Fairy tale trip to Neuschwanstein Castle
- Maya del Aire
- Dec 8, 2018
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 20, 2019
This is day one of your nine day vacation itinerary. If you choose to follow this itinerary on your vacation, you will explore three regions, Bavaria, Saxony and Brandenburg, in Germany which include eight different spots. This particular day gives detailed explanation on how to reach, explore and enjoy fairy tale castle, Neuschwanstein Castle. The itinerary includes all relevant information that you need to have a smooth vacation, so just get ready and follow my lead.
Click below to check out the rest of your ultimate Germany itinerary
Day 1 Fairy tale trip to Neuschwanstein Castle
About the castle
Castle that has inspired Walt Disney to create a Magic Kingdom, and the most visited castle in Germany, is the famous Neuschwanstein castle. It is situated in the Alps, in Bavaria, with a close border to Switzerland and Austria. The castle was built by King Ludwig II, also known as Mad King Ludwig, and inspired by Richard Wagner’s operas, which can be particularly noticed at the 4th floor that is a Singers hall. Unlike other castles, this one had no defensive purposes; it was a pure realization of day-dreaming world that King Ludwig II was living in. His eccentric behavior and inclination towards art, which was expressed in building many castles, had left the treasury in severe debt, and eventually made him dethroned by his ministries and cabinet. Hohenschwangau village, the place where the castle is situated is also a home to a Hohenschwangau castle and Museum of the Bavarian Kings. The Hohenschwangau castle was in a possession of the Knights of Schwangau from 12th until 16th century, and after the war, it was purchased and rebuilt based on the original plans, by the Crown Prince Maximilian. Eventually, it became a residence of the whole family, also a place where Ludwig II was growing up, and watching his fairy tale castle being built over the years.
How to get there from Munich:
We rented a car for this trip; however, you can also
b) book a tour,
c) or take a train to Füssen from Munich HBF, then take a 10 min ride with a bus.
a) Renting a car is not the cheapest option, but if you rent a car for few days, you might get a good deal. There are 4 parking places next to castles. Price is around €6 for a car per day or €2 for a bike. There are lots of companies that you can use to rent a car, and they have many locations around the city where you can pick up the car from. The ride takes around 2hrs. More about car rental companies and transport in Germany, is in the Transport section.
b) Booking a tour. I like to have freedom when I am visiting places and prefer not to be restricted by tour schedules and waste my time waiting for other people. Also, from the research that I’ve done, there is no affordable tour that makes your trip more comfortable. Getting around the castles is very simple, and this is why I highly recommend it doing it on your own. Most of the tours include train rides, which you can also book by yourself for half the price, and you would most probably have to rush to places, rather than explore it on you own pace. Tours approximately start from 35 euros and you have to add to that an admission which is usually more than the one advertised on the official website.
c) The train you will catch at Munich Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) from where you will buy your ticket if you don’t buy it online. The most affordable way is to book Bayern ticket to Füssen, which will take approximately 2 hours and then take a bus 78 for a 5-10 min ride that will take you to the ticket center. If you decide the same day, then you can buy the day trip ticket for one person€26, +€5, for additional person. You Bayern ticket will include the bus ride.
***Click here for tips on how to find the best train/bus ticket in Germany.
Tips and tricks***
Please be aware if you take a Bayern ticket, on weekdays, Monday to Friday, the earliest train available with your ticket is at 9.55 am. You can also take a regular train ticket which will allow you to take a train at any time but will cost lot more. Also, make sure you arrive 90 min before your tour time, there is no money refund if you are late.
Timed tours! Yes, make sure that you book your tickets ahead. The website offers different timings but this may differ when you collect your tickets. I have tried to book mine 10 days in advance and I’ve failed. Plan your trip wisely and book it minimum 15 days ahead if it’s a holiday season (July-August), and don’t worry if you have to cancel you can do that 2 hours before your actual tour.
Couldn’t book your tour online, you might be lucky and still get your ticket!!
If you don’t manage to book your ticket on time, just go as early as possible and see if there are any cancellations, and they might be able to get you the ticket.There are screens in the ticket office which are constantly updated, just watch it, and you might get lucky. Be aware that waiting time might be more than an hour. We were there at 8.45 am, and managed to get our tickets just after 10 am.
There are many websites that offer booking a tour, make sure you use this website, as it is the official one, and it has the best prices:
Which ticket to choose?
There are three places that you can visit there Hohenschwangau castle, Neuschwanstein Castle and the museum of the Bavarian kings. It is up to you, and your time limitations, which places will you visit however, I would encourage you to visit all of them. This is the way to get the whole picture about the place and Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, the founder of the Neuschwanstein Castle.
Neuschwanstein castle tour last for 45 minutes and it will give you a brief history about the Ludwig and castle itself.
Hohenschwangau castle is the place where Ludwig was born, and spent his childhood. The tour will tell you a beautiful story about Ludwig’s parents, Crown Prince Maximilian II, his art inclination, and Princess Marie of Prussia her unusual hobbies of that time and his brother Otto and his sickness.
Museum of Bavarian Kings will obviously, introduce you Bavarian history and its royal families that will fill in the gaps from the stories that you will hear in the other 2 castles.
There are different packages and they all include the guided tour on language that you can choose. My package for all 3 places was €31.50. Please refer to the official website for the current ticket rates mentioned above.
Got your tickets what’s next? How to explore Hohenschwangau:
Once you collect your ticket, according to the tour timing you can decide which place you would visit first. If you decide to visit the Neuschwanstein, first then you may access it:
a) By foot, 30 minute walk up from a ticket place and I suggest that you do that, because otherwise you might miss on the beauty of the nature around it.
b) There is a bus that you can take for €3, return ticket, for which you also have to wait and you will enter if there is space left. Bus is parked just a little bellow the ticket office.
c) Another option is horse carriage up that is parked next to the ticket office.
I suggest a walk up to the Marienbrucke (Mary’s Bridge), from where you can take best shots of the castle, when visiting Neuschwanstein castle. Bear in mind the walk up to the bridge is 12 minutes, and the line to take a photo might be quite long, therefore plan your time wisely in order to be on time for your tour. You may walk around the castle as much as you like as it is free of charge and always open.
The Hohenschwangau is 5 minutes walk away from the ticket office, and you can actually see it while standing in a line to collect your ticket. The surrounding of the castle is quite picturesque, so take your time and discover it. This tour is also timed, so don’t forget to watch your clock.
Tips and tricks***
The Museum is located a little bit forward of the ticket office, just next to the beautiful lake. You can visit Museum at any time; just remember that the castles tours are timed.
Plan your trip ahead and book your tickets online, minimum 15 days ahead in holiday times (June-August).
Both castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, have timed tours in different languages.
There are a lot of places for a snack, nice lunch, beer so don’t worry you will have an idea how to spend your time in between tours.
Wear comfortable shoes, this trip will involve lot of walking.
If you are planning a relaxing trip, try to stay for a couple of days around the castle. The area offers wide array of outdoor activities, spas, sauna etc
Check out more on:
https://en.schwangau.de/activities/relaxing-and-wellness/
Opening hours: Ticket Office: Summer 2018 (March 24th - October 15th): daily from 7:30 - 17:00 Winter 2018 / 2019 (October 16th - March 31st): daily from 8:30 - 15:00
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castle guided tours are offered daily from: 10:00 - 16:00 (Winter opening times) and 9:00 - 18:00 (Summer opening times)
More details about the Hohenschwangau village, you may refer to:
Official site: https: https://www.hohenschwangau.de/1302.html
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