foothills of the German Alps and surrounded by alpine lakes. It truly doesn’t get more enchanting than Neuschwanstein Castle.

Driving to Füssen

After waking up at our Airbnb in Munich, we hopped in the car and headed towards Neuschwanstein Castle, located near Füssen which is about a 2 hour drive from central Munich.

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The drive to Füssen was absolutely lovely and one of the most picturesque drives I have ever experienced. Even if we never made it to the castle, the drive would have been worth it!

Hiking to Neuschwanstein Castle

When we arrived in Füssen, we decided to opt out of the 14 euro/each tour of the castle (budget traveler here) and hike up to Marienbruckle bridge for photographs of the castle from a higher elevation. The hike up to the castle is about 40 minutes and about another 15 minutes to continue on to the bridge.

Full of excitement we started up the trail and arrived at the castle only to discover that the trail to the bridge was closed due to heavy snowfall the night before.

Disappointed but still grateful to be there, we spent the next 20 minutes checking out the courtyard of the castle (which did not require a ticket). After acknowledging our reality that we would not get our much dreamt-about photo, we began our descent back down the mountain.

Hiking to Marienbruckle Bridge

As we neared the end of the trail, we discovered another trail labeled as a hiking trail to Marienbruckle bridge. After much deliberation (mind you – the trail was covered in ice and snow and we did not have proper footwear) we decided to try it.

After 45 minutes of climbing and slipping on ice, we arrived at a closed gate with a warning that the bridge was closed. Not again.

This time, however, we noticed a few groups of hikers coming down the hill on the other side of the gate, one of who informed us that we would be able to get a view of the castle if we went about 100 meters further and climbed over a hill of snow and ice.

Let’s just say, probably not the best idea, but these pictures speak for themselves – one of the most enchanting scenes I have ever witnessed.