Linderhof Castle is one of crazy King Ludwig II's castles in Bavaria. It's the smallest but also the only one that's finished. What it lacks in size it makes up for in opulence.

1. Linderhof Palace: King Ludwig’s Fairytale Castle
monkeysandmountains.com /linderhof -castle-bavaria-germany
Linderhof Cast le, or palace as it is of f icially known, is t he only cast le t hat eccent ric King
Ludwig II f inished bef ore he died a myst erious deat h.
You can try your hand at solving the mystery here. Most of Neuschwanstein Castle is not finished. Nor is my favorite of
the three Herrenchiemsee Palace in which you have to take a boat to get to the palace located on an island. Linderhof
Palace is also by far the smallest of the three castles, but as it was inspired by Versaille, for what it lacks in siz e, it
makes up for in opulence and fairytaleness – a word I just made up but which seems quite fitting for King Ludwig II.
Entrance to
Linderhof
Palace is
available by
guided tour
only. You
can make
reservations
in advance
only by mail
or fax. Since
this wasn’t
convenient
our group
from Munich
just showed
up and
waited less
than 20
minutes to
get in. The
palace tour
is less than
25 minutes
and is
offered in
German or
English.
When I
asked a girl
En tr a n ce to Li n d e r h o f P a l a ce

2. asked a girl
in our group what she thought of
it, her reply was short. Having
said that we all agreed it was
worthwhile. Of special note is
the Hall of Mirrors which due to
the clever placement of mirrors
gives the illusion of a never
ending corridor. Unfortunately
photos are not allowed inside
the palace so you’ll just have to
take my word that the palace
really does resemble something
out of a fairytale.
Lo o ks j u s t l i ke yo u r b e d r o o m r i g h t? P h o to co u r te s y o f B a va r i a n Ca s tl e De p t.
I also really enjoyed the park
grounds of the palace. There
are formal
gardens,
water
features a
Moorish
Kiosk and a
Moroccan
House. We
ate at the
restaurant
near the
entrance, but
there were
lots of great
spots for a
picnic. My
only
complaint
was that the
buildings on
the grounds
were not
signed, so it
was difficult
to know why
there was a
Moorish
Kiosk and a
Mo o r i s h
Moroccan
House
(actually built in Morocco) in the middle of Bavaria.
Perhaps the most unique feature found on the palace
Ki o s k o n th e g r o u n d s o f Li n d e r h o f P a l a ce

3. Perhaps the most unique feature found on the palace
grounds is the Venus Grotto, an illuminated artificial cave
made especially for King Ludwig II that illustrated the first
act of Richard Wagner’s Tannhaüser. Mmm perhaps he
was a little obsessed? Whatever happened to just
dancing around in your living room or Hall of Mirrors in
his case? Perhaps, I was being too kind when I referred
to the king as eccentric. Entrance to the Venus Grotto is
also available only by tour which lasts about 10 minutes.
The tour is only held in German (to the best of my
knowledge), but even if you don’t speak German, the
visual and sound effects still make it worth seeing.
Know Bef ore You Go t o Linderhof Palace:
Linderhof Palace is open from 9:00 – 6:00 pm April –
October 15th. Import ant Travel t ip: The previous
opening times mentioned are the best time to go.
While the palace itself is open from 10:00 – 4:00
from October 16th – March, the Grotto, Moroccan
House, and Moorish Kiosk are all closed. Plus the
fountains won’t be turned on and there won’t be
much to see in the gardens.
Entrance to Linderhof Palace costs €8.50
Bring a picnic, the park is gorgeous! Alternatively
there is a restaurant at the entrance to the grounds.
Linderhof Palace can be reached by taking a train
from Munich, to the nearby village of Ettal. Then hop
on a bus which takes you directly to the palace.
Travel t ip: While in Ettal, take a minute to explore
Vi e w o ve r l o o ki n g Li n d e r h o f P a l a ce a n d g r o u n d s

4. Travel t ip: While in Ettal, take a minute to explore
Ettal Abbey, it’s a beautiful Benedictine monastery
home to ~ 50 monks.
More info can be found about Linderhof on the
official web page here.
About Laurel
Laurel Robbins is a free- spirited adventurer, awardwinning travel blogger at Monkeys and Mountains
Adventure Travel Blog. Many hats, one travel obsessed
Canadian in Germany.
Wa te r fe a tu r e i n fr o n t o f Li n d e r h o f P a l a ce

5. Ve n u s G r o tto h a n d m a d e j u s t fo r Ki n g Lu d wi g II