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One day car rental: Munich --> Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau --> Linderhof --> Munich

Is it easy enough to rent a car first thing in the morning, drive to Linderhof, then Neuschwanstein, then drive back to Munich? I feel like most recommendations have said the train/bus combo from Munich for Neuschwanstein, but if we want to see both does driving make sense? We have 3 full days in Munich, so we're thinking that we'll use one of those days for this day trip. Anything else we could/should fit in there? Does it make sense to do Linderhof or Neuschwanstein first?

Thanks for your advice!

Posted by
7209 posts

Driving to Linderhof actually does make sense...so if you have a car for Linderhof then you may as well visit Neuschwanstein, too. I personally would nix Neuschwanstein because it's just extra time and travel. I had difficulty locating a 1 day rental, so I just rented for the minimum "package" time, verified there was no early drop off fee, and returned the car at the end of the day...even though I had rented it for 3 days.

Posted by
2357 posts

Is it easy enough to rent a car first thing in the morning, drive to Linderhof, then Neuschwanstein, then drive back to Munich?

Thats easy and there is no shortage of one day rental offers. Either rent through your hotel or look up which company is situated best in relation to your hotel. Pre-book your Neuschwanstein tickets for the afternoon online (note: you have to pick up them one hour before your tour starts at the latest). Having a car gives you the opportunity to see Ettal or Oberammergau before going to Linderhof. The most convenient way to reach Neuschwanstein from Linderhof is to follow the small road west into Austria (direction: Plansee / Reutte) and then to switch back into Bavaria to Füssen - Schwangau (where the Neuschwanstein ticket office is). For the way home use highway B17 to Steingaden to see the Wieskirche (signposted from Steingaden; open till 8pm in summer).

A sample itinerary would look like this:

7:30 - 8:45 drive to Ettal, see the baroque abbey
9:15 - 9:30 drive to Linderhof, pick up tickets
10:00-10:30 guided tour to the castle
10:30-11:00 walk in the park
11:00-12:00 drive to Schwangau, pick up tickets, Lunch
14:00-14:30 tour Neuschwanstein
14:30-15:10 descend to Schwangau, drive to the Tegelberg cable car
15:30-17:00 Tegelberg (from the cable car splenid views on the castle,
from the summit fine views on Lake Forgensee)
17:15-17:45 drive to the Wieskirche
18:30 have lunch at Lake Staffelsee (Utting, Seehausen, Murnau)
From there it's less than one hour driving back to Munich.

Posted by
19118 posts

There are trains to Oberammergau with a change in Murnau. At the Oberammergau Bahnhof you can take a bus, 9622, about 15 minutes to Linderhof. Here is the schedule. Then there is a bus, 9606, from Oberammergau to the Hohenschwangau bus stop, schedule here, just down the street from the ticket kiosk for Neuschwanstein. After Neuschwanstein, come home from Füssen to Munich on the train. If you do this on a weekend day, the entire trip, train and buses, will be covered with a Bayern-Ticket and you can leave from Munich earlier than 9 AM. If on a workday, you can leave Munich Hbf on the 8:32 trains with a 3-zone MVV ticket for 8,40€/adult. That ticket takes you to Tutzing at 9 AM, from where you can use the Bayern-Ticket the rest of the day.

There is one problem with trying to see Linderhof and Neuschwanstein in a single day. Although the palace at Linderhof is quite small and admission is limited to guided tours that last about 25 minutes, but the rest of the grounds are openly accessible (the Grotto is also accessible only by tour). The grounds are very extensive. I spent about six hours total at Linderhof. That would not have left enough time for Neuschwanstein, too. To see both, you would have to leave Linderhof without seeing the whole thing.

Posted by
2357 posts

the Grotto is also accessible only by tour

The Venus Grotto ist closed until 2022 for a complete restauration.

Posted by
27 posts

Thank you very much, everyone! The day which sla019 laid out sounds absolutely perfect! That's probably what we'll try to do.

Posted by
12040 posts

The Venus Grotto ist closed until 2022 for a complete restauration.

Damn, sad to hear it! That's the highlight of the Linderhof complex, in my opinion.