Neuschwanstein Castle - A Day Trip from Munich

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most famous sights in Germany. It is located in the Bavarian Allgäu above the village of Hohenschwangau. It was built at the request of King Ludwig II and today attracts over 1.5 million tourists annually. Many of them come from Asia.

Neuschwanstein – the popular fairytale castle in Germany

Nowadays you can visit the 18th century castle all year round. Of course it is particularly beautiful in winter when the mountains are covered with snow, but Neuschwanstein is also worth a trip in summer.

How to get to Neuschwanstein Castle, where to park, how much it costs to enter and all other useful information can be found in this article.

How to get to Neuschwanstein Castle

There are two ways to get to Neuschwanstein Castle, make it on your own by car or train/bus, or an excursion with an organized tour (see also tours to Neuschwanstein Castle).

By train and bus

You can take the train by Deutsche Bahn to the Füssen station and then take the bus to the Hohenschwangau Neuschwanstein Castles, Schwangau station. The journey time varies, of course, depending on where you are coming from. You can find a good overview of times and prices on Omio.

By car

You can reach Neuschwanstein Castle by car via the A7 motorway. You drive to the end of the motorway and finally exit in Füssen and continue to the federal road B17 towards Schwangau. At the end of the village, turn right to Hohenschwangau.

The second option would also be the A7 motorway to the Kempten exit. After that take the federal road B12 to Marktoberdorf and via the B16 to Roßhaupten (OAL I to Buching). As described before, drive the B17 to Schwangau and Hohenschwangau.

The address is helpful for the navigation system or Google Maps: Alpseestraße 1, 87645 Schwangau

My favorite is definitely traveling by car. If you don’t have your own car, like it was the case with us, you can also hire a car, for example from Munich.

For this I can recommend Sunny Cars where I got my rental car. The booking is easy to complete online. Select location, pick-up location and date. Then the vehicle category, the car and finally extras such as a navigation system etc. If you have any questions, you can also call the hotline at any time, which was also very helpful for us.

The pickup also went smoothly. At the pick-up station, in my case this was Europcar, you just show your voucher and driver’s license. Then you get the key straight away and can drive off.

Tip: If you rent from Sunny Cars, you automatically use the all-inclusive services. So you are covered with fully comprehensive insurance in the event of a claim, have no deductible and many other benefits. Unlimited kilometers etc. are also included.

Parking at Neuschwanstein Castle/Hohenschwangau

You can’t drive directly to Neuschwanstein Castle in your own car, but have to park in Hohenschwangau. There are four signposted parking spaces on site. P1 at Apollo Duty Free, P2 and P3 next to the Kainz Restaurant and P4 at Alpsee. Parking there costs € 6 per vehicle per day.

Tip: If you want to walk to Neuschwanstein Castle, then choose the P3. Right behind it starts a small path through the forest, which is shorter than the official footpath. It meets the official route directly and saves you a few minutes on foot.

Accommodation at Neuschwanstein Castle

While many visitors arrive by car or organized tours for a day, you can of course also spend the night on site. That way you can visit the castle in the early morning and avoid the crowds. Not very far from Neuschwanstein Castle, there is e.g. the Hotel Hofwiese, but also many other hotels in the vicinity. Another recommendation from us is the beautiful AMERON in Schwangau.

Neuschwanstein Castle tickets

The tickets to visit Neuschwanstein Castle on a guided tour can either be bought on site at the ticket center or simply reserved online. When buying on site, tickets for the current day may already be sold out, so a reservation makes perfect sense. However, it must be done at least two days in advance.

More information and online ticket booking are available on the Hohenschwangau website. The reservation costs a small fee, but the ticket is only paid for when you pick it up. Cost: € 13 for adults aged 18 and over plus reservation fee.

The ticket center is open daily from 7.30 A.M. to 5.00 P.M. (April to October 15th) and from 8.30 A.M. to 3.00 P.M. (October 16th to March). Neuschwanstein Castle is open from 9.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. or 10.00 A.M. to 4.00 P.M.

Note: It is not possible to visit Neuschwanstein Castle without a guide. There is also a ban on taking photos inside the castle.

Tours to Neuschwanstein Castle

You don’t want to travel to Neuschwanstein Castle by train or car on your own, but still want to visit the fairytale castle? Then we can recommend the following three popular tours from our partner GetYourGuide:

• Neuschwanstein Castle Day Trip from Munich – On this tour you travel with a guide in two hours by train or bus from Munich to Neuschwanstein. You will explore the castle without queuing and the area with great viewpoints.
• From Munich: Neuschwanstein Castle & Linderhof Premium Tour – Bus tour to the castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof as well as to the village of Oberammergau from Munich. Tickets to the castles, snacks and drinks on the bus plus guide are included.
• Day Trip to Neuschwanstein & Linderhof Castles from Munich – Also a bus tour to the famous castles Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. The tour is cheaper, however, as the entrance fees to the castles are not included and you are free to choose whether or not to see the inside of both.

