Last updated on May 22nd, 2023 at 01:23 pm

Visiting Neuschwanstein castle, aka the fairytale castle or the Swan castle near Munich in Germany, makes for a fun day trip from Munich. It has inspired the likes of many artists, including Walt Disney, who created Sleeping Beauty’s castle after it.

For us, what started off as a road trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein castle turned into multiple castles and a walk through German villages. Read along to find out how you can make the most of your day trip here with lots of useful tips. 

Related: How to spend 3 fun days in Munich

While there are so many beautiful places to see in Bavaria, on our recent summer visit, we drove from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle sits elegantly on top of a hill surrounded by the Austrian Alps overlooking Lake Alpsee with a view of a gushing not one but two waterfalls. As we’ve said before, the setting cannot be short of any fairy tale. You might as well just wait for Sleeping Beauty to wake up.

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History of King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein castle

Schloss Neuschwanstein literally translates to “New Swan-on-the-Rock castle”. It is located in the village of Schwangau at the border of Germany and Austria. This fantasy castle was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (Southern Germany) over a century ago. Construction of the castle remains unfinished since the king’s mysterious death after residing only 172 days in his beloved castle. Neuschwanstein’s doors were opened to the public within weeks of the king’s death in 1886. It remains open to date drawing millions of visitors each year. 

Everything we read before the trip referred to King Ludwig II of Bavaria as the Mad King. With a nickname like that our initial impression, as an avid reader of medieval history,  was a terrifying ruler who brought wreckage to his kingdom. Little did we know, not all nicknames are historically glorified. Upon further research, we were disappointed when we couldn’t find any wars started by the young king.

Was he then mad, literally? It was somewhat hard to digest that a mentally unstable king would commission such a beautiful endeavor. We couldn’t wait for our guided tour to discover the enigma behind this castle and its commissioner.

Our tour guide in Hohenschwangau castle, the first castle we visited (highly recommend it), was a loyal and humble royal employee. To my surprise, he never once called King Ludwig a Mad King. I reached out to him at the end of our tour with my obvious question – “Why is the king referred to as a mad king?”

“Because he dared to dream”, the tour guide replied in despair. A couple more questions later it was evident that the King was channeling heavy amounts of money towards the construction of his dream castle amongst his many other eccentric hobbies causing serious economic problems for the already troubled kingdom.

How Ironic that today this very castle is the biggest revenue generator for the government in this area.

History of Hohenschwangau Castle

Well firstly, did you even know there is another castle located just at the foothill of Neuschwanstein Castle?

Pat on your back if you do, ‘coz, to be honest, we didn’t.

The village of Schwangau is also home to another beautiful castle – Schloss Hohenschwangau, the original castle. The then young prince Ludwig II and his brother spent a lot of time growing up in this castle which was their summer family holiday home. The setting of this castle is so majestic that it should come as no surprise that the creatively gifted young prince was smitten by the idea of having his very own castle one day. 

Today Hohenschwangau castle is under the custody of Bavarian royal family. While Neuschwanstein castle is under the German government’s jurisdiction. 

How to get to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich

By Car: It takes about 1:45 mins by car from Munich to get here. We rented a car from Munich to maximize our time exploring German countryside. There is a huge paid parking lot in the village of Schwangau at the bottom of the hill where Neuschwanstein is located. The ticket center is a 2- minute uphill walk from the parking lot.

TIP: Cars are not allowed all the way up to Neuschwanstein Castle. At least not in operating hours, however, we saw a few cars going up there during sunset. Not sure if that was legal.

By Train: Take the train from Munich Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) Station to the village of Fussen. Neuschwanstein castle is about 4 km away from Fussen. There are buses that run from Fussen train station to castle’s ticket center in Schwangau. Or just get a taxi for this short distance.

TIP: Add a couple of extra hours to your travel time if you choose public transport. 

If you don’t want to take the hassle of transportation then consider booking a castle day tour from Munich. 

Castle Entrance Tickets

Don’t just drive all the way to see these castles from outside, immerse yourself in a little history by visiting them as well. TIP: The only way to see these castles from inside is by taking a guided tour. To be very honest, we liked the interior tour of Hohenschwangau more.

The ticket center is located at the foothill of the castles, you can read more information on opening hours and ticket prices on their official website.

We highly recommend you to book your tickets online if you want to tour the castle. The tickets can easily get sold out since they have limited availability of tours per day. TIP: If you do not want to go inside Neuschwanstein Castle then seeing the castle from outside is totally FREE. 

Getting to Neuschwanstein Castle from the ticket office

The castle entrance is on top of a hill which takes a considerable amount of time to reach. The guided tours start at precisely the time mentioned on your tickets so make sure you reach the castle entrance before time. Three ways you can get up there are – 

• Hiking – If you chose to hike as we did, it will take roughly 30-45 mins one way on a steep uphill paved road that the horse carriages follow. In fact, there are multiple hiking paths to get up here offering different vantage viewpoints. 
• Shuttle Bus – You can buy the shuttle tickets inside the bus which can get you there in about 15 minutes. You can ask about the shuttles at the ticket office.
• Horse Carriage – You can buy the ticket from the driver since carriage reservation in advance is not possible.

TIP: You are not allowed to take your own vehicle up the hill to the castle entrance. 

Getting to Hohenschwangau Castle from the ticket office

Hohenschwangau castle’s hill is not as high as it’s peer. A few steep stairs and you will reach the entrance. There is also an option to get here via shuttle bus. We personally felt that this castle had more of a homely feel than Neuschwanstein castle. It could be from the fact that this castle had been lived in a lot longer by the royal family. 

Where to find the best views of Neuschwanstein Castle

1. Village of Schwangau 

As you drive through the beautiful village of Schwangau you cannot miss it. Take your time to enjoy the rural beauty of this village and the first look of Neuschwanstein from a distance.

2. Hohenschwangau Castle

Believe it or not, the compounds of Hohenschwangau castle provide some spectacular views of Neuschwanstein as well.

3. Lake Alpsee

A five minute walk downhill from the ticket office and you’ll run into this epic Lake Alpsee. We really got lucky with a clear day so we took advantage of that by indulging in paddle boating. It gave us a unique perspective of Neuschwanstein as well as panoramic views of the Austrian Alps. Lest we mention this was possible since we had a two-hour wait before our tour started. Talk about not buying tickets in advance! 

4. Hike to Marienbrucke

Marienbruck or Marien’s Bridge is located behind the castle and is another 15-20 minute hike further up the hill from the castle entrance. Why this hike? You will get a postcard view of Neuschwanstein castle from this bridge. Marienbrucke can also be seen from the castle’s terrace as well.

Don’t forget to look in the opposite direction of the castle well, there are beautiful waterfalls waiting for you. If you have the appetite to continue hiking then cross the bridge and keep going. TIP: We were told by fellow hikers that the views get better past this bridge. There are a lot of different trails around Neuschwanstein that can be taken to see the castle from different vantage points. 

5. Town of Fussen

This colorful and cozy little Bavarian town is located less than 10 minutes drive from Neuschwanstein castle. If you are taking the train from Munich you will get down at Fussen. Due to its close proximity to the castles, Fussen makes for a great spot to spend the night if you do not want to do a day trip from Munich. We stopped here for dinner before returning to Munich.

To wrap this post up, there is nothing like exploring hidden beauty in remote villages and these two castles are a perfect example of that. The Swan King, as we prefer to call him rather than his infamous nickname, has left a magical legacy behind him inspiring everyone who pays a visit here. Make sure you do too!

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Happy Traveling!