Schloss Neuschwanstein is located atop a hill in the village of Hohenschwangau, about 3 kms from Füssen in southern Germany. While the Castle itself is magnificent to look at, the nearby areas are equally scenic, with lush green carpet and water bodies such as Forggensee and Alpsee lakes dotting the area. The area, called Schwangau, is located at the southern end of the most recommended road trip in Germany – the Romantic road that runs from Würzburg to Füssen . And then there are 2 Castles close to one another, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.

Neuschwanstein castle is among Germany’s top attractions

Few websites place Neuschwanstein castle among top 10 attractions to visit in Germany and is easily one of the most photographed man made structures in Germany. About 1.4 million people visit annually, with over 6000 per day during peak times. Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles can only be visited as part of a guided tour at specific admission times. This explains why there is often wait time at the castles, especially if the tickets have not been booked ahead of time.

Hohenschwangau village to Neuschwanstein castle

There are 3 options.

Take the bus. It will drop you near Mary’s bridge from where you can walk in 15 minutes to the castle.
Walk. It is uphill and expected to take 45 minutes or so.
Take the horse carriage that costs €8 per adult one way. From the drop off point, the castle is a 10-15 minutes walk uphill but easy. Return fare is discounted.

I chose to take the horse carriage uphill and walked down on return.

The Hohenschwangau castle too looks lovely from outside but pales in comparison to Neuschwanstein castle. One can climb the steps to this Castle from the village in about 20 minutes.

View point – Marienbrücke

Marienbrücke(Mary’s Bridge) is located over the Pöllat gorge and provides a clear and unique view of Neuschwanstein castle. The photographs of the side view of the Castle appearing to be precariously perched on a hillock with the lakes and the village in the background have been taken from here. Take the bus from Parking Lot 4 or below Hohenschwangau castle. Or walk up for 45 minutes or so. From Mary’s Bridge, Neuschwanstein castle is 15 minutes by walk. Buy the entry tickets before going to the bridge if you wish to join a guided tour of the Castle. Or the view point can be visited after visiting Castle.

Ticket counter at Hohenschwangau village

The public bus stop is located next to the Tourist Information office. Walk up Alpseestraße and you will find the ticket counter on the right. A little further up is horse carriage stand and further up is the Museum of Bavarian Kings, next to the Alpsee lake. On the right, on a hillock, is the Hohenschwangau castle. The map below will make this all clear.

Hohenschwangau map, Germany(downloaded from ***www.hohenschwangau.de***)

Vegetarian food

There are plenty of restaurants and few shops. I checked the menu in few of them and luckily, there were limited vegetarian options. My spouse settled for a vegetarian soup with bread while I chose beer and a vegetarian burger that turned out to be quite yummy. This simple lunch cost €32.

At the Neuschwanstein castle

The Castle has undergone renovation few times and currently, a major renovation of the interior rooms and passages is on. Scheduled for completion in 2024, it is possible the time for guided tour thereafter will increase from the present 30 minutes. The entrance is neat without being grand and does not look like it was built in the 19^th century! But the entire edifice is magnificent, from all directions.

Entrance to Neuschwanstein castle, Germany

There is plenty of space to walk around and the side that is not accessible from outside is best viewed from Marienbrücke. The view point near the Castle entrance provides a fantastic view of the Forggensee lake and the surrounding areas on one side and the Castle on the other side. Just wish some of the growth in vegetation had been trimmed to provide unhindered view of the Castle.

Other viewpoints are Mary’s bridge and Tegelberg mountain. The cable car to Tegelberg mountain should also provide unhindered views of the Castle.

Lake Forggensee viewed from Neuschwanstein castle, Germany

There are over 200 rooms inside but most are not accessible to tourists as of now. I got a feeling there will be a fair bit of climbing up and down inside the Castle. The reviews of the interiors are mixed and hence I am not sure what I have missed. The official pictures look good and after the current restoration work is complete, I am sure the interiors will look even better. But then, what is the point in visiting a 19^th century castle with 21^st century restoration?

How much time?

I took the horse carriage to the drop off point near the castle. Overall, it took about 50 minutes to get to the Castle, including a 20 minute wait for the carriage. Spent about an hour outside the Castle before walking down(15 minutes or so). In all, about 2.5 hours. If a tour of the Castle is considered, one needs little more than 3 hours.

Another 30 minutes was needed for a casual stroll all the way to Alpsee lake.

Setting apart 45 minutes for lunch, I needed about 4 hours. Just about enough from the time of arrival around 12 noon to departure a little after 4pm. Luckily, there was a very short queue at the ticket counter.

To include a trip to Marienbrücke and a tour of Hohenschwangau castle, another 1 hour is needed at the minimum. The duration of the guided tour in Neuschwanstein castle is approx. 30 minutes and in Hohenschwangau castle approx. 45 minutes.

