This is one of the few royal residences in Europe that you cannot reach by any road, and King Ludwig II of Bavaria would have liked it that way. The King's House on Schachen stands on a high alpine meadow at about 1,866 metres in the Wetterstein mountains, south of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, below the jagged walls of the range that culminates in the Zugspitze. Ludwig had it built between 1869 and 1872 as a mountain retreat, and from the outside it looks like a modest Swiss chalet. Inside, upstairs, is a fantasy: the Turkish Hall, a room of blue, gold and red, with a fountain, peacock-feather fans, divans and stained glass, where the king liked to celebrate his birthday dressed in oriental costume while his servants smoked hookahs.
Getting there means walking. The usual routes start from Schloss Elmau or from Garmisch, via the Partnach gorge or the old royal road through the forest, and take several hours each way, climbing well over a thousand metres. It is a full and demanding day, but the views over the Wetterstein and down to the Reintal are magnificent. Next to the house, an alpine botanical garden displays plants from mountain regions around the world, and a simple mountain hut offers food and beds in season. The house and hut are open only in summer, roughly from June to early October.
For riders, the house is a destination for a day off the bike. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, about eight kilometres away as the crow flies, is a lively resort town with every service, and the surrounding roads are among the best in the Bavarian Alps. The route to Mittenwald and on to the Austrian village of Leutasch climbs through forest and meadow, and from there you can descend to the Inn valley via the steep road to Telfs or loop back via Scharnitz and Seefeld. The road past Walchensee and over the Kesselberg is a classic but has weekend motorcycle restrictions on parts of it, so check the signs.
Weather in the mountains changes fast; afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, and snow can fall at any time at this height. Bring proper boots, layers and water if you walk up. Garmisch has fuel, hotels, and beer gardens aplenty; after the climb, a weissbier and a pretzel taste better than anything in the Turkish Hall.