HAPPY NEW YEAR STEEMIT! My adventure to a winter wonderland! [All you need for a perfect trip to Neuschwanstein Castle]

Hi Steemians! Before I get into this post, I want to start off by saying Happy New Year to you all and express my hopes and wishes that you all achieve your new year resolutions! Also, I would like to thank everyone on Steemit for your support and guidance in helping me reach my first 100 followers! It is a big milestone for me and I would like to acknowledge that I couldn't have done it without you all. I hope you will continue to support me as I release new content and do my part in helping the Steemit platform grow!

In this post, I'll be taking you to one of Europe's most popular palaces and castles, Neuschwanstein. It is visited by an amazing 1.4 million people and is described as "the castle of the fairy-tale king". I'll go into a bit about its history, how to get there from Munich and how to navigate the area!

History of Neuschwanstein Castle

Work on the building site began in 1868 and it started with the removal of up to 8 metres of stone outcrop to make way for the foundations. In September of 1869 the foundation stones were laid with the building plan, portraits of Ludwig II and coins from his reign incorporated in it as was the tradition established by Ludwig I. In building the castle, the latest building techniques and materials were used with the foundations cemented and the walls made of brick with limestone merely used as a cladding.

To continue on from the foundation, the Gateway Building was completed first, which had its topping out ceremony on 11 June 1872 and was ready for occupation at the end of 1873; for years Ludwig II used the upper floor as provisional accommodation when he visited the site. Building of the Palas commenced in September 1872; for structural reasons the latest technology was required in order to incorporate the large Throne Hall subsequently requested by the king, which was built as an encased steel construction. The topping out ceremony was on 29 January 1880. The decoration and technical fittings of the interior were only completed in mid 1884, though without all the final details. Ludwig II only ever saw his new castle as a building site; the Bower and the Square Tower, simplified versions of the originally planned buildings, were not completed until 1892.

How to get there from Munich

My journey there was in two steps, first a train to füssen and then a bus from there. To catch the train to Füssen you have to first head to Hauptbahnhof station (central station) and buy a ticket. If you're in a group then most likely the Bayern ticket is the cheaper option, which was the ticket my friends and I got. However, it does not allow for travel on the IC or ICE trains so don't get on one of those! To find out which train to catch from the central station you can type it into Google Maps and it will show you the options you have. Then you can find what platform the train is on by looking at one of the screens that are suspended from above.

Hauptbahnhof Station

One of the overhead screens

When you type the route into Google Maps

Once you arrive at Füssen you have to hurry to where the bus stop is and get onto either the 73 or 78 bus. You have to hurry because there is usually a lot of people and if you don't get onto one of the buses then you're going to have to wait for the next one, and this can be really unpleasant if its in the middle of winter (which is when I went). If you got the Bayern ticket then this bus trip is free (included in the ticket price).

Some shots I took while changing trains and while I was on the train

How to navigate the area

When you get off the bus, head uphill and take the bend towards the right. Then keep walking until you reach the ticket building. The chances are that if you did not leave very early in the morning or did not run after you got off the bus then there is a massive line. So, my tip for you here is to book a ticket online if you want to visit inside the castle and do it at least a week in advance just in case as the online tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle can be sold out. Although in my opinion, I don't feel like visiting the inside of the castle is a necessity and no pictures of the interior are allowed so I can't show you what to expect either. However, it is still worth a visit if you want a holistic experience of the castle!

The bus stop where you will get off

The view when you first arrive

A map of the area

There are two ways up to Neuschwanstein Castle, either by walking or by getting onto one of the horse carriages. When I went, there was an extremely long line for the horse carriages and it was estimated that I'd have to wait at least 1.5 hours until I could get on one. In addition to that, it was very very cold, which led us to make the decision to walk up to the castle. However, if an elderly or ill person is accompanying you in winter and heavy snow, I suggest taking the carriage as it may be a bit difficult for them. While walking up there are plenty of signposts and other people who are going in the same direction you are going so it will be easy to find the way to go.

The line for the horse carriage up to Neuschwanstein

The horse carriage

At least people get a view while waiting in line

The view while hiking up

Another tip I'll include here is regarding a trail up to Marienbrücke Bridge. When I went it was under construction and blocked off. But, if you head back along a path from the bridge a little bit by around 15 metres you can climb up the small hill to capture the shot I took at the beginning of this post! But be careful as it can be slippery and you have to go up to a cliff edge.

The closed Marienbrücke Bridge

The view you can get if you go up the secret path I pointed out

Other scenery from around the area

Neuschwanstein Castle was truly a magical experience and the snow that fell on that day and the night before especially helped with the whole experience. I'm sure that if you follow the tips that I included in this post, you'll have an equally, if not greater time while you're there!

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I'm @peterkkim96 and as always, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!