And more time, ideally another day, to visit nearby attractions.

Tickets

Best to buy online. Remember tickets are only required for entry into the Castle through a guided tour. Without this ticket, one can still get to the entrance and walk outside. Also, my understanding is that the tickets are non-refundable. Tickets are also sold at the counter in Hohenschwangau village, at the base of the Castle but during peak times, the wait time can be long and tickets may get sold out in the morning itself. When I visited in the last week of September, online tickets were sold out. Even then, I decided to visit because I had heard so much about the Castle and I was prepared to just view it from outside. I reached the ticket counter around 12 noon but the earliest slot for which entry ticket was available was 3.30 pm. This was not possible for me as the return bus to Garmisch was at 4pm.

Cost of guided tour at Neuschwanstein castle is €15 and for Hohenschwangau castle, it is €21.

Travelling to Neuschwanstein castle

The best option would be stay over in Füssen. But if you are keen only on Neuschwanstein castle, as I was, a day trip is sufficient. I tend to believe a day trip from Munich is a lot better than a day trip from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, especially if travel is by public transport or guided tour. In a private car, it does not make any difference.

I travelled to Neuschwanstein castle from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Neuschwanstein castle by public transport

Bus is the only option and there is a regular direct bus service, RVO Line# 9606, between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Füssen that goes via Tegelberg cable car and Neuschwanstein castle. It took me a while to understand the timetable but all trips on Line #9606 do not get to Füssen. Check the timetable carefully(line # and below that trip #) if there is any transfer involved enroute, as my return journey did at Echelsbacher Brücke, Rottenbuch. I do not know if the bus on the second leg of the journey would wait for the bus on the first leg if it is late. I was certainly uncomfortable with transfer time being 3 to 5 minutes. There may also be small variations in the route taken as well and the required time can stretch to over 3 hours. The fastest journey time is under 2 hours.

Very scenic journey

I took the 9.40am bus that went from outside the Garmisch railway station direct to the Castle in about 2 hours and 10 minutes. The entire journey was extremely scenic and the bus went inside few attractive villages such as Oberau, Oberammergau, Unterammergau and Bad Kohlberg. This also probably explains why a 65+ kms journey should take well over 2 hours. Even then, I did not even think of taking a nap! In a private car or taxi, the journey can be covered in about an hour.

Last bus is at 5pm but better to take the earlier one

The last bus from the Castle to Garmisch was at 5.18pm and the one before that was around 4.18pm. I did not wish to take a chance with the last bus simply because there was no other clear option of returning to Garmisch the same day. Also, both the 4.18pm and 5.18pm buses required a transfer at Echelsbacher Brücke, Rottenbuch and I thought that even if I missed the transfer by taking the 4.18pm bus, there is another bus coming about an hour later.

The tickets cost ~€12 per adult onward, ~€15 on the return, possibly because of the transfer involved. I paid cash to the driver. Not sure if cards are also accepted.

In hindsight, I may have been better off taking the earlier bus at 7.50am from Garmisch. Just type 9606 on this link to download the timetable. Note the marginal variations between weekdays and weekends.

Taxis

I enquired with couple of taxis parked at the Garmisch railway station. They wanted ~ €300 for the trip, and €350 with Linderhof palace. One of them was willing to go one way for about €200. I did not notice any taxi stand at Hohenschwangau village. The journey time one way is about an hour.

The route, via Austria, also shows up on the Uber app but there were no taxis available!

What else nearby Neuschwanstein castle?

Hohenschwangau castle;
Tegelberg cable car that takes one to a height of 1732 m. Great views of Neuschwanstein castle and Ammer mountains. Para gliding and Hang gliding options available here;
Royal Crystal spa – Thermal pools, sauna, spa;
Boating in Forggensee lake, Alpsee lake.

With public transport however, it is hard to move around. Many tour operators from Munich typically cover Linderhof palace with Neuschwanstein castle. But Linderhof palace is not in Schwangau.

Better carry some cash

Few of the payments require cash. For e.g. horse carriage. Possibly bus as well.

When to visit

Judging by the photographs, any time during the year looks good. July to October is more crowded than rest of the months. I was unable to get tickets online for the last week of September when I tried 10 days before my intended visit. Just as well in hindsight as I had not researched bus timings then! May have be compelled to take the more expensive taxi. So book the tickets, if you wish to get inside the castle, ahead of time. But remember tickets are non refundable.

Is Neuschwanstein a must visit place?

My first reaction as I first viewed the castle from a distance when the bus turned left from the main road towards Tegelberg cable car –“wow”. Guess its location at a vantage point makes all the difference. Despite the new look, I think Neuschwanstein castle is worthy of a visit.