Neuschwanstein is the castle that everybody has seen before they arrive, and it is almost impossible to see it freshly. Ludwig II, the king of Bavaria, had it built from 1869 as a private retreat in the style of a medieval knight's castle, with towers, turrets and rooms painted with scenes from the operas of Wagner, whom he adored. It stands on a rocky spur above the Pöllat gorge, with the Alpsee lake and the plain below. Ludwig lived in it only a few months before he was declared unfit to rule and died in mysterious circumstances in Lake Starnberg in June 1886, at the age of forty. The castle was opened to the public within weeks.
The palaces associated with Ludwig, which include Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee, have been put forward as a group for World Heritage status and were recently listed. For all the glamour, the king's story is melancholy, a solitary man building dreams while the state's finances groaned, and the castles were his escape. Hohenschwangau castle, below, was his childhood home, a yellow neo-Gothic palace where his father had lived.
For a rider, the Allgäu is one of the best regions in Germany. The roads climb through meadows and forest, with views of the Alps and the Bavarian lakes, and the Romantic Road, which runs north to south through the region, ends close to here. A short ride over the border into Austria takes you to Reutte, the Plansee and the Hahntennjoch, a high and twisting road with big views. The roads around the castle itself are crowded in summer, with coaches, cars and walkers on the road, so early starts, before nine, are essential, and the parking is a long way down the hill.
Füssen, four kilometres away, is a charming old town with a monastery, a baroque old centre and plenty of fuel, food and hotels. A ride to Linderhof, through the Ammergau Alps, goes via the Ettal monastery, where the monks make a well-known herbal liqueur and beer, and gives a different, quieter view of the king's world. In winter the roads can be icy and many passes close, so check conditions before you set out.