I bet exactly zero of you wondered about our journey home from Munich after Oktoberfest, so don’t worry, here’s the (eventual) magic that followed that weekend.
As you may recall from Ein Prosit!, leaving the hostel by 11am the day after Oktoberfest was oppressive. Well you know what was even worse? Riding in a taxi with an aggressive air freshener on a road with no speed limit to the Munich airport to pick up a rental car. Yes, I decided it was a good idea to rent and operate a motor vehicle the day after binge drinking for 3 days. Good one, Heather.
The suffering endured while riding to the rental car facility and waiting in the line at Europcar would prove to be 1000% worth it. The purpose of this rental car excursion was to check two items off my bucket list: drive on the autobahn, and see Neuschwanstein Castle.
I rented a Mercedes, because I wasn’t about to go on the autobahn in anything but a German car. I’ve seen Top Gear, this isn’t my first rodeo. Got the keys, now hop in the Benz!
Disclaimer: between getting the keys and actually hopping in the Benz were some dark times involving a grocery store and a closed McDonald’s. Let’s not talk about it. We got on the road and found a Burger King and a gas station for road snacks, that’s all that really matters here.
The drive from Munich to Schwangau is a little under two hours and it was BEAUTIFUL. If you can go to Bavaria in the fall, DO IT. I’m a sucker for fall colors. Since I was driving, I didn’t get any pictures along the way, but just trust me, it was a nice drive.
Since the castle was the main event, I chose a hotel at the bottom of the hill with views of the castle. Once again, I CRUSHED IT with my hotel choice. Villa Ludwig Suite Hotel was amazing.
Oh, by the way, our room also had a balcony with a view of the castle, NBD.
Once we checked in, we had our hotel book us a dinner reservation for later at a restaurant in town, then went back to a spot we had passed on the way in to take some photos.
We parked the car back at the hotel and walked into the little town to explore it and its surroundings a little bit before dinner. This did not disappoint.
Let me remind you at this point that we are all still feeling that Oktoberfest hangover.
All we really wanted to do after the drive and some exploring was eat dinner, then go to bed for years. Dinner time FINALLY rolled around, and when we arrived, we were given a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. Normally this would be welcomed with open arms, but not today. Each of us struggled all the way through dinner, then we were finally free to sleep, but not before peepin’ that view of the castle lit up at night from the balcony.
CASTLE DAY HAS ARRIVED.
Something very important you should know about visiting Neuschwanstein Castle: you MUST book tickets in advance and pick them up at the BOTTOM of the hill before walking up to the castle. We knew this, but others (looking at you sad lady who walked all the way to the top with no ticket) did not. And they apparently ignored the signs on the way up informing you that there are no ticket sales at the top. Anywho, we ordered our tickets online in advance, and our lovely hotel staff went and picked them up for us in the morning!
Okay, real talk. GO TO THE CASTLE BEFORE YOU BINGE DRINK FOR THREE DAYS. NOT AFTER. You cannot drive up to the castle and walking that hill is NO JOKE. Our bodies hated us. We were so glad we went earlier in the day, because the road up to the castle was less crowded and we could stop to breathe/sweat out beer/try not to vomit when we needed to. Needless to say, the horrible walk was worth it.
This place knows how to run their tours, it was probably the most efficient tour system I’ve ever seen. They start every five minutes, your tour number is conveniently printed on your ticket, then displayed at the gates when it is your time. Every group is moved through smoothly. It was lovely. You can’t take photos inside the castle, but really the photo ops are outside anyways. Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes…err photos!
Look. At. This.
Oh by the way, the views surrounding the castle are also stunning because this place is UNREAL.
We stayed up there for quite some time. You know, had to get all the photos and make that sweaty walk up the hill worth it. I cannot recommend this place enough. Especially when the trees are changing colors.
Eventually, we made our way down the hill and back to the car, but you better believe we stopped to enjoy the “Relax Garden” at the hotel first! Seriously, this hotel is doing great things. Never change, Villa Ludwig.
When we finally hopped back in the Benz and set off, I had these grand plans to go to a lake with views of the alps. Due to a Google Maps issue, we did not find the view point I planned. In fact, we drove quite some time on a road that we later found out did not allow vehicles on… WHOOPS. Anyways… here’s the only view of those alps I did capture… they’re in there I swear.
Although my plan didn’t quite work out, the drive was still gorgeous. We got plenty of good views of the alps, we crossed into Austria for a while, and saw a lot of adorable little German towns.
After the failed excursion, we made our way back up to Nuremberg Airport where I got to take full advantage of the lack of speed limit. It was awesome. And Terrifying. 10/10 would recommend. Germany has the nicest roads I’ve ever seen.
In conclusion: go to Bavaria in the fall, and go to this castle if you can. I bet it’s magical any time of year, not just fall. *Books flight to see it in the snow.*
And seriously, go BEFORE Oktoberfest.
*Hops out of the Benz*
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