Ludwigsburg Schloss Ticketing

Ludwigsburg is fantastic, but can be confusing. There is an entry fee for the grounds, which is what most people do. This allows you to walk all around the gardens, which are extensive. This includes the greenhouse, the aviary, the children's area, the Italian Garden, the castle tower (not part of the Schloss), and the exotic bird cages. All of this is very popular and I highly recommend you go in April/May when everything is blooming. Around Easter they have special decorations for the holiday, and as the warmer weather arrives they have more outdoor events. Weekends can get crowded with families. It's much more a local place than a tourist destination, which is why there's only two English tours daily.

Don't miss the 200 year old merry go round, or the flamingos in the aviary, if you have young kids. The beer garden in that corner is good, and popular.

There are two tours, which is where you see the two prices. One tour for each side of the Schloss; the Kings side or the Queens side. Each side is different, and the tours take about an hour each. If you do both, and walk the gardens, you're going to be there most of the day. It's worth it.

When you enter the grounds you have a long walk up to the Schloss. At that point you can go into the courtyard or around the building. To the right is a path with numerous food stalls which leads to the gardens on the backside of the building. The Italian Garden is to the left. Inside the courtyard is the gift shop. That's where you buy your tickers for the tours. Do this when you first get there, because if you're on the back of the building you cannot enter the courtyard without a ticket, and it's a long walk to go around just to meet up with a tour.

There's another cafe in the courtyard, and it's a good place to grab a snack, meal, or just a drink while waiting for a tour time. Just make sure you let the waiter know you have a time to meet, as service can be slow when it's busy.

I've never seen the English tours sell out, usually it's a group of less than 20. The tours are a lot of walking, and little children can have issues with that. Especially if they've done a couple miles around the gardens.

Thanks. Good pointers.

There are two tours, which is where you see the two prices. One tour for each side of the Schloss; the Kings side or the Queens side. Each side is different, and the tours take about an hour each. If you do both, and walk the gardens, you're going to be there most of the day. It's worth it.

Does the general admission include both the tours? The timing seems to be one after another. If you can only do one, which one do you recommend?

I'm surprised there aren't more demand for the tours. They have four a day so only 80 people for such a big attraction?

What happens when you go there outside the tour times? Can you still get in self guided?

And what's with the "one museum of your choice" ticket? Is that worth doing too?

Does the general admission include both the tours?

The general admission only gets you onto the grounds. It does not include tours.

The timing seems to be one after another. If you can only do one, which one do you recommend?

I've done both, which can be long when done together. One side has the chapel, I think that's the Queen's, the other has the Theater. Both sides are fantastically over done baroque; this place was supposed to outdo Versailles. I think the Theater is better than the Chapel, but really it's the hallways that are enough to make Trump jealous.

I'm surprised there aren't more demand for the tours. They have four a day so only 80 people for such a big attraction?

The English tours seem to have fewer participants, at least when I've been there. The gardens are the big attraction and can be quite busy.

What happens when you go there outside the tour times? Can you still get in self guided?

No, you must be on a tour to see the inside rooms. You can visit the Theater, at times, because they still give concerts there. Those sell out.

And what's with the "one museum of your choice" ticket? Is that worth doing too?

There are a couple other "museums" within the Schloss that are considered separate. One is the "Modemuseum" which is all about clothes worn by the royals. The others may or may not be open, and at least one has only temporary exhibits. Last spring they had an exhibit of Lego.

Don't forget, there's also another Palace right across the street; Schloss Favorite. You can't miss it, because it's a bright orange building. The park there is even bigger.