Neuschwanstein Castle, located in Schwangau, Germany, is often called the real-life Sleeping Beauty Castle. In 1935, Walt and his wife, Lillian, traveled through Europe, and Neuschwanstein is said to have inspired the design of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Cinderella Castle was also inspired by several European castles and medieval architecture.
I visited Neuschwanstein as part of a day tour from Munich, which was where I was staying. Another option would be to rent a car and drive yourself. The tour I booked included two of King Ludwig II’s castles, with our first stop being Linderhof Palace. It was much smaller than Neuschwanstein, but incredibly beautiful.
Our second stop was the little town of Schwangau, where you can reach Neuschwanstein by walking along an uphill path that takes about 20 minutes, taking the shuttle bus, or riding a horse-drawn carriage. We decided to take the horse-drawn carriage up and the shuttle bus back down.
I would definitely recommend taking the tour inside Neuschwanstein Castle if you have the opportunity. The interior looks exactly how you would imagine a fairytale castle to look, with ornate rooms and incredible details throughout. As a Disney fan, I also noticed similarities between the castle’s interior and both Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World and Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.
If you’re a Disney fan, Neuschwanstein is definitely a place I’d recommend adding to your Germany itinerary. It’s pretty amazing to stand inside a real castle that helped inspire the fairytale castles we all know from Disney parks.