hiking up to Neuschwanstein castle for view

Actually, I have toured Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau (basically across the street) and I liked the tour at Hohenschwangau better. It was actually furnished and lived in and you learn more about the King Ludwig and his family. I got lovely pictures of Neuschwanstein just walking up to it for the tour. There is an overlook or two on the hill you walk up. I think there may have also been a view of it from Hohenschwangau, too, but I'm not sure. It was a while ago. I would check in at the ticket office and see if they have added any additional spots the day you are in the area.

Also, I think the bridge is closed at certain points of the year. Are you sure it is permanently closed?

Even without a ticket for the interior, you should still be able to walk the primary access road to the base of the castle or ride a horse carriage if those are running. Plenty of great views from the lake/base area below the 2 castles as well.

You can certainly walk up to the castle and go to the observation deck. In non-Covid times you can also go into the courtyard without going on the interior tour, but I think that's not possible at the moment. You can also walk along the trail behind the castle, which gives you a great view of Hohenschwangau. There are other hiking trails back there that offer views, but I am afraid I was with a group of students. I can't tell you exactly where we hiked. But they ARE back there. There is also a cable car to a restaurant, so that might be an option for a good view.

And certainly as others have said, you can go to Hohenschwangau. Everyone who has done both seems to prefer the latter.

Also, I think the bridge is closed at certain points of the year. Are you sure it is permanently closed?

The bridge is under repair. No fixed date for reopening yet.

Even if the bridge is closed and the schloss booked up it's still worth the hike up and around. Agree with others that Hohenschwangau is a great tour.

Thanks everyone, it looks like all the castle tours are booked up because restricted numbers during the pandemic. Oh well, I guess I will have to tour the grounds. I have heard Ettall Abbey is worth a visit? Thanks

Can't address the abbey but Wieskirche is spectacular and only about a half-hour from Fussen.

For a distance view of both castles you can hike up the Füssener Kalvarienberg from Füssen or Schwansee. A church cut into the rock at the top of the mountain with viewing platform. An easy walk halfway aroud the Schwansee and you will also get distance views of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.
https://www.fuessen.de/wandern/wanderungen/kalvarienberg-runde.html

Ettal Abbey is indeed impressive. Mark it in your GPS or you may miss it - it hides back in the trees. Very Baroque. Very Nice. Not a lot of parking.

Hi. I am one of those who prefers Hohenschwangau. The views are good, from inside and out; and the interior is more interesting IMO than that of Neuschwanstein. When are you contemplating a visit? Keep in mind that the climb to Neuschwanstein is quite steep and can be challenging if icy. Last time I did this was a December visit. We got there easily and climbed up vigorously, and then I got a nasty surprise that I had to walk down on a dark, dimly-lit road - and my eyesight is poor. I was frightened. I don't need to go there again.

Hohenschwangau, however, I would visit again. And, there is a great restaurant down by the lake which in summer has a lovely patio - boar burgers - yum!

Debbie is correct. I was there in January. It was snowing and the walk up to Neuschwanstein and back down was a bit slick. I had borrowed my daughter's UGGS for the trip. Bad choice, they are slippery. I was with my sons and they just hung on to me for the walk down. There is some kind of carriage

This is helpful, thank you! We're thinking of visiting in December and are a bit nervous about the slick walk down. I'm actually more interested in the scenic view of the castles from a viewpoint, rather than visiting the castles themselves ... can anyone advise how to do this without a car? We're using trains for our trip ... is it possible to combine Mittenwald, G-P & scenic views of Neuschwanstein & Hohenschw... via train ... while staying 3 nights in Mittenwald?

Rather than tag on to a 2 month old thread, start a new topic with this question and you will see more and better responses.

Carolyn, I agree that you might get more help from a new post. I just will say, that there was a lovely view of Neuschwanstein from Hohenschwangau. I do recommend visiting that one. It's a great tour with a lot of information about the Wittelsbach presented. The castle is smaller, and quite interesting. I can't comment on logistics. We did a daytrip from Munich which did work well for us.

@Carolyn, regarding Mittenwald as a train base town:

This map shows nearby towns and the rails that connect them. Below are the one-way travel times from M'wald for two convenient day trip outings. (Füssen and the N'stein stop are not shown.)

- direct to Garmisch-Partenkirchen: 20-25 min's.
- direct to Innsbruck: about twice that long.

N'stein is more complicated. You may want to visit the town of Füssen on the way since you won't spend much time at N'stein.

1.) To reach Füssen and then head to the final N'stein bus stop you catch the train in M'wald, change trains in G-P and in Reutte, then you switch to bus travel. Sample schedule below using departure time of 8:36:

- to Füssen station via Reutte: ar. 10:30. Nearly 2 hours if you travel via Reutte, Austria; final leg by bus to Füssen takes 30 additional minutes.

- to Neuschwanstein stop by ticket center: ar. 11:20 (nearly 3 hours travel time.) Trains to Reutte as before; bus to Pulverturm station in Füssen; bus to N'stein stop after a long 39-minute wait for the shuttle bus.

2.) Alternate route: take the train to Garmisch and the 9606 RVO bus to the N'stein stop:

M'wald > G-P: 6:58 - 7:20
G-P > N'stein: 7:50 - 9:54 with a change of bus at the Echelsbacher Brücke stop at around 9 am.

And of course you'd need to come back as well! I see afternoon departures of roughly 2.7 hrs duration leaving the N'stein stop at 14:48 and 16:40.

ALTOGETHER, M'wald is perhaps a possible but not an especially desirable base for the N'stein visit. A G-P base would subtract a change of train and substantial travel time as well, but is still not ideal. A G-P base would also put you closer to other outings (like Linderhof or Oberammergau.) The only outing that is shorter from M'wald is the one to Innsbruck.

If N'stein and Füssen matter to you, it would likely be simplest to travel to Füssen via Reutte after your final day of sightseeing in M'wald for an overnight stay. There's a 16:36 - 18:30 that looks doable.