A pocket-sized trove of weird treasures, Schloss Linderhof was Ludwig II's smallest but most sumptuous palace, and the only one he lived to see fully completed. Finished in 1878, the palace hugs a steep hillside in a fantasy landscape of French gardens, fountains and follies. The reclusive king used the palace as a retreat and hardly ever received visitors here. Like Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof was inspired by Versailles and dedicated to Louis XIV, the French 'sun king'.