Neuschswanstein -Our Family's Amazing Race to Germany's True Cinderella's Castle
- elleno1962
- May 25
- 6 min read
Part Two of Germany's Castle Hopping Tour 2024
Could our family trip get any better after a spectacular experience in Oberwesel, Germany while lodging at the Schonburg Castle? We doubted it as we started for the next leg of the Oetinger version of "The Amazing Race" in early Sept. 2024.
Back in our Cupra, my husband Pete, sons Phil and Henrik, and I cruised toward our next overnight destination of Baden Baden. But first - a one hour detour to visit a castle to our northwest. On the internet, it looked like a must see.
Eltz Castle is nestled in the middle of the beautiful Eltz forest above the river Moselle. Referred to as “The Knights Castle”, this 900 year old “Fairy Tale of Stone” has been continuously inhabited for 850 years. In fact, the welcome letter to readers on the castle’s website is signed by Count and Countess Eltz.
Fun fact - Eltz is an Old High German name for Else -which happened to be my mother’s name.
After parking our rental car, we chose to walk to the entrance instead of shuttling it by bus. Our stroll took us on a lovely tree shaded path winding its way gently uphill. When the Eltz residence came into view, our jaws collectively dropped. It’s breathtaking! Eagerly, we headed for the castle gate, passing by several frustrated looking families traveling with babies and small children.
Travelers Tip: No baby strollers or child hiking carriers are allowed in the Eltz Castle. Read the tour rules carefully before visiting.
We learned not all castles are alike. What makes this one so special is that the Eltz family has resided here for 33 generations.
After our hour long guided tour, we shuttled back to the parking lot and quickly proceeded onward to Baden Baden; located in Germany's Black Forest on the river Oos. To more enjoy the city's world renown spas, I planned a two nights stay. In advance, I researched the two largest spas and the rules for each.
Travelers Tip: Not all Baden Baden spas allow bathing suits.
I chose Caracalla Spa because it is “textile friendly” in most of the facility. With plenty of indoor and outdoor pools, of varying temperatures, you can’t help but unwind. And yes, for the adventurous, Caracalla invites you to visit the top floor “Roman Spa” for those who wish to relax more au naturale.
Traveler’s Tip: A day pass is good for all day into the night but NOT if you leave the facility. My sons had hoped to return after dinner to enjoy star gazing in the outdoor thermal pool; but plans were foiled when their pass became invalid after exiting the facility.
I chose a hotel within easy walking distance to the Caracalla. Hotel Sophienpark did not disappoint. Our lodgings were close to restaurants, both major spas, and shopping.
An appreciated perk to staying at Sophienpark is the loan of spa robes and slippers guests can carry in baskets when visiting a spa .
Travelers Tip: Hotel Sophienpark is presently undergoing extensive renovations. Gorgeous architecture abounds inside and out; however, the hotel showed visible signs of wear. Updating can only mean great news for future travelers. Please see the website for more details for booking during renovations. You won't find friendlier staff.
Travelers Tip: We wished to visit Hohenbaden Ruins while in Baden Baden but simply ran out of time. I highly recommend you include a visit to this historical treasure in your own trip planning.
Next on the travel agenda - a tour of Germany's most famous castle. Americans refer to it as “The Disney Castle”. Its proper name is Neuschwanstein (new swan stone in English). I agree with the tour books, no German castle vacay is complete without visiting "Cinderella's Castle".
Traveler’s Tip: Visiting Neuschwanstein on your own takes a bit of research and planning. Feeling sure I had figured out the logistics, I bought our tickets online weeks before our trip as advised. Still, I missed critical travel advice that could have made our visit less stressful.
As it turned out, our much anticipated trip to Neuschwanstein Castle closely resembled a leg of the CBS hit show, THE AMAZING RACE.
Google maps showed it would take three hours to drive from Baden Baden to the castle parking lot. I chose an 1150 am tour reservation allowing time for breakfast at the Sophienpark and a petrol stop.
Printing my tickets at home, I read the fine print more thoroughly and wondered if we weren't cutting it a bit close.
Neuschwanstein’s ticket information page clearly advises an arrival 45 minutes before a reserved tour. I had no idea why.
Giving Phil permission upon hotel departure to “step on it”, he happily put the pedal to the metal. We cruised along on the Autobahn without difficulty. Glancing once at the speedometer, the dial read 220 kph (136 mph). Rather than suffer an anxiety attack, I chose to watch cars instead as we zipped by in the left lane.
Feeling victorious, we arrived at the castle parking lot promptly at 1045; a whole hour to spare. We loped casually to what we assumed was the entrance thinking we had time for a coffee.
Neuschwanstein Castle is huge and seemingly hard to hide. Sitting atop a “hill”, we had no idea that to reach it from the parking lot, a shuttle is required. Debating on whether or not to take the horse drawn carriage or the bus, Phil realized that he may not have locked our rental car; loaded with all our belongings. Back to the parking lot he trotted while the three of us stood in line for the faster bus shuttle tickets.
Phil returned quickly but it didn’t matter. All this time and no shuttle in sight. Continuously glancing at my watch, the minutes ticked by. Just a hint of panic washed over me. The castle’s website clearly states, “Must arrive by your appointed time or no entrance and no substitutions”. “Stay calm”, I reassured myself, “we still have 35 minutes”.
Finally, a white bus lumbered down the steep road loaded with tourists who first had to disembark. When the 35 passenger vehicle finally pulled up, we quickly hopped on. Time was getting tight. By now, we had only 20 minutes to make it to the designated meeting spot.
If you are afraid of heights, this particular shuttle ride may not be for you. As the driver skillfully negotiated the hair raising switchbacks, the bus seemed to hang on the edge of every turn. Instead of enjoying the view of the deep valley below, near panic kept me glued to my watch. When the bus stopped, we only had 12 minutes until our tour time.
“Everyone off here!”, the bus driver announced. The four of us rushed off looking around in disbelief. “Where the hell is it?”, I exclaimed in frustration. Upon seeing directional signs, we continued uphill on foot. After two minutes of power walking, the white stones of the castle finally came into view. “Close, we’re close”, I yelled to my men.
This is before we realized we had only reached the back of the white turreted 65,000 square foot behemoth with only minutes to go.
“Oh hell NO!”, I yelled. “I am not going to miss this tour!”. Breaking into a run, adrenaline propelled me past the throng of fellow tourists impeding my way.
With Henrik easily keeping pace with me, he and I rounded the last bend and there it was! Finally, the castle entrance! Pulling our printed tickets from my purse, I rushed up to the tour guide panting, “We’re here!" “We’re here!”.
The time? Exactly 11:50 am. Kindly, our guide allowed an extra couple of minutes for Phil and Pete to catch up; Pete hobbling as fast as possible on his rebuilt left ankle.
Is the Neuschwanstein Castle worth all the trouble? Absolutely! Learning about "Mad King Ludwig's" crazy endeavor to build such an incredibly overdone, over costly, over opulent monument to himself in 1869 definitely made this wild adventure worth it.
Traveler’s Tip: Though I felt I had researched the Neuschwanstein Castle tour well, clearly I missed key elements. If you are planning the tour on your own; first and foremost, plan to arrive at least 90 minutes ahead of your tour time. There is plenty to see and do in the village where you catch either shuttle.
Once back in the car, Phil set the navigation system for our next stop - the city of Munich. Though probably not on most folks’ bucket list, Munich offers experiences you can't find anywhere else in Germany.
Stay tuned for the final leg of The Oetinger Castle Hopping Adventures - 2024