Fairytale castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. The fairytale-like Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria is, with 1.4 million visitors per year, one of the three most visited tourist attractions in Germany. The Disney castle is located in the village of Hohenschwangau in the hills of the green region Allg?u in Bavaria.

The real-life inspiration for the iconic Disney castle (specifically Sleeping Beauty Castle) is Neuschwanstein Castle, located in the Bavarian Alps near the town of Füssen in southern Germany. Built by King Ludwig II in the 19th century, this Romanesque Revival palace is perched on a rugged hill and is one of the most photographed buildings in the world. Walt Disney and his wife Lillian visited the castle during a trip to Europe in the 1950s, and he was so enchanted by its fairy-tale silhouette that he used it as the direct model for the centerpiece of Disneyland in California. Today, you can visit Neuschwanstein as a day trip from Munich; however, you must book your tickets weeks in advance to see the interior, as it is one of Germany's most popular tourist destinations. While it looks like a medieval fortress, it was actually designed as a personal refuge for the "Fairytale King" and was filled with modern 19th-century comforts like running water and a telephone system.