Visited t his spot our last full day in Germany and took a few trains, a taxi, and a boat to get here. But it was worth it. I was excited to see this castle on an island based upon Versailles built by the "crazy" king of Bavaria. I've seen some of the other famous castles of his during a trip in 2017 so happy to add another to my list! The palace itself is beautiful and can only be seen through a guided tour - we had missed the last English tour of the day, so we joined a German tour and were given a sheet of paper to follow along through the 12 or so rooms we saw. Photos are not allowed - which I understand but also wish wasn't the case for people who have traveled long and hard to see something and want to try to take some photos for themselves to remember the trip. It was nice to not have cameras out the whole time though and to just look at the ornate details of the room while the guide spoke to us about everything. It was raining and somewhat miserable while we were here but we still found the gardens and palace to be lovely and enjoyed the trip we made for the day to see them. read more

The island of Herrenchiemsee has two palaces: the Old Palace in the former Augustinian monastery, now known as the Old Palace and museum; and the incredible "New Palace " of Ludwig II of Bavaria. This review covers the New Palace. It's a must-see on any trip to the region. After Ludwig II bought the island in 1873, he made plans for the construction of the huge "New Palace", on which work began in 1878. This enormous building was modelled on Versailles, though the original plans were to include wings to match the original, but financial problems restricted the plans to the current building. As it is, it's still huge, and Ludwig expended more money on it than Linderhof and Neuschwanstein combined. However, funds ran out in 1885, a year before his untimely death, with only 30 of the 80 main rooms completed. But just those 30 completed interiors are stunning, and you can see pretty quickly how it burned through the funds so fast: room after room of vast mirrors, huge and exquisite chandeliers, luxurious furnishings and acres of gilded stucco. Clearly, no expense was spared. The hall of mirrors is actually longer than that at Versailles and its 52 candelabras and 33 chandeliers hold over 7,000 candles. Outside, the front of the Palace overlooks stunning French-style gardens with large classical fountains. Strangely, Ludwig did not intend to live here: it was to be a museum, an homage to Louis XIV and absolutist monarchy. All the paintings are copies of French originals and depict Louis XIV, not Ludwig. He spent only 10 days here - and even then he slept during the day and had an army of servants light the thousands of candles to illuminate it so he could wander through its rooms. The Palace can only be visited by guided tours, laid in in German and English. They last about 30 minutes and lifts enable full access for wheelchair users. The palace also includes a museum of Ludwig's life, featuring his coronation robes, and a small gift shop and restaurant. It's a 20 minute walk from the main jetty and 15 minutes from the Old Palace. read more

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This was probably my favorite tour of the castles in germany/austria. On a bright sunny day, this glorious castle on the island is the perfect place to tour and take a stroll. Going just a little earlier is always a plus since the ferry gets crowded and crowds get bigger during the afternoons. read more

Herrenchiemsee - The lake on our way to the castle! - Castles Near Me - Chiemsee, BY

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I. love. this. castle. Unfortunately, it was never completed after the death of King Ludwig. It was meant to mirror the same opulence as Versailles. But after the untimely and mysterious king's passing, about 50 rooms or so went uncompleted. You have to see this place, the amount of gold that went into it... do they know how much that stuff is worth right now? I mean both the USD and Euro aren't worth anything but this castle is worth it's weight in gold for sure! On a nice summer day, I enjoy strolling around the gardens, lazing around the fountains and just looking at this stunning piece of work. Another plus. this castle doesn't have as much clout as Neuschwanstein, and I really like that. You'll find less people and you are right next to a huge lake. Nice for summer time fun. If you're into architecture, castles, and gardens, try this one out. Better than goin' to that one in France. read more

On our way from Austria to Frankfurt, we stopped at Herrenchiemsee to tour this magnificant castle. I had been there decades ago and recall being very impressed with this castle. We parked in Prien and followed the signs to the ferry. Because we were running late, we bought our tickets on board (luckily - since the next ferry wasn't for another hour in the off-season). After 10-12 min, we docked on the island and headed right to the ticket booth - we were early ... good thing because they're a bit slow on issuing tickets. The 15 min walk to the castle was lovely and one can imagine how beautiful it is in the Spring/Summer/Fall. The tour was well done - our tour guide was very well informed, although she incorrectly stated that this castle is bigger than Versailles (it's not). Note - Ludwig II built this castle as a museum to Versailles and the Son King, Louis XIV. 20% of the castle was finished, but even touring the unfinished parts was enlightening. Also, there is a fascinating museum (in a number of the unfinished rooms) of Ludwig II, including some of his clothing, furnishings from his Munich apartment (which was destroyed during WWII), love for Wagner, ... amazing. If you can make, GO ... in my opinion, it's better than Neuschwanstein that is also impressive, but more from the exterior than the both exterior AND interior. Ludwig II was definitely mad and his mysterious death adds to his allure. You'll be sure to enjoy this tourist attraction. read more

Love love love this castle! We originally planed to visit 2 of Ludwig II's castles but we decided to come to this one as well since we loved his castles so much! (If we knew we would do this, we could have bought a ticket set for 3 castles and we would save some money!). Not like other 2 castles this one is on an island and you need to take a boat to get there. Then you need to walk for 20 minutes to get to the castle. Walking was fun and the castle was amazing! Just like other castles, you get a guided tour and photography is prohibited inside. If you like his castle, you need to complete all 3 (or there is one more but it's a house and the only way to get there is to hike up for 6-7 hours)!! read more

Herrenchiemsee - When you walk from the ferry area to the castle? You get to see this amazing view but actually this is the back side of its castle:-) - Castles Near Me - Chiemsee, BY

I agree with Karen--this place is superb. While incomplete, the rooms that ARE finished are opulent. Seventeen years ago when my father came here they allowed people to take photos, but not anymore. The rooms are so elaborately decorated that a photograph wouldn't do it justice, anyway. Like when taking photos of the cathedrals, you quickly realize you can't fit it all in. I like the castle here at Herreninsel better than Neuschwanstein because we didn't have to fight large crowds or trudge a mile uphill gasping for breath. There are the old castle and the new castle and a modest museum, and there is an imbiss (snack bar) by the docks. You could spend half a day here easily, but we were satisfied once we saw the new castle. The boat ride from the information center at Felden was lovely. King Ludwig II may have been Looney Tunes, but the castles he built are fascinating to anyone interested in architecture and beauty, and they've been great for the German economy. read more

Herrenchiemsee - Castles Near Me - Chiemsee, BY

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The palace itself is very impressive with a lot of detail and gold furnishings. The problem we ran into was the lady collecting money at the toilet downstairs. She shorted us our charge and on our way out we saw her shorting other customers the same we she shorted us. She has a system where she gives back the customers shorted change and puts the change under a clothe she has on the table. It was very obvious what she was doing. We reported her to security and the head security blonde lady we told this to immediately got defensive and told us we were wrong and the bathroom attendant is a good employee and we don't know what we are talking about. She was very rude, dismissive and insulting. She's allowing the lady to scam the customers out of change all day long. I suspect she already knows what the bathroom attendant is doing and is covering for her. Very unprofessional. Please count your change carefully or better yet only pay with exact change. They pray on tourist that are in a hurry and not checking their change. It's only 20-30 cents per customer but she's doing this all day long. read more