Germany is filled with many more castles than perhaps any other country. You may be asking the question why? The short answer is that before Germany was unified in the 1871, it was a broken up many different lands who all spoke a common language, German (ie: Prussia, Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Austria, etc). Each land had its own ruling royal families and seats of power. One of the richest German speaking lands was Bavaria in today’s Southern Germany.
The most famous castle in Bavaria (and arguably Germany’s largest tourist attraction) is the royal castle of Neuschwanstein. If you have ever seen Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, you will notice an uncanny resemblance to Neuschwanstein Castle. It was on my tour to Neuschwanstein that we stopped at the lesser known castle of Lynderhof! Until my trip there, I had never heard of it.
The Miniature Versailles
Lynderhof castle is said to be a miniature version of Versailles. It took over 9 years to build and cost an exorbitant 8 millions dollars back in the 1860s. I’d hate to figure out today what that equates to. King Ludwig II, who ruled Bavaria from 1866 to 1886 was heavily inspired by his French counterpart.
Lynderhof was used by King Ludwig II as a residence only about 2 weeks per year. He preferred to stay at his other royal palaces. See here for a complete history of it.
Lynderhof castle is said to be a miniature version of Versailles. It took over 9 years to build and cost an exorbitant 8 millions dollars back in the 1860s. I’d hate to figure out today what that equates to. King Ludwig II, who ruled Bavaria from 1866 to 1886 was heavily inspired by his French counterpart.
Lynderhof was used by King Ludwig II as a residence only about 2 weeks per year. He preferred to stay at his other royal palaces. See here for a complete history of it.
Unfortunately when I was there, it was snowing very heavily! I think Lynderhof received over 6 inches of snow in the span of the hour and a half we were there. The grounds are said to have magnificent woods and fountains that attract tourists from all over the world in the summer. Due to the snow, all the fountains were covered and it was hard to tell what was what. It made for a beautiful winter wood photo though : )
Visting Lynderhof
Is it worth visiting? Yes! It’s pretty difficult to get to on your own, however, unless you have rented a car or are taking a guided tour. I wouldn’t recommend driving in the winter unless you are comfortable in the snow and on windy, twisty and at times narrow roads.
On my tour, I used Grey Line Tours. We departed Munich at 8:30 in the morning on a big double decker bus with about 75 other tourists who all spoke different languages. The tour guide conducted the tour in English, but there were audio guides for those who did not speak English. The best news is that the tour will go in rain, snow or sun.
I found it a huge advantage that the tour guide was able to buy all the tickets for us at the front ticket office and told us what time to be at the front of the castle. The ticket seller didn’t much English. We had a few minutes to walk around the gift shop, cafe, use the restroom and “see” the grounds. Most people on my tour wanted cover from the snow. If you were to buy your ticket on your own, the prices will range from 5-9 Euros depending on the time of the year and what you intend to see.
The Tour of the Castle
If you are visiting the castle, it will take you about 5-10 minutes to walk from the ticket booth to the castle. It is pretty flat, but in winter is icy and slippery. More than one member of my tour group, myself included, slipped on the fresh snow. Wear shoes with a grip. If you have trouble walking or mobility issues, I would not recommend visiting the castle in Winter. In summer you might be okay.
The Grey Line tour guide had us meet in the front entrance of the castle about about 5 minutes before the time listed on our admission tickets.
I will note that our Grey Line guide was not allowed to give us a tour inside the castle. Only the licensed guides that work at Lynderhof are allowed to. We were also warned that no large bags are not permitted into the castle and photography is prohibited inside.
Tours are conducted in English and German. With larger groups, tours can be conducted in other languages. We happened to have a large number of Chinese tourists and it was fantastic to see that service available to them! For the other non-English speaking members of the group, the Lynderhof guide offered them scripts in their language to follow along what he was saying about each room.
In peak season, tours depart every 5-10 minutes. The tour itself is about 25 minutes long and will wind from the entrance hall, music room, king’s bedroom, dining room and more! It’s beautiful to see all the details in the inside and I’m actually glad you can’t take photos. There is so much detail in everything on the interior that you might miss it. It’s one of those places that should just be enjoyed.
Other Thoughts
Lynderhof is a beautiful place to see. I only wish I could appreciate it’s full glory not covered by snow. It is a place I am planning to visit in the future again. It’s a place you can easily spend 2 hours at if you enjoy the grounds. I appreciated that it was added into the Neuschwanstein tour because I think in winter an abbreviated tour is the prefect amount of time. I bought a beautiful book in the gift shop about the castle. The perfect souvenir to remember it by with pictures!
The Grey Line tour was a great way to access the castle in the snow.. I appreciated having a guide available to answer questions we might have and explain a little about the history of the area and the castle before we arrived there. On the downside, it can be difficult to be on a tight schedule and part of a large group. I hope you enjoyed this short post! Until next time, happy travels!