Travel in Bavaria

Public transportation in Bavaria is wonderful. There is no reason to rent a car or find a driver. Use the trains. The train from Munich to Füssen takes about the same as by car and cost about the same as gas.

Thank you for this information! What hours do the trains run and if there are different train companies, which one should we use? Also, we want to see several castles and a village or two on our day trip. Is this possible using the trains for a day trip?

Travelling is by Deutsche Bahn. And here www.bahn.de/p_en/view/index.shtml you'll find their train planner.
Instead of the nineteenth-century fake castle of Neuschwanstein, you'll have some real stuff almost within München, such as the palaces of Nymphenburg (use the U-Bahn) and Schleissheim (take the S-Bahn to Oberschleissheim), both with wonderful parks.
Or have a worthwhile day trip to Nürnberg or Regensburg, which with a Regio- or Bayern-Ticket doesn't have to cost more than some EUR 25 or 28 for two persons return.

Agree about N'stein. Nearly 5 hours on trains and buses for a 30-min. tour of "whatever" is a lot of trouble. In the case of N'stein we're not talking about a genuine castle but a late 19th-century palatial residence where Ludwig II lived for 6 months and not much every happened. It has a faux castle exterior but this is not the sort of place with a history of armored knights, cannon balls and damsels in distress. Nothing much ever happened there.

Nymphenburg mentioned above is a good palatial-residence alternative - LOTS of history there and lots to see there including the carriage museum - and it's King Ludwig II's birthplace.

Another option outside Munich is Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee Palace, on an island in Lake Chiemsee about 1 hour from Munich by train in the town of Prien (a ferry takes you from Stock Harbor in Prien across to the island.)

Don't let the "haters" distract you. Some would prefer you only travel the way they prefer and only visit the sights and towns they say are "real". If you've always wanted to see Neuschwanstein, then you should. Fuessen, less than 10 minutes away, is a charming old town to add to your visit to the castle. About a mile or so from Neuschwanstein is Tegelberg, where there is a cable car trip and a luge ride (Sommerrodelbahn).

You ask "we want to see several castles and a village or two on our day trip. Is this possible using the trains for a day trip?"

To visit Neuschwanstein and several other castles and a village or two as a day trip from Munich either by car or train is kind of unrealistic. My answer would be visit Neuschwanstein AND Hohenschwansgau castles, basically "next door" to one another. Hohenschwangau is where "Mad" King Ludwig grew up before building Neuschwanstein and afterwards visit Fuessen.

Paul

Your hotel can probably arrange a bus tour for you.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful ideas. This is a "bonus trip" for us - my husband has a business trip to Prague, so we decided we'd try to see a few other things sort of in the area in a week and a half ... Prague, Vienna & sites in & around Munich, including a castle or two. We do want to see N'stein Castle, but may skip the inside tour and just visit the 2 castles, enjoy Fussen and maybe even hike a little if time permits. I like the idea of the cable car someone mentioned as well. Any more ideas anyone has for the area including a light hike (nothing too tough!) or Munich are much appreciated. Thanks again! - Jeannine

"Don't let the "haters" distract you."

Hope I'm not one of those... I see no reason to distract anyone or to hate N'stein. Although it's neither a castle nor an easy day trip from Munich, nor a good choice for a tour (too brief, too crowded,) nor a place where important events took place, nor very high on my list of musts near Munich, it is an exceptional building and one worth seeing, from the outside for sure, if you happen to be staying in the area for other reasons. But I think there are better choices (in the same way that some chocolates are better than others.)

"I like the idea of the cable car someone mentioned as well. Any more ideas anyone has for the area including a light hike (nothing too tough!)"

If you end up going to Herrenchiemsee as I suggested.... it's a short trip by train or by car to Aschau from Prien; there's a lift there to the Kampenwand, which offers some great views.

http://kampenwand.de/index.php?rex_resize=835h__panoramakarte_sommer.jpg

http://www.bayern.by/data/mediadb/cms_pictures/%7Bbcf4b563-5769-1485-2747-fafba2b773d4%7D.jpeg

The "query" webpage for the Bahn is here. Using the link above will get you here eventually. Why not start here?

There are a lot of buildings in Germany that were constructed on the site of old castles, often from the same rocks and looking like a castle, but inside they are actually palaces, chateaus, museums, or hotels. Examples are Am Schönburg, Stahleck, and the Reichsburg on the Rhein/Mosel or Hohenzollernburg in Hechingen.

It's astounding how much the Marksburg, the only intact castle on the Rhein, looks like Neuschwanstein.

Neuschwanstein might only be a palace, but so is Herrencheimsee, a poor copy of the original at Versailles. Herrenchiemsee is no more accessible timewise from Munich than is Neuschwanstein. Yes, the train takes a little less time to the Prien Bahnhof, but then you must get to the harbor, by bus (9 min), steam streetcar (a little slower than the bus), or walk (20 min), then take the boat (another 15 min). From the boat dock it's over a km's walk to the palace. Why spend the time seeing a reconstruction that looks like a part of a French palace when you can see a beautiful, famous German palace that at least looks like a castle.

If you want to see a real castle, go to Burghausen. It takes just over two hours to get to Burghausen Bhf, from which it is a 15 minute walk or a 3 min bus ride (every ½ hr) to the castle.

There's another authentic castle at Harburg, on the Romantic Road between Donauwörth and Nördlingen. It will take you as little as an hour 38 minutes from Munich via Donauwörth to the Harburg Bhf, which is south of town. From there it is a pleasant 1 km walk on a flat road into town, then a rather steep climb up a path to the castle. According to Google Maps, it's 25 minutes by my route, a few minutes shorter via a path directly to the castle.

Harburg is a nice example of a small German town. The entire town of Burghausen is a bit to big for my tastes, although the Altstadt, right below the castle on the Salzach river, is nice.

About 15 minutes beyond Harburg on the train is Nördlingen, an old German town with Fachwerk buildings and an almost intact wall. It's a slightly smaller, and a lot less touristy, version of Rothenburg.

Another vote for the Schleißheim palaces. These summer residences of the Wittelsbach family are colorful, covenient from downtown Munich via S-Bahn, and relatively devoid of tourists. Aviation history buffs will enjoy Flugwerft Schleißheim (aviation branch of the Deutsches Museum), just a short stroll away at a WW-1-era airfield.

If you've always been interested in seeing Neuschwanstein, I would encourage you to take the time to tour the inside, if you can make it work. It is crowded and rushed for sure, but it's unlike any other building I've seen. It is so imaginative and you can really imagine how "mad" King Ludwig might have been. We loved the inside! Either way, you will love it. Despite not being a "real" castle, it is a unique and beautiful building with an interesting story set in stunning scenery. I would battle the crowds to see it again in a heartbeat, should I travel back to that area.

If you are OK with traffic (Munich area), can brush up on European driving rules and signs and have a good navigation device that you are familiar with, I'd rent a car. I like to drive along with the freedom it gives you. I live here and hardly ever use public transportation other than in the cities, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Bus etc. You can get to places in a car that would be complicated or too time consuming with public transportation. A car can in most cases expand your itinerary. Fuel prices are still double from those in the USA here, but prices have really come down the last months. If driving stresses you out than maybe public transportation is better. Sorry no info on hiring a driver in the Munich area.