Itinerary followed during this Interrail throughout Germany, Denmark and Switzerland

Cologne - Koblenz - Copenhagen - Helsingor - Hillerod - Roskilde - Berlin - Potsdam - Rhine cruise - Freiburg - Strasbourg - Black Forest - Rhine waterfalls - Schaffhausen - Stein am Rhein - Konstanz - Zurich - Basel - Interlaken - Luzern - Zermatt - Brig - Bern - Geneva - Heidelberg - Munich - Dachau - Fussen - Nuremberg - Rothenburg (ODT) - Wurzburg - Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnen - Brienz - Geneva

It is a village located 3 h. far from Muncih by train, in the heart of the Alps German route, that covers the distance between Lindau to Austria along the southern Germany. This is the most tourist route for several reasons: forests, lakes, mountains, green pastures, traditional houses and castles. A key place on this itinerary is Fussen.
Fussen owes the fame to the proximity of the compelling castles of Louis II of Bavaria , such as Linderhof Neuschwanstein, and Hohenschwangau (where he stayed during his childhood). There is another, called Herrenchiemsee. They suggest to visit the first three ones in chronological order.

Before seeing the castle we got some information about the life of this peculiar king, nicknamed "the crazy king". He was born in Munich in 1845 and he was the last king of Bavaria . He was in love with Versalles and his attempt to imitate it resulted in the sacrifice of his empire. Despite he caused many harms with his wastes, now we thank deeply his craziness. Some people even appreciated the king then, as someone extraordinary and that was going to leave an important mark. Bismarck admired him. Many comments have been said about him, like the poetic "he was a virgin king with a great heart that only beat because of people". At 19 years old he gained the throne and told the servants to bring Wagner, as the king was an enthusiast of his operas. They kept a strong relationship, so strong that many distrusting people started to criticise that and to call "Lolo" to Louis II, as a remind of "Lola Montes", who was the Louis II grandfather (Louis I) lover and lead him to his end. Finally Wagner was expelled from the palace.
The so-called "Louis XIV bis" was a megalomaniac king, elegant, gentleman and pure. He was inoffensive as he lived inside his own dreams without paying any attention to his kingdom. As a result of this, the noblemen, fed up with his extravagancies and wastes, went in 1886 to the Neuschwanstein castle to tell him that he wasn't the king. The next day he appeared mysteriously death, together with his doctor, also death. This happening even increased more his legend. Some affirm that he dead asphyxiated after killing his doctor in an insanity attack, but who knows.
Visconti filmed the movie "Ludwig" that tells the story of this character.

In Fussen you take a bus that carries people to the parking of the castles. From here you have a beautiful perspective of the castle of Hohenschwangau on the top of a hill. Hohenschwangau means "high country of the swan" and it is a mixture of castle and palace with a very characteristic yellow colour. It was built in 1832 by Maximiliam II, father of Louis II. Louis spent part of his childhood here. The castle is decorated with medieval frescoes relating mythological legends of Germanic heroes that fed the imagination of the youth successor.

Later he would meet again these heroes in Wagner´s operas. We liked especially the Heroes room, the queen room, the Swan Knight room and the chamber where a piano that belonged to Wagner is located.

From this castle you have to ascend for 20 min. on foot, through forest and green spots with outstanding views, to Neuschwanstein castle , that means "new rock of swan". This is the castle that one always imagines when reading knights and princes tales, the most imaginative, the one fantasy castle. It is so a beautiful place that it inspired to Walt Disney for the castle of the Sleeping Beauty, and now it is one of the most well known icons of this company. It is situated at the top of a rock, dominating the vast plain where the Alps die and where you find a landscape covered with lakes, valleys and mountains.

Louis II was walking across this region for months, searching for the ideal place, that finally he found here. From 1868 and for 20 years the king spent more than he had on this immense and incomplete project. After the impact induced by the castle from the distance, when we arrived we felt a little disappointed (but only a little) because it is not so beautiful from near due to the facades with no elegance or grace. The visit is really amazing.

We liked the frescoes about several Wagner themes, The throne hall in a Byzantine style and the Singers room, conceived to perform Wagner operas. The best of all is that Wagner never entered this castle. Many of the rooms are unfinished but anyway it is a marvel. Look at the panorama from the windows , that cover the Alps, the plain and Hohenschwangau.

Once ended our visit, don't miss the walk to Marienbrucke´s bridge . It is a hung bridge linking two rocks and high over a vertiginous precipice. It is an impressive situation, but they are even better the landscape and views over the castle.
Unfortunately, the perspective from Neuschwanstein shown in many postcards has been taken from a helicopter, so you won't appreciate this view directly.
After the great sensations we went down to Fussen and we walked in the charming pedestrian historical centre, that it is worth a short while and it is very cheerful.

When we tried to check the trains or buses to see the Linderhof castle, we found that by the time we would have arrived, the castle would be closed, so we missed the less grandiose castle but the one that more marvels keeps inside. It was built in 1874 in an imitation of Versailles.