Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany as a native (and why it's worth it)

So here in Germany Neuschwanstein Castle is mostly seen as a place where foreign tourists go to to experience their "romantic" idea of beautiful German castles and the mountains - not really a place where the native Bavarians go to since it's usually very crowded (especially during vacation time).

Last month, however, me (native Bavarian) went there with my husband (native Spaniard) since he wanted to experience it for himself - and I have to say I was extremely surprised in a positive way. First of all even though the weather was gorgeous in late April, the number of tourists was actually not that bad and it never felt overcrowded. Second, the landscape there really is breathtaking and the combination of the castle with the mountains and the nearby lake are indeed extremely picturesque.

The main reason why I found the place extremely interesting the history of the two castles - because you don't really understand Neuschwanstein without the nearby Hohenschwangau castle. We had booked tours for both and not only were the interiors a fantastic view into 19th century royal living, they also explained how king Ludwig II. grew up and was strongly influenced by the German sagas and myths depicted on the walls of the castle.

So TL;DR Definitely worth a visit, just go off season to avoid tourist masses and make sure to visit both castles there (Hohenschwangau first, Neuschwanstein second) to enjoy and really understand the beauty of this place.