Europe Day 19: Schwangau, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles

After 409 kms and almost 6 hours of driving, we had finally made it to the last stop of our adventure, Schwangau, a municipality in the region of Bavaria, and the town closest to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles. 

After 3 weeks of driving, I was done and we were both pretty much done with walking. We found a hotel and decided that this would be our last stop and we booked it for 2 nights. It cost 98 euros a night.



The next morning we set off to see the castles. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but I got lots of exterior shots.

Hohenschwangau Castle was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father King Maximilian II in 1832. Hohenschwangau Castle was built on the ruins of the fortress Schwangau, which dates back to the 12th century.

King Ludwig II began construction on  Neuschwanstein Castle in 1869 but died before work was fully completed. In 1886 after his sudden death, it was immediately opened to the paying public as a way for the royal family, who still own the property to this day, to maintain it.
Neuschwanstein Castle has appeared prominently in many movies and was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland.

Totally worth the 3 week wait!