Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich: Neuschwanstein by Train
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A day trip from nearby Munich takes you to Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most beautiful and famous castles in all the world.
There are plenty of relatively inexpensive guided tour options that will get you to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich with ease. Trips to the castle range from $80-$150 per person depending on the operator. These options are all wonderful ways to see the castle and create a worry-free day. Check out our partners at Viator or Get Your Guide for great options.
In hopes of saving some money, and freeing ourselves from the confines of the tour schedule, we opted to make our own way. It ended up being extremely easy to navigate. If you’d like to go on your own, we hope this guide helps.
Train To Neuschwanstein From Munich
From Munich Central Station buy a ticket to Füssen. This can be done at a machine or at a ticket counter. With your ticket in hand check the giant signs to find the platform from which your train will depart and head there. The ride on the train takes about 2 hours.
When you arrive in Füssen exit the station and find the bus marked 78 Bahnhof, Füssen. The Füssen station is very small and the majority of people exiting the train will also be heading to the castle. It is almost impossible to get lost or confused. Bring some cash to pay the bus fare. It will likely say “Castles” on the LED Display on the front and side of the bus.
How To Get To Neuschwanstein From Munich:
At Munich Central Station buy a ticket to Füssen.
Take the two-hour Train Ride to Füssen.
Exit at Füssen Station.
Outside, take The bus marked 78 Bahnhof, Füssen (bring cash to pay the bus fare onboard)
Arrive at the base of Neuschwanstein.
In under 10 minutes, the bus will drop you at the base of the tourist area around the castle. Remember this spot, because you’ll need to come back to the same place to catch the bus back to the Füssen station. As you exit the bus, you’ll get your first view of Neuschwanstein Castle on the hilltop. Stunning!
Neuschwanstein Castle Tickets
Follow the signs to the ticket counter to purchase tickets to the castle. We bought our tickets online in advance to ensure we would get a tour. Depending on the crowd level it might be best for you to do the same. Wikipedia reports 6,000 guests per day in the summer. There were plenty of tickets available when we checked in in mid-October.
There are three main attractions in the area, Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Castle, and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings. Tickets are available for each of these three places, and different combinations thereof. We bought a combination ticket that included a visit to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles.
You can also choose between guided tours and self-guided tours with audio guides. We have done both and strongly recommend a guided tour. Guided tours are offered in English and German throughout the day. Audio Guides are available in almost any language you can think of.
See Hohenschwangau Castle
As mentioned we bought a tour that included a tour of Hohenschwangau Castle. Our tour for the day began there. After a beautiful climb to the top of the hill where the yellow brick castle stands, we explored the castle gardens while we waited for our tour to begin.
The hour-long tour takes you through the rooms of the castle which were the childhood home of King Ludwig II, built by his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria. This was their summer home. As a child, Ludwig fell in love with the beauty of the area. When he became king he returned to build a castle of his own on a nearby hilltop medieval castle ruin.
The tour gives loads of background information about the father and son kings who built their castles in the area. The inside of the castle is unsurprisingly filled with priceless art and antiques. I enjoyed spotting all the swan-themed art for the aptly named Swan King.
After our tour, we exited the back way from the castle and walked the carriage route down the hill. This was a beautiful stroll through the forest with views of the majestic Alpsee Lake.
Walk the Bridge Near Neuschwanstein Castle
At the bottom of the hill, we waited for the bus (which was included in the price of the castle tickets) to take us to the stop for Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge). From there, a short hike into the woods lands you at the bridge. This is the best place to gaze at the size and beauty of the hilltop castle (aka take a selfie). The bridge is impossibly high up crossing between two mountains and over a hillside waterfall.
The bridge was very crowded when we were there, so we had to fight our way to find a spot. Most people only go as far as the bridge. We followed the trail a little further into the forest to find a much more secluded spot to view the castle.
Tour Neuschwanstein Castle
We boarded the bus again to the castle courtyard for our tour. The tour was about an hour long. Our guide was spectacular giving us loads of information about the castle and the king. We learned that the king died before the castle was completed, and were surprised to see that the interior of the castle was largely unfinished. I was expecting an interior that matched the exterior.
At the end of the tour make sure to visit the exterior balcony for some amazing views. It’s in the same area as the cafe and gift shop.
After the tour, we decided to walk back to the main village in lieu of waiting for the bus. It was an easy downhill walk with views of the valley. At the valley floor, as we walked back to the 78 bus stop, we perused a few of the largely disappointing gift shops.
Other Things To Do Nearby
The Museum of The Bavarian Kings is a great stop if your looking to learn more about the kings and queens that called the castles home. Tickets are €16.50 but discounts are available if you purchase the museum tickets and castle tickets together.
We also strongly recommend taking a hike along the shore of Alpsee Lake. We walked about twenty minutes to Alpseebad Hohenschwangau, a swimming access area. The view of the hilltop castles reflecting on the calm lake is breathtaking.
Return to Munich
We took one final look at the hilltop castle before hopping onto the 78 bus to the Füssen station ending our day back in Munich via train.
This is part of our five days in Munich itinerary.
