Schloss Neuchwanstein

Probably the top tourist attraction in Germany, and maybe even in all of Europe, is Schloss Neuchwanstein, which is the castle that Walt Disney based Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland on.  In order to enter the castle, you'll need to purchase a timed ticket.  Be aware that the time stamped on the ticket is the time you'll enter and you don't want to be late.  Otherwise, you will not be allowed in under any circumstances.  Also, it can get VERY crowded here so we recommend pre-purchasing your reservation online or getting to the ticket center in Hohenschwangau first thing in the morning.

To get to the castle, you'll need to either take a long 30-40 minute steep uphill walk from the main part of town, take a bus, or take a horse-drawn carriage ride.  We recommend taking the bus for 3 Euros/person.  Where the bus drops you off, also make sure to take a walk to the nearby bridge for an amazing view of the castle.  From there, head to the castle for your tour.  Keep in mind only about 1/3 of the castle's insides were ever completed, so you can't go everywhere in the castle during your tour.  However, the tour is impressive and highly recommended.

In addition, afterwards, near the back of the castle, there is a path down to a waterfall that is gorgeous.  There are numerous stairs to go down (and come back up), so please keep in mind you should be physically fit to experience this portion.

Schloss Hohenschwangau

The most famous castle in all of Germany may be Schloss Neuschwanstein, but in the same town is Schloss Hohenschwangau, which is quite magnificent in its own right.  You can even purchase a combination ticket to visit both castles at a reduced price.  Be aware, when purchasing a ticket, that you MUST show up to the castle entrance at your ticket's time or you will be denied entrance, with no exceptions.

From the main street of town, the castle looks quite impressive.  You can either take a 15-20 minute hike up to the castle or a horse-drawn carriage.  Because of the gorgeous view during the walk, that is what we suggest doing.

Once inside, you'll be shown around the castle by a tour guide.  In our case, our guide was very informative and spoke crystal clear English.  You'll get a great history of the castle and the family history of its former royal residents.  This tour was a highlight in Germany and we'd recommend it to everyone.

Museum of the Bavarian Kings

In Hohenschwangau, the main attraction by far is Schloss Neuschwanstein.  People from all of the world come to visit it.  However, on the main drag in town is a very interesting museum, the Museum of the Bavarian Kings.  You're taken on a journey through the history of Bavaria's royalty up until present day.  You can see various artifacts from the history of the royal line, as well as learn the complete story of this proud lineage via a personal audio guide that is included in your admission.  

Right outside the museum, there are also beautiful walking trails leading to both castles, as well as a gorgeous lake to spend some time at.

Also, if you stay at a hotel in town, admission is included with your stay.

Hotel Lisl

One of the most popular attractions in all of Germany (and Europe) is Schloss Neuschwanstein, which is the castle that Walt Disney used to model Sleeping Beauty's and Disneyland's castle after.  The town this is located in is Hohenschwangau, which has only a very limited selection of hotels available directly in town within walking distance of its famous landmark, as well as the other castle it contains, Schloss Hohenschwangau.

We decided to go with Hotel Lisl for this trip for 2 nights, and we were very happy with this choice (for the most part).  We reserved a corner room, which gives a view of both of the town's majestic castles.  The room was very spacious and clean.  The housekeeping staff did a good job in the morning of taking care of the room.  Unfortunately, the only negative of the room is that there was no free Wi-Fi, which shouldn't be the case in the year 2012.

There is also a restaurant in the hotel, although we didn't get the chance to try it during our stay.  The staff is very friendly and helpful.  When checking in, they even give you vouchers to get discounts on castle tours and to get into the Museum of the Bavarian Kings for free.

The only negative we found was when we returned late one night.  We didn't return until 2:30 AM and the front doors were locked.  There was no way into the hotel even with our room key.  There was a sign up saying that someone would be back shortly, but that wasn't the case.  Eventually 2 other guests came down to the lobby and saw us and tried to let us in, but they couldn't figure out how to open the door either (so they were trapped inside the hotel).  They eventually tracked down the one staff member on duty, who was busy vacuuming hallways and then we finally got inside.  I'd say this is something inexcusable for a hotel.  There should always be someone at the front desk to help out, especially if the front doors are going to be locked.  A guest should never have no way back in to the hotel.  And for the one staff member present to be vacuuming at that time of night instead of waiting at the front desk makes absolutely no sense.  So, when visiting make sure you're back in your room at a decent hour or it may become an extra long night for you.