There are way too many companies mentioned on the net, guidebooks, and plain old word-of-mouth - and they all have good and bad reviews. Hoping the best travellers ever can help us narrow it down a bit..
We're a late 50s couple, will base in north Munich, a two stop bus ride to the U1 connection to the central Hbf.
When you booked a day trip tour out to the castles, which company really blew you away? We're looking for tickets to both castles, with time to get out to Marienbrücke bridge, and at a pace that doesn't feel like the hounds are nipping at the heels. I could probably put it all together myself - the train ride to/from Fussen (Bayern ticket now €44 after VAT), transport to the castles, and guess-timating how much time we'll need in each place. But if the tour price isn't ridiculously more than the DIY, as RS would say, "it's money well spent".
Thanks for everything, I'd trust this community infinitely more than Google or TripAdvisor reviews..
Posted by
Paradise
8127 posts
When you booked a day trip tour out to the castles, which company
really blew you away?
I don't have an answer for you. Just wanted to mention - in case you weren't aware - that the tours of the interiors are conducted only by official in-house tour guides, not by the employees of whatever tour company you might choose.
People's impressions of the two residential palaces (which is what Germans call them) vary quite a lot. My impression? I found the tours rushed and overcrowded. Neither is a must-see. I preferred Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, where there's more to see and do and you can spend your time more loosely - without the long day trip from Munich.
If your visit to Germany simply must include N'stein and H'schwangau: the more relaxing way would be to spend a night in Schwangau or Füssen. Maybe 2 nights if you'd like to see more of the area.
Posted by
OP
St. Albert, Canada
90 posts
To Mark: yikes, you're absolutely right, I didn't think of that.. thank you, title edited...
To Russ: ok, no one from a tour company actually does the guiding, that's good to know .. (I only called them castles as that is what Hohenschwangau's own webpage uses on their English translated page. I removed that word from the title as well.) We've also read that they are really "busy" - we'll be there early October on a Friday - we fully expect to see the sights with a thousand of our "closest friends". lol.
To both of you, your post counts show you each have a lot of insight and experience - thanks in advance for whatever suggestions you may have.
Posted by
980 posts
As has been mentioned above, the castle tours are done by staff so a tour company is just providing you with transportation and stops at whatever other destinations they list. If your focus is just to see the castles, you could take the train from Munich to Musau and then get a cab or bus to Füssen. That's a but of mucking about though so a tour company does provide the convenience of getting you closer faster.
Füssen is a nice little tourist town if you want to spend the night. Your tour company could
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7263 posts
I've never heard of Musau, but going DIY from Munich is very easy. First, buy your tickets in advance, which will include a timed entry for the tour in your choice of language. Allow a couple of hours between the 2 castles to travel, and perhaps grab a coffee or quick lunch. Getting to Hohenschwangau is not complicated. There are frequent regional trains from Munich Hbh to Fussen, requiring a change of trains at Buchloe (same platform). Then a bus to Hohenschwangau. OR take a Flixbus from Munich central bus station direct to Fussen ( I believe it's just once daily in either direction).
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19637 posts
you could take the train from Munich to Musau and then get a cab or
bus to Füssen
I guess I don't understand why. Masau is on the Außerfernbahn, in between Reutte and Pfronten, but it takes longer to get there from Munich than just going to Füssen from Munich, and you'd save the taxi or bus fare.
so a tour company does provide the convenience
At an exorbitant added cost. Just DIY.
The tour companies don't do the tours, the staff at the castle lead them. And the tours don't ever include the cost of the castle's tours. You pay them extra for that. So all the tours do for around a hundred dollars per person, is babysit you out on the train (or a bus), something that would only cost you 34€ for 1 person, 44€ for 2 people with a Bayern-Ticket, and the Bayern-Ticket would also cover your travel to the Hbf, as long as it's after 9 on a workday, anytime on a weekend.
Posted by
980 posts
I stand corrected. I thought Musau was the station for Füssen but, upon reflection, that's probably silly.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19637 posts
Jeez, I've been using the "station for Füssen", Füssen Bahnhof, since 1988.
BTW, a bit of trivia. In the movie, Great Escape, where David McCullum (Illya Kuryakin in the 1st Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ducky in NCIS) gets shot while creating a diversion to help Big O escape the Nazi guards, the station they used in 1963 was Füssen Bhf. Actually, a lot of that movie from that point on was shot in and around Füssen. The motorcycle scenes with Steve McQueen were shot nearby in Pfronten. It's near the Austrian border, but nowhere near the Swiss border.