My first taste of Germany was Bavaria, the south-east state which is renowned for its many stunning royal castles and also the city of Munich (but we'll leave Munich for a later post.) On a road trip of sorts with our Montpellier-attained hire car, we ended up in Lindau, a quaint town on an island in Lake Constance, the Bodensee.
I immediately fell in love.
While we were only there for 1 night, as a place to rest our heads in transit, I only wish we'd had extra time to soak in the simply wonderful atmosphere Lindau had to offer. With a maze of streets winding throughout the island, you could tell this was a town where everyone knew everyone. With every turn of a corner, we were met with another selection of restaurants, cafes and boutique shops, as well as plenty of traditional architecture.
As we wandered, we stumbled upon the edge of the island and the waterside promenade with picturesque views out to Constance herself. The promenade, Hafenplatz, is lined with the poshest of Lindau's accommodations and dining establishments, including the fancy schmancy Hotel Reutemann, lit up like a Christmas tree at night. Being September, it was still mild temperature-wise and I had no problem strolling along in a long sleeved top with no cardigan during the evening hours.
While we drove into Lindau, over the bridge, a train also runs straight in from the mainland and takes about 3 hours to get there from Munich for around AUD$70. Click here to look up times and prices!
Next stop on this Bavarian extravaganza was Füssen, a town I had been itching to get to throughout the entire European trip. Basically, it has a castle. A FAIRYTALE CASTLE. My inner 6-year-old was screaming at full volume (check out my post on China for the other time this occurred.)
Neuschwanstein Castle is a palace commissioned by Ludvig II of Bavaria as a personal retreat and sits majestically on a hill near Füssen. Background/folklore/rumour: Neuschwanstein was the inspiration behind Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and you can certainly tell why. Featuring the signature coned turrets and the typical 'princessy' aesthetics, this palace was/is truly royal.
Entrance tickets are bought from the ticket centre in Hohenschwangau village, below the castle, for about 12 euros (under 18's are free!), and after that there are 3 ways to begin your ascent to the palace. a) on foot, however this is not for the unfit; a very steep, long climb, b) by horse-drawn carriage for 6 euros uphill or 3 euros downhill, or c) by bus which leaves from one of the village hotels and costs 1.80 euro.
The castle itself was stunning, although highly touristic, with audio and guided tours followed by the obligatory walk through the gift shop on the way out. However, each room available to the public was even more lavishly decorated as the one the before, demonstrating the sheer amount of wealth these Bavarian royals had at the time. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside, but trust me when I say it is definitely worth the visit.
Füssen itself was a charming town, much like Lindau. The town was quaint, with plenty of small streets and souvenir shops dotted around. I stayed at Hotel Sonne, which was by far the best hotel for the price I paid in my life. Rated #1 in Füssen on TripAdvisor, Hotel Sonne is 4-stars and was clean, ideally located in the centre of town with beautiful rooms, decorated uniquely. If you stay at one hotel, make it this one.
And now, pictures!
I immediately fell in love.
While we were only there for 1 night, as a place to rest our heads in transit, I only wish we'd had extra time to soak in the simply wonderful atmosphere Lindau had to offer. With a maze of streets winding throughout the island, you could tell this was a town where everyone knew everyone. With every turn of a corner, we were met with another selection of restaurants, cafes and boutique shops, as well as plenty of traditional architecture.
As we wandered, we stumbled upon the edge of the island and the waterside promenade with picturesque views out to Constance herself. The promenade, Hafenplatz, is lined with the poshest of Lindau's accommodations and dining establishments, including the fancy schmancy Hotel Reutemann, lit up like a Christmas tree at night. Being September, it was still mild temperature-wise and I had no problem strolling along in a long sleeved top with no cardigan during the evening hours.
While we drove into Lindau, over the bridge, a train also runs straight in from the mainland and takes about 3 hours to get there from Munich for around AUD$70. Click here to look up times and prices!
Next stop on this Bavarian extravaganza was Füssen, a town I had been itching to get to throughout the entire European trip. Basically, it has a castle. A FAIRYTALE CASTLE. My inner 6-year-old was screaming at full volume (check out my post on China for the other time this occurred.)
Neuschwanstein Castle is a palace commissioned by Ludvig II of Bavaria as a personal retreat and sits majestically on a hill near Füssen. Background/folklore/rumour: Neuschwanstein was the inspiration behind Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and you can certainly tell why. Featuring the signature coned turrets and the typical 'princessy' aesthetics, this palace was/is truly royal.
Entrance tickets are bought from the ticket centre in Hohenschwangau village, below the castle, for about 12 euros (under 18's are free!), and after that there are 3 ways to begin your ascent to the palace. a) on foot, however this is not for the unfit; a very steep, long climb, b) by horse-drawn carriage for 6 euros uphill or 3 euros downhill, or c) by bus which leaves from one of the village hotels and costs 1.80 euro.
The castle itself was stunning, although highly touristic, with audio and guided tours followed by the obligatory walk through the gift shop on the way out. However, each room available to the public was even more lavishly decorated as the one the before, demonstrating the sheer amount of wealth these Bavarian royals had at the time. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside, but trust me when I say it is definitely worth the visit.
Füssen itself was a charming town, much like Lindau. The town was quaint, with plenty of small streets and souvenir shops dotted around. I stayed at Hotel Sonne, which was by far the best hotel for the price I paid in my life. Rated #1 in Füssen on TripAdvisor, Hotel Sonne is 4-stars and was clean, ideally located in the centre of town with beautiful rooms, decorated uniquely. If you stay at one hotel, make it this one.
And now, pictures!
That really is charming! It looks like a village out of a Disney movie.
ReplyDeleteThat's the perfect explanation! Such an old Europe feel! Thanks for reading :)
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