 Neuschwanstein Castle is just one of King Ludwig II of Bavaria's fairytale castles. Built in 1869 as an extravagant folly, it's now a major tourist attraction. |
How to visit Bavaria's fairytale castle...
Bavaria's fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein (www.neuschwanstein.de) is near Füssen, south-southwest of Munich, close to the Austrian border. You can easily do it as a day trip from Munich, no need for a tour, just buy a train ticket and go. This page tells you how.
Step 1, travel to Munich
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Travel from the UK to Munich as explained here or take a train to Munich from any other European city as explained here. Pre-book this to get cheap advance-purchase train fares.
Step 2, take a local train to Füssen
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Regional trains link Munich Hbf with Füssen every hour through the day, journey time 2h02. You can check train times & fares at int.bahn.de. No reservation is necessary or possible, trains cannot sell out, just turn up, buy a ticket & hop on the next train. It's that simple.
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I recommend buying a Bayern Ticket, €29 for the first passenger + €10 for each additional passenger up to maximum of 4 people. This gives a whole day's unlimited travel on regional trains & buses across Bavaria any time after 09:00 on weekdays, or any time at all at weekends. This will cover the train from Munich to Füssen and the bus from Füssen to Hohenschwangau, for a same-day round trip. In fact, it's the cheapest option for even a one-way trip.
You can buy a Bayern (Bavaria) Ticket online at www.bahn.com//en/offers/regional/regional-day-ticket-for-bavaria and print it out or show on your phone.
You may also see a Regio-ticket Allgau-Schwaben for €26, this covers the train but doesn't cover the bus to Hohenschwangau, so I'd stick with the Bayern Ticket. The regular one-way fare from Munich to Füssen is around €35, but you'd only pay this if you needed to leave before 09:00 on a weekday.
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Although you can buy on the day at the station, buying online beforehand at int.bahn.de saves time and the system automatically shows the Regio-Ticket Allgau-Schwaben or Bayern Ticket for journeys where these are cheaper than the regular fare.
Step 3, take bus 73 or 78 from Füssen to Hohenschwangau
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The buses leave twice an hour from directly alongside Füssen station, journey time just 8 minutes. The fare is just a few euros paid to the driver when you board, if you have a Bayern Ticket this covers the bus so just show it to the driver when you board. For information on these buses see www.rvo-bus.de.
Getting there from Innsbruck
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Step 1, travel from Innsbruck Hbf to Reutte in Tirol by train with one quick change at Garmisch, journey time 2h22, trains run every few hours, check times at int.bahn.de. Step 2, take a bus from Reutte Bahnhof to Füssen Bahnhof, these r un every 2 hours or so, journey time 25-45 minutes, see www.vvt.at. Step 3, take the frequent bus from Füssen Bahnhof to Hohenschwangau as above.
Visiting the castle, opening times, entrance fees & tickets
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Hohenschwangau is the tourist village which has the castle ticket office, restaurants and shops - buy your ticket here, or pre-book a ticket with a specific visiting time at www.ticket-center-hohenschwangau.de at least 2 days in advance. It's a 40 minute uphill walk, 20 minute horse-drawn carriage or 10 minute shuttle bus ride up to the castle (note that a Bayern Ticket doesn't cover this bus).
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Neuschwanstein Castle is open every day of the year except 1 January & 24, 25, 31 December, check opening times & admission fees at www.neuschwanstein.de.