The way from Hohenschwangau to Neuschwanstein Castle

From Hohenschwangau you can reach Neuschwanstein in different ways. Either on foot, as I did, by bus or by horse-drawn carriage. You can not drive directly to Neuschwanstein Castle by car.

On foot

Most visitors start on foot at the ticket center in Hohenschwangau. The path is well-signposted and easy to find. You should plan between three quarters of an hour to an hour, depending on the pace, from the ticket center to Neuschwanstein Castle.

The second option, as mentioned before, is the start at the P3 parking lot. There you can take a short shortcut through the forest. I was at the castle after about half an hour without any problems.

Horse-drawn carriage

The horse-drawn carriage starts in Hohenschwangau in front of Hotel Müller and takes you to the Schlossrestaurant Neuschwanstein. From there you have to walk up the mountain for about 10 minutes. An ascent costs € 7.00 and the descent € 3.50 per person. The journey time is approximately 20 minutes. Payment is made directly at the carriage.

Bus

The bus leaves at the Alpseeparkplatz (P4) and takes you near the Marienbrücke, so not directly to the castle. From the top station of the bus it is about 5 minutes to Marienbrücke or 10-minutes downhill to Neuschwanstein Castle.

The ascent costs € 2.50 and the descent € 1.50 per person. If you want to go there and back by bus, a combination ticket for € 3.00 is worthwhile. Children get a discount. Tickets are available at the Alpsee stop or directly from the bus driver.

Attention: In the high season in summer there can be long waiting times for the bus and horse-drawn carriage. Tickets cannot be reserved in advance.

Guided tour of Neuschwanstein Castle

You will be given your time at the ticket center for the guided tour of Neuschwanstein Castle. You have to be on time at the castle to miss the tour. Otherwise the tickets will not be refunded.

When your number appears on the display, you can enter the castle. The guided tour lasts about 30 minutes, but unfortunately there is not much time for each individual room. As I said before, photography is prohibited. The tour of Neuschwanstein Castle is very hectic and there is not much time to really admire the castle.

You can find details about the different rooms that you can see during the tour here.

By the way, just before the castle you have a view of the valley and you can visit a souvenir shop. Of course, this is also possible on the way down.

In my opinion, the tour is only worthwhile if you absolutely want to see the castle from the inside. Otherwise, it is also very nice to look at and impressive from the outside.

The way to the Marienbrücke

The most popular viewpoint at Neuschwanstein Castle is the Marienbrücke. You can reach it on foot in about 10-15 minutes from the castle. On the way you can make a few more stops to take photos of the castle from different angles or to enjoy the view of the mountains and Hohenschwangau Castle.

When you reach the Marienbrücke, you can already see the mass tourism. The bridge is relatively small and narrow, so that not all visitors can enter the bridge at the same time. That is why a queue sometimes forms in summer to get to the Marienbrücke.

The bridge itself is also very full and I had the experience that most people stop right at the beginning to take photos. In my opinion it is best to walk almost to the end over the bridge, then there will surely be a free place to take pictures.

View from the Marienbrücke

Despite the mass of visitors on the Marienbrücke, you have the most beautiful view of Neuschwanstein Castle here. In addition, you do not have to pay any entrance fee and if you want you can continue hiking through the mountains at the end of the Marienbrücke.

There is nothing else to tell here and you should still try to enjoy the view, even there are many people around.

Conclusion on Neuschwanstein Castle

If you don’t mind the many tourists, I can only recommend a visit. Neuschwanstein Castle looks really stunning and the trip there is unforgettable. Also with the many mountain views in the surrounding areas.

I was there with my girlfriend in summer, where there was a lot going on. In winter or spring and autumn there should be significantly fewer tourists, if you prefer that.

Nevertheless, it is very nice at Neuschwanstein Castle, as well as the view of Hohenschwangau Castle or a walk through the woods. There, apart from the main path, it is quite lonely even in summer.

Have you been to Neuschwanstein Castle? Did you like it or is it still on your list? We look forward to your comment.

Advertising notice: The car for this trip was provided to us by Sunny Cars. Opinions are free and, as always, our own. We only make recommendations if we really like something!