Hi,
I was wondering if anyone had reserved the tickets for Neuschwanstein castle online, and how long did it take for them to get back to you? I reserved online (given that I'll be going during peak season in July), but they've only sent email saying they are going through the requests in order of date of visit), I have no clue when/if they will get back to me as to whether my requested date/time is accepted.
Many thanks!
I made a reservation online for August, and received the same e-mail reply. But, 3 days later I did receive the reservation. So, you should get it very soon.
Thanks! I guess I'll wait for them for another few days, otherwise I'll give them a call.
Do you have to make reservations during peak season? We (4) will be there July 2 or 3rd. Thanks
I guess you don't have to, although Rick Steves highly recommends it in his books. I also read somewhere online (could be TA) that some people waited 5 hours to get into the castles (without the reservation) during peak season. I guess the other option would be to go with a tour group, which wouldn't require a reservation I think...
We saw that by 1 p.m. on a non-peak March Saturday there was a sign up at the ticket booth announcing "no more tickets today"
So people either had reservations or ...
I highly recommend making ticket reservations beforehand. We visited Neuschwanstein last month and the line for those without reservations was filled right to the door of the ticketing center. There is a separate line for those with reservations and no one was in line (ok, there was one person but he walked to the counter before we reached the front). I can't tell you how smug we felt...One thing to note is that the ticketing people may not give you the time that you picked but you will know when they email you back. You will still need to collect your tickets one hour prior to your guided tour starting. In my case, I think they emailed me the next business day.
It is a GREAT feeling when you've already made the reservation and can bypass the long line that's out the door. The line for those with reservations had only 1 person in it. I walked right up to the counter. Do make sure you have your email confirmation in hand!
Make sure you take the time to walk to the bridge above the waterfall off in the distance from the castle. You will want to either do a selfie or have someone take your picture with the castle in the background. It is one of the best pictures my wife and I have in all of our travels.
Thanks Vick, you mean the view from Mary's Bridge?
Also, for the people that went, did you use the carriage or the bus to take you to the castles? Or just walked? Is it a difficult hike if walking? Or with the bus, the website said there's an incline, is it a difficult hike down?
Reserving is a must - there are long lines at the ticket windows of people who have reserved and people who WISH they had reserved. The walk up is quite long and steep. If you really want to walk then walk DOWN. Bus is the fastest and cheapest method up - but NO method will take you all the way to the castle front door. They take you as far as possible, but there's still walking to be done.
If you train to Fussen with the aim of continuing on the bus to Neuschwanstein - THERE you will encounter LONG lines attempting to snag a seat on the bus. When you exit the train there is a clear marked patch from the train platform, thru the station, and out to the parking lot to board the bus. However, as we just experienced yesterday, there was a LARGE group of a "certain people group" who exited the train onto the platform, JUMPED down the concrete wall of the adjoining tracks and crossed directly over the tracks and a hedge of bushes on the opposite side to get in front of everyone else. There were probably 200 hundred in the group. It was an unbelievable mob scene! Your Bayern Ticket will get you all the way from Munich to the castles via this route.
Actually, the castle is much more interesting from outside than inside. Some parts of the interior are unfinshed, and there are many castles in Bavaria with much more interesting interior where you can spend hours: Residenz, Nymphenburg. Herrenchiemsee, Schleissheim... to name just a few.
mislavzoranic offers perhaps the best advice for bypassing the mobs at Neuschwanstein... bypass the 13-Euro, 30-minute tour of the interior.
Or perhaps bypass N'stein altogether. It is a unique and impressive building - but it's not a castle, despite its name. It's a palace that was finished just before the dawn of the 20th century, making it only a little older than the Disneyland Castle in Anaheim. A day trip there and back from Munich is a hassle, even with reservations. IMO the hysteria about visiting N'stein is WAY out of proportion to its actual sightseeing value or importance.
This review from Germany's "PBS" equivalent is worth reading:
http://www.dw.com/en/is-neuschwanstein-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/a-17887035
Both of the palaces I've seen from mislavzoranic's list of suggestions were more engaging and more interesting. And easier to reach from Munich. Those are palaces as well. For genuine medieval castles, there are some good ones elsewhere in Germany.
Just an update, I called Ticket Centre Hohenschwangau - they speak English if you route your call to the English line. Turns out they could not find my reservation after giving them my first name, last name and/or email address. The customer service then told me send in another request, which I was worried will charge my card twice, but she mentioned just note it in the comments.
So I sent in another request for the same date and time, and the next day the confirmation came in. But (yes there is a but), they said they found my original request and is only charging me once and yet they messed it up, I only requested visit to Neuschwanstein, not the combination ticket. Makes me wonder if they had really found the original request or just assuming what my request was. I then had to email them to request a visit of Neuschwanstein only. Which they granted (but at an hour later time than I requested), I imagine if my first request wasn't lost, I might have gotten the time I desired?
But anyways, moral of the story: followup with the ticket office 2 days after your request (unless you're booking 3 months in advance), and check your confirmation to ensure it is the tour you've requested...
I might still go to Neuschwanstein early and just hike up and see the view, I imagine it would be beautiful to view the castle from afar...
We are visiting in October, so I'm guessing a lot easier due to season. But we purchased ticket online and received a reply with voucher instantly, to be printed out
Sorry, I found the inside of Neuschanstein very interesting, from the ornate carved wood bed to the living room with it's references to Wagner operas.
Of the other castles in Bavaria, I've been to three - the Residenz, Nyphenburg, and Herrenchiemsee - and none of these holds a candle to Neuschwanstein.
Residenz - the only thing I can say was I was happiest when I finally got out of it. You can only see so many Rococo rooms and old pottery before you are screeming, "enough". Yes, you can spend hours in it, but you'll be sorry.
Nyphenburg - probably the best of the three, but the tour of the interior tour is refreshingly brief. The best thing about Nymphenburg is the grounds and the out buildings.
Herrenchiemsee - the worst of the bunch. If Neuschwanstein is criticized for the effort it takes to get there, Herrenchiemsee is equally difficult, and all you see there is a partial replica of a French palace. The tour of the interior is out of proportions to the time it takes to get there.
Yes, Neuschwanstein is being loved to death, but that's not a reason not to go there. It reminds me of the saying, "No one goes there, it's too crowded."
