We love to walk to this museum, it never seems to close. It is very strange and interesting. The…read moresurrounding mountains around are stunning.

Linderhof is the smallest of the three fairytale castles and palaces that King Ludwig II of Bavaria…read morebuilt. It was the only one that was completed....and he had plans in place to build a fourth one. The opulent palace was built in the Rococo style. It was built to be a mini Versailles. The French influence is seen throughout the palace. The location was chosen due to King Ludwig's familiarity as his Royal Family owned a small hunting "lodge" on the property. Ludwig moved modest home to build one if his fairytale masterpieces. Like the other two properties, no expense was spared. The palace is filled with gilded mirrors, chandeliers, walls and staircases. Tapestries and painting cover every surface from the ceilings to the walls to the floor. There are modern amenities in every room. Hot running water, flushable toilets and even a table that could be raised or lowered for private dining. His Venus cave is a nod to his love of mythology. The gardens are stunning. The fountain runs on mountain water. Due to the current summer drought, it has been placed on a schedule. So what happened to King Ludwig? No one actually knows. His love of building elaborate palaces and castles led him to bankruptcy. As he ran out of personal funds, he asked family members and friends for financial assistance. After a while, they stopped loaning him money, so as king he asked the Bavarian government to fund his projects. They said no twice. When he threatened to replace them, he was declared insane by psychiatrists who didn't actually interview him. He was committed and then within 24 hours, he and his psychiatrist were found floating in a shallow end of a lake. Coincidence??? So how was his debt paid back?? Six weeks after his death, the government took over his properties and charged admission for those who visited. A beautiful palace with a tragic mystery.

So compared to King Ludwigs bigger castle Neuschwanstein Castle Linderhop pales in comparrison…read more It is still worth visiting: Gorgeous grounds, The very unique Grotto ( think Playboy mansion grotto from the 1800 hundreds). The castle itself is ornate but small compared to Neuschwanstein Castle.

We had a lovely tour guide who was very knowledgeable about the castle and the family history. She…read moregave us in depth details about each room and all the family members. The castle rooms are smaller and more demure than Neuschwanstein, making it more homey. The views of the lake are incredible too. The area itself is beautiful and there are some nice cafes and restaurants up there too. Well worth the visit.

We made reservations for both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castle tours and I preferred the…read moreway the Hohenschwangau tour was run. We were told to arrive 1 hour before our reservation but 30 minutes would have been plenty of time. We were in a small group and our guide made sure that all of us were settled in each room before starting. She gave us a brief overview before starting the prerecorded audio narration. I left feeling more knowledgeable about King Ludwig's childhood and family life at Hohenschwangau. The tour took about 30 minutes and there was not much to see afterwards. We had thought we needed 3 hours for this castle but the walk up was short, but 2 hours for everything was plenty of time for us.