Germany: Linderhof Palace – A Beautiful Royal Palace of Bavaria

Before our visit to Munich, we’d never heard of Linderhof Palace. Or Schloss Linderhof as it’s known in German. However, once we started researching what sites and attractions are close by, we soon realised it’s a popular choice. Located in the German municipality of Ettal in southwest Bavaria, it’s approximately 96km from Munich city centre. Linderhof Palace is the smallest of the three Bavarian palaces (the other two being Herrenchiemsee Palace and the castle that inspired Walt Disney when he was designing Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Neuschwanstein Castle) built by the late King Ludwig II. It was the only one he lived to see completed in 1864.

How To Get To Linderhof Palace

Making your own way to Linderhof Palace seems a tricky, long and expensive option. It involves buses/trains and taxis, which in our option is not worth the hassle. Instead, why not opt for an organised tour like we did? Even if you are not a fan of organised tours, this is a pretty good one as there is plenty of free time to explore on your own. Yet there is still a tour guide on hand if you have any questions.

We booked the Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein & Linderhof Day Tour from Munich via Viator, which lasted around 11 hours and cost £50 per person. The tour includes return coach transfer from Munich, tour guide, stops at Linderhof Palace, the pretty town of Oberammergau nestled in the Bavarian Alps and Neuschwanstein Castle. It does not include lunch/refreshments which are payable yourself or you could take a packed lunch if travelling on a budget. It does not include admission to Linderhof Palace or Neuschwanstein Castle either. This is an additional €27 combined for both per person, payable to the tour guide once on the coach. So don’t forget to have cash ready.

If you can and are comfortable driving in Germany then hiring a car is a great option. As Linderhof Palace is just over an hour away by road from Munich, the journey is not a long one. If you choose this option, the admission into the Palace and its gardens is €8.50 per person during summer and is reduced to €7.50 euros per person in winter. By having a car, it also means you can explore more of the beautiful Bavarian countryside and castles. Or you could even hop over the border to Austria.

The Palace

From the car/coach park it is roughly a 10-minute walk (slightly uphill). It’s important to get your timings right, as the ticket for the palace is valid for a particular time. It is advised that you arrive at the Palace entrance at least 10-15 minutes before your allocated slot. Therefore, ensure you give yourself enough time otherwise you will miss your admission time and tour.

As Brits, when we think of Palace’s we imagine huge buildings i.e. Kensington Palace, Blenheim Palace and of course Buckingham Palace. However, Linderhof Palace is small, yet perfectly and immaculately formed. Unfortunately, photographs are not allowed to be taken inside. Therefore, we cannot show you just how beautiful it is, but it is – we promise.

The tour lasts around 30 minutes and during that time the guide showed us through the intricately designed and decorated palace said to be inspired by the Palace of Versailles in France. The only issue for us is that you are not given time to explore at leisure. In fact, we were moved on from each room quite swiftly as the next group are waiting to enter. It would have been nice to spend a bit longer admiring the beautiful decor. Especially the ornately decorated bedroom of King Ludwig complete with its 500kg chandelier.

The Gardens

As we visited in late Summer the gardens at Linderhof Palace designed by Court Garden Director Carl von Effner were still in full bloom. The gardens, as with the Palace were inspired by the Palace of Versailles. They combine elements of French Baroque, Italian Renaissance and English gardens and are considered to be some of the most beautiful in the area.

The lake in the middle of the garden with Neptune Fountain which puts on a show at regular intervals is definitely the focal point of the gardens. There are a number of sculptures and buildings dotted around the garden that you can look around too including Venus Grotto, Hunding’s Hut, Gurnemanz Hermitage, Moorish Kiosk and Moroccan House.

We only had around 10 minutes before our tour to explore the gardens. Therefore we didn’t get to see everything or even most of what the garden has to offer. But if we’d have had more time we would have loved to see more. The gardens are really special and just as beautiful as the palace itself.

Would we recommend visiting Linderhof Palace

100% – this royal gem is definitely worth a visit, regardless of if you chose to make the journey on your own or a part of an organised trip. It’s a beautiful Palace and one that we are glad we visited, albeit briefly. If you do decide to swing by Ludwig’s smallest crib please remember to check the time of your tour on your ticket. We have read and heard a lot of stories about people missing their time slot! Enjoy!