Neuschwanstein Castle tickets - July 2022

Precovid, we had trouble buying tickets in advance on line, so we went the box office route.
We were at the box office at 8 am, and there was already a very long line. I believe we stood in line almost an hour, and the best tickets we could get were not for another three hours.
The area is very commercial, crowded, hot in the summer, and even tho tickets are timed- entry, there are more lines to stand in, such as the line for the bus up to the castle, and the line into the castle. I did not find the tour to be very interesting, and it was no longer than 30 minutes. (Last I read, St. Mary's Bridge was still closed). It was an exhausting day for us.
Unless you have a special need to visit, I would advise spending your day engaging in your second choice activity.
Good luck!

I appreciate your candor Pat!

We're now looking at secondary options if we can't get tickets.

We were there on a cold December day in 2019. Previously I had been here in April 1988. I couldn't believe how Neuschwanstein had changed, and in my opinion, not for the better. The tour is now is rushed, You wait for your appointed time, and they pack you in and rush you through. The tour guide we had was not inspired, these guides must do this same thing 8x times a day and repeat the same spiel over and over and over again. When I was there in 1988, our tour consisted of a knowledgeable guide and a group of no more than 10 people. We saw things in 1988 that are no longer part of the tour now. Much of the grounds in December was off limits-- I don't know if this was due to snow or the construction that was going on-- so picture angles were just from the lower observation level. If possible, you can climb up to an upper view and get a nice pic of the castle looking down on it.

In 1988 the view of the lake was amazing, today it is filled with high rise hotels or something. The view of the lake is obstructed. The shops around here are TT's. I saw something in Munich that was 7 euro at the market, at the Castle it was 14 euro! Same exact thing.

The Castle in my opinion, has become a casualty of its own beauty and uniqueness, and relegated to a an assembly line experience and no longer is given the time or credence to its history.

Hopefully if you get tickets it can be early in the day and then you have the rest of the day to tack on another stop somewhere in the region that would be less touristy.

Thank you for your insight Mo R! We're going to look into backup options.

Neuschwanstein is one of very few huge disappointments we’ve had on our travels in Europe.

I hate to join the choir here, but it really won't be too bad if you do miss out on getting tickets. Neuschwanstein Castle was on my "must do" list. It was exactly what I knew a visit to Bavaria would have to include. I took a special day tour just to be able to get to it. I was so disappointed once I went inside. The tour is fairly quick as they shuttle you through and before you know it, you are down in the gift shop at the end of the tour. I suppose I was glad to know what it was like, but it was so underwhelming compared to my expectations. The outside, which is free, is really the more interesting part of the castle.

If you get same day tickets, great. If not, just enjoy the outside because that is still fun.

We did the Alpine My Way tour in 2018. We had decided that the hassle of seeing Neuschwanstein wasn’t worth it, so didn’t plan to do it.
On the orientation walking tour, our tour manager showed the group where we could rent bikes, and several of us did that after the walk. We could store them at the hotel.

St. Mary’s Bridge was still open, so the next morning we rode bikes to the town of Schwangau, and parked them. We had a look at Schwangau Castle from the town, then, took the bus back and forth to the bridge to take pictures of Neuschwanstein.
From Schwangau,, we followed one of the many bike paths in the area. The bike shop can help with that. We found a small cafe along the way for lunch, and by the end of the day had biked about 50 km. It was all pretty easy cycling, some on paths and some on small roads. At lunch, we could see people landing from hang gliding, and I believe the luge is in the area, also.

Thank you Suki, Carol, & VA!

We looked at YouTube videos showing the tour. I could see people just shuffling along. The video of the rooms show very little. (A lot of covered furniture & blocked off areas.)

Since Mary's Bridge is closed, we may head to the Tegelberg cable car in Schwangau. There appears to be trails at the top with overlooking views that include Neuschwastein castle.

With everyone's help, we are not feeling bad about not getting the tickets anymore.

I'm happy you are coming to grips with it, Betty. When I went with my wife about 20 years ago we loved the surrounding area, and liked the town of Füssen too, especially the bells (loud!) and the shops with their metal openwork signs. We were completely let down by the tour, so they have been awful for a long time.

We have been back to the area a few times, passing through, but every time we comment on how much more crowded it has become (pre-covid).

The luge got a big chunk of my arm skin when some twit walked across the run as I was coming down. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I think you'll be happy seeing it from the outside...

Well last year (October 2021) the box office was officially closed so you couldn't even walk up to buy any. You might try emailing them to see if they are even offering any walk-ups. Otherwise pay for the tour guides that have them already. They are very very strict there. I do think visiting Fussen is worthwhile, there are some nice walks and museums in the town. Personally while Neuschwanstein was interesting, I think Hohenschwangau was better (at least the tour part). New-swan has literally about 6 rooms with a ton of stairs to go up. As many said the guides are a bit disenchanted. The view if you just take the bus up is quite lovely and great for photos of the lake and Hohenschwangau, if you are unable to get tickets.

Neuschwanstein was the worst place we ever visited in Europe. We went out of our way to go there and it was a huge waste of time.

Back in 2008 the view from Mary’s Bridge was spectacular. Toured inside the castle twice years ago - it was underwhelming compared to many other places. However, sometimes one has to see for themselves. Just viewed it from the road last week as it silhouetted in the haze of the heat. I’ve heard that the castle nearby was a really nice. I’m very happy that your desire to visit has resolved.