Neuschwanstein Castle, the muse for Disney’s very own Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, is just as jaw-dropping in person as it is in the photos. What is not seen in the pictures however, is how insanely busy this place is. Over a million people visit the castle per year!
Read on for our complete guide to visiting Neuschwanstein Castle.
How to Get to Neuschwanstein Castle?
Car – The quickest way to access Neuschwanstein is from Munich, which takes about 1.5 hours by car. Simply enter Neuschwastein Castle into the GPS, and you’ll find a parking lot at the foot of the castle here. We visited the castle towards the end of our road trip on the Romantic Road, which we highly recommend if you have the time to explore the wider region of Bavaria! Post on this trip coming soon, so keep an eye out.
Train – You can also take a train from Munich Hauptbahnhof station to Füssen, which will take you about 2.5 hours. You’ll then need to catch Bus 78 to Hohenschwangau where the castle is based. You can use the Trainline to check the timetable and choose the best fares.
To The Top – No matter your form of transportation, you’ll be dropped off at the bottom of the hill on which the castle is perched. From here, you can walk to the castle and enjoy many view points along the way. If you’re feeling boujee, you can take a horse drawn carriage to the castle. For this you’ll see queues outside of the ticket office.
Where to Stay When Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle?
We intended to stay in Füssen, since it is a short distance from Neuschwanstein and is known as a quintessentially good-looking Bavarian town. However, we visited during the popular Christmas period, and everywhere was booked! If we had stayed in Füssen though, our sights were set on Hotel Das Rübezahl. The place looks like a dream…
Eventually, we ended up staying in Pflach, just over the Austrian border. After stumbling upon this amazing Airbnb, we met our host Heidi. She has grown up in Pflach, and she designed the home herself on a picturesque plot of land passed down through her family. The isolated home overlooks a small lake, fully surrounded by the Austrian alps. It’s perfect for a tranquil and relaxing stay. By night, we would drink beers and stargaze by the fire pit. And in the morning, we would watch the sun rise beyond the mountain peaks from the comfort of our bed. We really can’t recommend Heidi’s place highly enough.
Tickets & Best Time to Visit
Like many tourist attractions, I recommend getting there as early as possible to avoid the droves of people. From April to the 15th of October, the castle opens at 9am. From the 16th of October to March, the castle opens at 10am.
Tickets almost always sell out, so try to purchase them in advance here if you have your heart set on going inside. Otherwise, you can try purchasing them from the ticket office on site. After much research, we decided we wanted to spend our time admiring the exterior of the castle, rather than going in.
Best Vantage Points & Photo Ops
Marienbrücke Bridge (Mary’s Bridge) – This spot is said to provide the best vantage point, since it allows an unobstructed view of the castle with the valley behind it. Unfortunately, it was closed and frozen over when we visited, but to get there you can follow signs from the bottom of the hill to the castle.
When we saw the bridge was closed, we followed a foot path up the steep embankment. This is where we found some great viewpoints of the castle, which you can see in the photos below!
Pollat Gorge – Once you cross Mary’s Bridge, you can follow hiking trails to Pollat Gorge for another view of the castle. Since the bridge was closed, we couldn’t access this, so keep these things in mind depending what time of year you visit.
Tegelberg Cable Car – Tegelbergbahn is a popular spot for hiking, paragliding and skiing depending on the time of year, and has its own parking lot a short car ride from the main lot mentioned above.
From the Valley Below – As they say, save the best for last. Our favorite views were from the valley at the base of the castle. Park in the Tegelbergbahn parking lot, and you’ll immediately see a green roofed ticket centre. Follow alongside the centre, walking around back and to the right. Here you’ll find a few trails used for walking and cross country skiing. The trails will open up into a field, with a great view of Neuschwanstein and the alps in the distance.
Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle was well worth the trip, and we left with some amazing photos. If you have the time, we would suggest supplementing your visit to the castle with a visit to one of Bavaria’s many picturesque towns. Before visiting Neuschwanstein Castle, we stayed a night in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which was equally as stunning. More on this part of our trip in our post here.
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