Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is on a rugged hill above Hohenschwangau near the village of Füssen. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1869 to reflect his idealised notion of a medieval knight's castle. The king lived in the castle for only a few months and died before the complex was completed.
Neuschwanstein is the most famous of Ludwig's castles and one of the best-known sights in Germany. Often described as a 'fairytale castle', Neuschwanstein is open to visitors almost all year round.

Hohenschwangau Castle

Erected in the early 12th century, Maximilian, Prince-Elector of Bavaria, commissioned the reconstruction of dilapidated Schwanstein Castle in Neo-gothic style around 700 years later. Renamed Hohenschwangau Castle, it was the summer residence of Maximilian II of Bavaria and also the childhood home of Ludwig II. The magnificent interior furnishings from the Biedermeier period are preserved unchanged, and the Wittelsbach family still lives in sections of the complex.  Ludwig II's fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein, is situated on a neighbouring slope opposite from Hohenschwangau Castle.

It is advisable to buy tickets for both castles in advance: www.hohenschwangau.de/ticketcenter