Neuschwanstein Castle Tour

You'll get faster results by Googling "Neuschwanstein Tours." Then you can do your own homework to make your plans.

And definitely get your tickets in advance. We had reserved tickets and walked way past the long line (there IS a separate line so don't get stuck in the non-pre-reserved line!) It's so worth it. Also, note, once you get the tickets there, be on time for your tour. It's a fair walk up to the castle and they won't welcome latecomers. It's so worth the trek! Enjoy!

Not sure who is in your travel party but we (40s) went with our two boys (9 and 11) and did the Mike's Bikes Bus Bavaria tour. We all really enjoyed it! Biking, alpine slide, lunch, and a great tour guide to get us up to the castle. Really awesome!

Absolutely no reason to take a very expen$ive ($107 for 2 adults), commercial tour. You can do it on your own. I've done that several times. See www.germantravel-info.com/fuessen.htm

A Bayern-Ticket (23€ for one person, 4€ each added person up to 5, total, $36 for two) will cover both the train to Füssen and the bus to Hohenschwangau.

Use the Hohenschwangau website to reserve your ticket (12€/adult) in advance.

A train from Munich to Fuessen takes 2 hours and the direct runs (no connection) depart every 2 hours, e.g. at 7:53 and 9:53 a.m. daily. The Grey Line bus tours are the primary other company for tours that are organized, but impersonal and a bit rushed.

I also have a question about this tour: I would like to take a Viatour day trip from Munich to the castle and a couple of other stops but I'm wondering how to know if any are in English.

As the others have mentioned, you can certainly arrange transportation and the tour of Neuschwanstein on your own. You'll travel by train from Munich to Füssen and then take a short Bus ride to the Castles. From the town you'll have to either walk uphill to the castle entrance or take the horse-drawn wagon or bus. You'll have to make your own reservations for the castle tour and note that these are time specific.

You could also take a guided tour with a firm like Radius Tours. You'll still be travelling by public transportation, but they'll make all the arrangements, including the castle reservations. You'll have a guide along who will explain the history of Neuschwanstein, the mysterious death of Ludwig and will answer any questions. The official castle guides will provide the tour inside the castle.

As I recall, they won't allow any photos taken of the interior of the castle, however you can take photos from inside looking outward. However, they will ensure that you pass through about three souvenir shops on the way out of the castle, where you can buy photos or whatever.

Which method to use is your choice. FWIW, I took the Radius tour and quite enjoyed it. Be sure to make some time to visit Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge), which provides a great vantage point to view the castle.

On a weekday, the Bayern-Ticket can only be used after 9 AM. There is a regional train leaving the Munich Hbf at 8:53. It gets to Munich-Pasing at 8:59 and leaves at 9:00, so if you purchase a one-zone MVV ticket (for the Hbf to Pasing) for 2,60€/person (in addition to the Bayern-Ticket), you can leave Munich on that train and use the Bayern-Ticket from Pasing on for the rest of the day.

That connection has an easy, 8 minute cross-platform change at Buchloe and arrives in Fuessen at 10:55. The bus to Hohenschwangau leaves at 11:05 and arrives in Hohenschwangau at 11:13. It's only a few minute's walk from there to the ticket kiosk. If you reserved a tour for 1 PM, you would have time for a quick meal in Hohenschwangau before walking up to the castle.

Thank you for the advices from you all especially Ken, Lee & Laura in telling me how to tour the castles DIY (Do It Yourself) by taking public train and bus. I think it will be tough for us for not knowing the language & being the first timer in Germany. I understand the cost saving benefit of DIY and the fun of exploration.

I am considering of joining the Viator Day Tour from Munich to tour the 3 Royal Castles including King Ludwig II Castle, Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau Castle for a 10.5 Hours Duration. It costs about US$70 per person by coach transportation from Munich. I think Ciskokid is planning the similar tour.

Ciskokid, when will you take this tour. Let's share the Viator experience. I will take the tour in late Oct. 2014.

Philtinacouple