How to Get from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle
Taking a trip to Neuschwanstein Castle is a must for those visiting the Bavarian region of Germany. Best of all, it’s a simple day trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein. In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know to visit Neuschwanstein from Munich.
Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein in German) is one of the most recognized castles in the world. Often known as Germany’s “Cinderella Castle”, it sits in southern Germany, about 3 hours southwest of Munich near the border of Liechtenstein. It’s also one of the must visit castles of Germany.
So how do you make the journey from Munich to Neuschwanstein? Let’s take a look.
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Buy Your Tickets in Advance
Before you set off to the fabulous Neuschwanstein Castle, you need to buy your tickets! That’s right, in order to go into either the Neuschwanstein Castle or its neighboring Hohenschwangau Castle, you will need to purchase your ticket in advance online.
What to Know about Neuschwanstein Tickets
Tickets for Neuschwanstein do sell out due to the popularity of this fabulous castle, so you may be unable to visit if you wait until the last minute. To purchase your tickets, visit the Hohenschwangau website. It will show you which days are available.
Tickets are sold for specific times and are currently 15€ for adults and free for children 0-17 years old. If booking online, you will encounter a 2.50€ booking fee per ticket – including the free children’s tickets. Make sure to be punctual, as late arrivals may miss out on their tour.
Guided tours for Neuschwanstein are available in English and German. Other languages are available by audio guide.
What if you can’t get tickets to Neuschwanstein?
If you can’t find tickets available online for the dates you need, you have a few option. You can either keep checking online for cancellations, stop by the ticket center at Neuschwanstein, or join a tour.
The ticket center in Hohenschwangau does keep a limited number of tickets for onsite sales. While it is risky to wait until arrival, there is hope you will be able to snag a ticket! Even if you are unable to get a ticket, you can still see the outside of Neuschwanstein without a ticket – including its fabulous view from Marienbrücke, the bridge over the Pollat gorge.
If you’re not willing to risk missing it, there are a number of Skip-the-Line Neuschwanstein tours that you can join. Take a look at these:
- Neuschwanstein Castle Skip-the-Line Ticket including Guide: The cheapest and best alternative to buying your ticket online or in person.
- Neuschwanstein Castle Tour with Skip-the-Line from Hohenschwangau: Upgrade your Germany castle experience with a horse drawn carriage ride, tickets to the castle, and a guided tour.
- Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Castle – All-Inclusive Tour from Munich: Make the most of your day with more than one castle visit – tickets included!
How to Get to Neuschwanstein Castle
Ultimately, there are multiple ways to make the trip to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich. You just have to decide what is most important to you – speed, cost, or ease – as they all have tradeoffs! Let’s take a look at your options.
Rent a Car and Drive to Neuschwanstein Castle
One of the easiest ways to visit Neuschwanstein Schloss is to rent a car and drive yourself from Munich to Hohenschwangau, home of Neuschwanstein. The drive is pretty straight forward at just under 80 miles (126km) and it will take you an hour and 45 minutes. This makes it faster than any public transit options.
To find a great rental car deal, check out Discover Cars. They compare car rental prices for you to help you find a car and save money – not to mention no hidden costs, 24/7 support, and free cancellation.
Any mapping service, like Google Maps, can get you there. Just to be sure, download offline maps before you head out. You can do this directly from Google Map, or I recommend maps.me. It allows for offline navigation as well.
Find a rental car with Discover Cars.
Take a Tour to Neuschwanstein Castle
One of the most popular ways is to actually take a tour from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle. This alleviates the need to plan your transportation, secure your tickets (make sure to verify they include tickets – sometimes it is an additional fee), and navigate all of the logistics on your own.
The three most popular day trips to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich are:
- Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace Day Tour from Munich – choose the upgrade option to include tickets
- Neuschwanstein Castle Day Tour from Munich – does not include the entrance fee, but does provide Skip-the-Line access to ensure you can visit the interior
- Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Castle – All-Inclusive Tour from Munich – includes castle tickets
Take Public Transit to Neuschwanstein Castle
If you’re anything like me, you would rather explore places on your own. As my trip to Neuschwanstein was part of a solo budget trip, this actually led me to take the least desirable route – public transit to Neuschwanstein. This is also of course, the cheapest way to get to Hohenschwangau from Munich – perfect for solo budget travelers!
