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Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau Castles with a Toddler

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My husband, my 2.5-year-old son, and I are traveling to Germany in a few weeks. We plan on renting a car and driving from Munich to Hohenschwangau to visit the castles as a day-trip. Should we even consider doing the castle tours with a 2 1/2-year-old? Would just touring the castle grounds be enough? Or, would one castle be better than the other? I'd really like to do the tours, but I don't want to do something that will end up being a struggle for all of us. Generally, he's a very well-behaved kid...but he's also 2! I would reserve the tickets in advance, so I'm more worried about the tour process itself.

Somewhat unrelated - is it better to take Motorway 95 or 96 to get there if we are more concerned about travel time than scenery?

Thanks in advance!

Posted by
12040 posts

Both tours last under a half hour, so I guess only you would know how your son would react. Note also, however, that you can't take a stroller into either castle, if that's what you planned, and there isn't any place to store one outside.

"is it better to take Motorway 95 or 96 to get there if we are more concerned about travel time than scenery?"

It depends on the status of the road construction on A95. When I last drove it a few months ago (I used to live in Germany), there was a lot of road construction on A95 and on the Munich ring road that feeds onto it. It looked like a pretty massive project, so I doubt it's finished by now, but you could ask your hotel when you get there.

Posted by
19092 posts

The Michelin recommended route takes 2 hrs and includes about 35 minutes on A96 to Landsberg am Lech and an hour on B17, which is the Romantic Road, from Landsberg almost to Hohenschwangau. According to Michelin, the route south via A95 (you'll only be on A95 for about 17 min) take 2½ hours.

But why drive, particularly in the winter? The train and bus would take at most 20 min longer, and you could be surer about the time (assuming no strike then) you would get there (important if making reservations). No concern about possible delays due to construction, traffic, weather, accidents, or getting lost. Wouldn't a 2½ year old enjoy a trip on the train? He'd probably arrive in a better mood than if he sat in a car seat for two hours. A Bayern-Ticket for 2 adults for 27€ would cover the round trip by train and bus. On a workday, the Bayern-Ticket is only valid after 9 AM, but the 8:53 RE out of the Hbf leaves Pasing at 9:00, so two 2,60€ tickets to Pasing (32.20€ total) will allow you to leave before 9. According to Michelin, fuel alone for that route will cost you almost 42€, round trip, plus there is a 5€ charge for parking in Hohenschwangau.

I couldn't predict how my own kids would have behaved, let alone someone else's, but, as I remember, there are a lot of steep narrow stair in both castle, particularly in Neuschwanstein.

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