The Best of Bavaria in 3 Days
Having spent the whole year doing long distance and since my boyfriend had visited me twice in Australia, it was well and truly my turn to visit him in Germany. With limited leave available, I booked a trip for two and a half weeks. As he had also just started a new job, he didn’t have any annual leave. So, as it was my birthday on the Tuesday after I arrived and he had to work, I thought that we would just do something that night. Little did I know, he had other plans!
When I arrived in Munich, he was waiting for me at the arrivals area. We went back to his place and then he gave me my birthday present...it was a pair of socks. I thought it was quite funny as I had said I hadn’t packed many. Then he said, ‘you didn’t actually see the present’. So, I looked in the wrapping paper and there was a ticket to Zugspritze (the highest mountain in Germany). He then told me that we would be going there the following day and to pack for two nights away. I questioned him about having to work and he said he had been able to get two days off!
Day 1 - Zugspitze
After driving an hour from Munich, we arrived in Garmisch. We parked the car next to the train station (you have to buy a ticket for the parking) and then walked into the town as we had half an hour before the next train. The town centre was very quiet as it was Sunday, however we were able to get some bread from the bakery which was one of the only things open. The town of Garmisch was quite pretty, with the gorgeous looming mountain backdrop.
Once back at the station we got on the train and made our way up the mountain. We decided to take the train all the way up and take the gondola ride on the way down. The train trip took about an hour, with part of it going through the mountain. The higher we got, the less we started to see. There was so much snow that it was almost a complete whiteout at the top of the mountain.
We got out at the end of the train line and walked around a bit, checking out the little church at the top, going over the suspended bridge and on to the lookout point. Unfortunately, due to the weather we really couldn’t see much. Just as we were about to catch the gondola up to the summit, we saw that they were offering free sledging. So, we grabbed a sledge and went for a ride. I had never done it before, it was heaps of fun! We did that a few times and then made our way to the gondola to take us up to the summit.
The visibility on the summit was even worse, but we were able to just make out the summit point which was good. We walked around on top and went to the point where you can stand one foot in Germany and one in Austria. We then went to the café on top and had some delicious kase spatze (cheese pasta) and a hot chocolate to warm us up.
Our bellies full and warm, we caught the next gondola down the mountain. You could just see the wires above the gondola disappear into nowhere, it was quite spooky. Then after about 10 minutes we broke through the cloud cover and the view was stunning.
Once at the bottom, we got back on the train to Garmisch and drove to our accommodation for the evening.
Day 2 - Plansee
The next day my boyfriend had planned a hike around the Plan Lake. This is the lake that he had been to a few times during the summer and had sent me photos from. I always commented on how beautiful it was, so he thought it would be a great place to take me. It didn’t disappoint, it was gorgeous, and the colour of the water was almost unbelievable.
The hike itself was 20km, the first 5km slightly on an incline, but the rest of the way was completely flat. We stopped a few times, had some prepacked snacks and just took in the incredible view. The weather started off slightly overcast, clearing every now and again. Then after a little drizzle of rain towards the end, the sky completely cleared up and it made the colour of the lake even more impressive.
Once we were back at the car, we drove for another 30 minutes to Schwangau. I had mentioned wanting to do a day trip there to visit Neuschwanstein Castle but hadn’t booked anything. Then the week before I was due to fly over, I messaged my boyfriend and asked if he thought I should book the tour. He said no and that I could do that when I got there. Little did I know, he had planned this for months!
We drove up to our hotel and from there we could see two castles in the area plus the mountain surroundings all around us. We checked into our room at Alpsee Resort and Spa, it was fantastic. Lovely decorated and we were fortunate to have a view of both Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle from our room. Equip with bathrobes, slippers and a monsoon shower head in the bathroom, this place was luxury!
At check in, the guy on the reception desk had suggested that we had a look at the Alp Lake (Alpsee) and then walk up to Neuschwanstein Castle to watch the sunset. We thought that that sounded like an awesome plan, so we headed out to the lake and having just done 20km, we only did a short walk, but it too was stunning.
We then walked up to Neuschwanstein Castle, a good 30 minute walk…all uphill! The view was amazing. Walking past the castle, we came to a lookout point where we stopped and watched the sunset over the mountain range. We then continued up for another 10 minutes until we reached the Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge). This is by far the ultimate spot to get a photo of Neuschwanstein Castle and with the time of day, we had a stunning sky framing the castle perfectly.
We drove into Fussen, a nearby town to find something for dinner. After walking past numerous Italian restaurants and the castle in the middle of town, we were about to give up and drive to the local McDonalds when, right near the parking garage, we found a cosy looking Asian place. It was called, KYŌDAI. If you find yourself in Fussen, this is a great place to get good value, tasty and enormous meals!
Completely wrecked, we headed back to our hotel, finishing the day having walked 32,000 steps, well and truly smashing my fitbit daily step quota.
Day 3 - Neuschwanstein Castle
Our castle tickets were pre-booked online for a tour at 13.25, so we just had to pick them up from the ticket office before 12. That meant we had the morning free to enjoy the hotel's incredible buffet breakfast (complete with an omelette chef) and the spa amenities.
After a quick workout at the gym, we went into the infinity pool that overlooked the lake and the alps. It was a fantastic view and best of all, no one else was there, so we had the place to ourselves. We also used the foot soak section, which I thought was great, considering how much we had walked the day before.
Completely relaxed, we got ready, checked out, packed the car and headed to the ticket office. Our first reaction was, oh no, we should have got here earlier…the line was out of the door!! However, as we got closer, we realised there was a line for pre-purchased tickets, which only had 4 people in it. PHEW!
Note: You can only go inside Neuschwanstein Castle on a guided tour. So, make sure you pre-purchase your tickets online. There is no avoiding the ticket office though, as you must pick them up there, but you will avoid the long wait time.
With our tickets in hand we began to walk up the hill to the castle again. This time, we headed straight to the bridge to see the castle in the day light and then looked in the castle courtyard before our tour began.
When Ludwig II died in 1886, they stopped working inside the castle immediately. So, although many rooms are fully completed, you will notice that some are not. The rooms are extremely elaborate, with so much to look at as the guide gives a brief description of what the room was used for or a little bit of history on Ludwig II.
There is no photography allowed inside the castle, so I can’t show you it, however that is more of a reason to go and visit yourself. My favourite rooms were the chapel, which was stunning from wall to floor, with an extremely intricate mosaic masterpiece under your feet. They do have an exact replica print over the top so that it is not ruined by the millions of tourists, but in the roped off area you can see the real parts of it. I was also fascinated by the cave room. Ludwig II decided that he wanted a cave in his castle, so there is a room dedicated to this. He definitely seemed like an interesting character and visiting Neuschwanstein Castle has prompted me to want to read up more about him.
The tour goes for 35mins, then you are left at gift shop where there is a café area. Be sure to go through the cafe area as there is a balcony there that you can go out on and check out the amazing view. You can also take photos there! As you can see below, I can definitely understand why Ludwig II chose here to build his castle.
On the way out you go through the kitchen, which has all of the original pots, pans and utensils. You then go through a long corridor until you are outside again.
We drove back to Munich that afternoon, the sky blue and the sun shining. We were really lucky to have had such great weather for our long weekend exploring Bavaria.
Travel Start Date: 6 Oct 2019