As a positive, you can get from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle on your own! The negative? There’s no direct train to Neuschwanstein from Munich. This means you have to combine the train and the bus to get from Munich to Hohenschwangau. Let’s take a look at the nitty gritty details.
How to Take Public Transit from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle
One of the best ways to travel to Neuschwanstein from Munich on your own is to take the train and then the bus. It is a bit more time consuming – taking closer to three hours than the less than the two when driving, but it is the cheapest way to get to Neuschwanstein in Hohenschwangau.
Here’s the step-by-step directions to help you get there without a hitch!
Head to the Hauptbahnhof Munich
To start your journey, head to Hauptbahnhof Munich, also known as München Hauptbahnhof, Munich Hbf, and Munich Central Station. This centrally located building is the main railway station in the city and accessible from most of the public transit in Munich, including the S-Bahn and tram.
Purchase the Bayern Ticket
To get to Neuschwanstein on a budget, purchase the Bayern ticket (Bavarian ticket). This ticket will allow you to get there and back, as well as travel throughout the rest of the Bavarian area for the day by train, bus, and tram. The ticket is valid Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 3:00am the next day and valid starting at midnight on weekends and public holidays to 3am the next day.
The cost of the Bayern ticket is 27€ for one person, but for 9€ you can add additional riders up to 5 – so for 2 people it would be 36€, 3 people would be 45€, etc. You get the picture. It can be purchased from the automated machines. You can find full details on it on the Bahn website.
Take the Train from Munich to Füssen
Trains run almost hourly, so you don’t have to wait too long to catch the train. Just pay attention as some trains go straight through from Munich to Füssen, and others you will have to change trains at Buchloe and then continue on to Füssen.
If you do connect through Buchloe, you typically just have to cross the train platform to get to your connecting train. Either way, it will take about two hours on the train.
Since the Bayern ticket truly kicks in at 9:00am, if you want to leave before then, a single zone ticket in combination with the Bayern should cover you.
Take the Bus from Füssen to Hohenschwangau
After arriving in Füssen, depart the train and find the bus. It is located just to the right of the train platforms. The bus should be marked Königsschlösser or Royal Castles and is usually either a number 73 or 78.
It’s quite hard to miss as most people on your train will also be headed there. Your Bayern ticket will cover this bus as well, so there is no need to buy a bus ticket. The stop you want is Hohenschwangau. The bus driver likely knows this is where you are headed and upon arrival the whole bus will empty out.
Find everything you need to know for your day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle in this post.
Returning to Munich
The good news is returning to Munich from Neuschwanstein Castle is a breeze! You already have the Bayern ticket, which covers your bus and train home. So return to the bus stop at the bottom of the hill and take the bus to Füssen Hbf.
From there, catch the train, which again leaves every hour with some requiring a transfer at Buchloe and some going straight through to Munich or München. A quick two hours later and you are back in Munich!
Need to Know about Visiting Neuschwanstiein Castle
Before we part ways, there’s a few more things you should know about visiting Neuschwanstein Castle.
Be Prepared to Hike Uphill
Like most castles, both Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle are set on top of hills. Fortunately, there are shuttle buses and horse carriages you can take up there for a fee, or you can hike up for free.
The hike isn’t too bad, but it will take you about 30 – 40 minutes to get from the parking lot to the castle – mostly uphill. Plan your tour timing and shoes accordingly. The paths are paved, but if you’re not used to hiking uphill, it may be exhausting!
Don’t Miss the View from Marienbrücke
If there’s one thing you should make sure to include in your trip to Neuschwanstein, it’s the view from Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge) – the bridge over the Pollat gorge.
This is a bit further of a hike – about ten minutes past the castle, but it offers those famous views of the castles that you’ve seen in pictures! If possible, you may even want to hike up to it before your castle tours as this is when you’ll have the most energy.
Explore More of Germany
Getting from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle might sound complicated, but it’s really very easy to do either on your own, or as part of a tour. Either way, the castles and the views are certainly worth it! It will however take most of a day so plan accordingly!
Once you’ve completed your day trip to Neuschwanstein, it’s time to plan more of your time in Germany. Here are some helpful posts to get you started.
- 18 Best Things to Do in Hamburg to Fully Experience the City
- Best Things to Do in Meissen, Germany: Home of Porcelain
- How to Spend One Day in Lubeck, Germany
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