Day Trip Neuschwanstein Castle - Must See or Skip?

Your time in Munich sounds a lot like ours from 2014, about 3.5 days, day trip to Neuschwanstein, a visit to Dachau, city time and Oktoberfest Parade (which was amazing!). We traveled without a vehicle and booked a bus trip through Mike's Tours in Munich. Sorry if this violates forum rules for mentioning, I haven't been on in probably a year and have forgotten.

Anyway, it was a fairly long bus ride but very pretty and the guides were extremely entertaining. We had prearranged tickets to the Castle, prearranged bikes for a little cycling in the countryside, a hike through the woods and prebooked lunch reservations. It was my husbands 51st birthday and something we both loved and remember with great fondness. Regardless of how you get there and who you tour with the time in the castle is limited to something like 27 minutes for each ticket/tour group. The addition of the cycle trip made it a well rounded and worthwhile excursion. One of our best travel memories!

Not sure I cared so much about the castle - we had been before... but we took the Mike's Bikes Bus Bavaria tour and it was super fun! We had a bus there, interesting info on the ride, then we went biking there, had lunch, rode an alpine slide, and then up to the castle. Some people did an option hang gliding! It was a fun day!

Kim

"Is it truly worth seeing, or better to stay in Munich and explore surrounding areas that day since the schedule is a little packed?"

The latter. The N'stein tour is a mere 30 minutes, if that, and btw it's misnamed a "castle" in English; it's a palace in German, one that was built near the dawn of the 20th century despite its faux castle exterior.

Stay in Munich, but with a tight schedule, "exploring" isn't a good strategy. Munich has lots to see and you won't have trouble finding things you like if you do the research. One possibility: substitute Nymphenburg Palace for Neuschwanstein Palace. Nymphenburg is right in Munich, and Ludwig II (the Bavarian King who built N'stein) was born there. There's a lot to see. You can walk through the facility at your leisure and it will only cost you about 2-3 hours.

http://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace/index.htm
http://www.theworldisabook.com/16991/munich-with-kids-nymphenburg-palace/

And if you choose Nymphenberg over the long trip to Neuschwanstein, perhaps you should see Nymphenberg on your first (jet-lagged?) day and visit Dachau on Thursday -- can be heavy!

I did not find Neuschwanstein to be worth going out of the way for - and I really, really, really wanted to see it. As in, it was on my must see list before going. We took the RS Best of Germany tour, so it was on our way to Munich, but I sure wouldn't take a day trip just to see the palace. It was rushed and they packed so many people on the English tour that we could barely see anything while we were in the rooms, listening to a very unenthusiastic spiel.

If you took the bus tour that other people are talking about, that sounds like fun, but I wouldn't go for just the castle. I really wish that we would have spent more time in Munich because there is a ton to see there.

Really appreciate the input from everyone! The alpine slide sounds really fun but I reached out to Mike's Tours and they don't have that option anymore. It would have been something neat and different but not sure it would justify the trip to Neuschwanstein. We'll be going to Europa Park and Tropical Islands near Berlin during our trip as well so that should satisfy the thrill ride needs of 3 adults! :) Overall it seems like the things to do around Neuschwanstein are better than the short tour within the "Castle" itself. I'm beginning to think it may be better to save the travel time (4ish hours round-trip) to stay around Munich and Nymphenburg seems like a good alternative. In which case it probably would be a better idea to do that Sunday after arrival and save Dachau for Thursday.

I vote no on this fake castle. I prefer real ones that were actually built for defensive purposes.

Well, Neuschwanstein is so much more than just a defensive castle. Everything doesn't have to be built for defense. Was the Eifel Tower built for defense? People still go there. What about the colloseum in Rome? The Louvre? There are a lot of castle in Europe built for defense, but Neuschwanstein's history is truly unique. See it if you have time.

The 1st time I was in Bavaria with free time, I saw Neuschwanstein. It wasn't until almost 20 years later, on about my 8th trip that I went to see Dachau. Dachau was ok, but I'd see Neuschwanstein before I saw Dachau.

Neuschwanstein isn't a fake castle - it's name in german translates to palace in english (or "château" in french). Blame the translators not the building......

I personally really enjoyed visiting Neuschwanstein and the other castle Hohenschwangau, but I did it in early February and it was still packed. I am into the history of the Wittlesbachs and King Ludwig II in particular so for me it was great, but most people tend to be disappointed because it's not "real" (it is real, just like Hearst Castle is real too! Jeez.)

But with your limited time and the crowds of tourists that will be there I would also put in a vote for Schloss Nympenberg. It's really lovely.

We went to Nymphenburg our first, jet-lagged day in Munich and it was very nice. There is also a botanical garden (separate entrance fee) adjacent to the grounds and the largest beer garden in Munich (Hirschgarden) is about a 10 minute walk away.

We were at Neuschwanstein as part of RS My Way Alpine tour last year. We chose not to go inside the castle, but the view from Mary's Bridge is fun, partly to watch everyone fall over themselves to take selfies. It's quite a hike up, which was fine with us as we walked there from Fussen anyway. But if the option was a one-day trip from Munich or staying in Munich, I would stay in Munich. I was very glad we went to Dachau; it is moving and meaningful, but the four of us in our group we able to sight-see around Munich later that day.

It's too far for a day trip for me from Munich but go by all means if you are keen and think it may be your only chance. I've been twice and would go again if in the vicinity. Sure, it's been overblown and it's not a fortified castle, but it was never meant to be - neither were a lot of other popular palaces in Europe. If you do go and you are fit and able, after you cross the bridge hike up the hill about twenty minutes or so to get a different perspective from behind the castle.