Munich to Fussen and Hohenschwangau for Neuschwanstein & Hoenschwangau Castle

edward, have you looked at the actual current schedule on bahn.com? Maybe you could take an earlier train (I know it would be very early and maybe requires a change of trains)?

Or, if you miss the bus, take a taxi. Its possible the bus would be waiting for the train arrival anyway.

If you are using a Bayern ticket between Munich and Fussen and back, I believe you just show up at Fussen and get on the next train, no reservation needed. EDIT - I suggested Bayern ticket because when we did it the ticket also covered the local bus rides.

Yes, actually the schedule for September shows the 07:52 AM train from Munich arrives Fussen at 09:55 to that would allow 15 minutes for the bus connection which is doable and a taxi is always an option. In the other reply about the Bayern ticket and any regional train is correct but the ticket is not good until after 09:00 AM so that would make for even a tighter schedule for the castle tours and returning to Munich. So, I think we will do the early train from Munich which is only 32 euro round trip for 2 seniors plan for a later train back to Munich.

Oh and for those regional trains between Munich and Fussen no reservation is needed anyway; however, in some cases the ticket does specify a certain train although I think if I remember correctly the ticket would be good for any train on that day in either direction even if it is not a Bayern ticket. Where the Bayern ticket would be good for multiple trips on any regional trains for the day in any direction.

When we were departing the Castle, the walk/castle bus back down the hill took about 30 minutes, and then there was a line waiting for the city bus back towards the train station. As we had stood in so many lines that day, and needed to get off our feet, we took a taxi back.
Safe travels!

The bus meets the train. If it fills up before you can get on, take a taxi. It’s not a far ride, doesn’t cost much

the schedule for September shows the 07:52 AM train from Munich arrives Fussen at 09:55
[...] So, I think we will do the early train from Munich which is only 32 euro round trip for 2 seniors

What day of the week are you going? On workdays that cheap Bayern ticket is valid only after 9 am (all day on weekends).

Yes you are correct about the Bayern ticket on the weekend, i had forgotten about that. We are planning to go on Sunday so that would be an option. Thanks.

The bus does meet the train and they will send additional buses as needed. Traffic is really slow in the afternoon, so give yourself plenty of time to get back to the train station by bus.

There is plenty of time to make the connection. The train arrives at 5 minutes before the hour, and the bus leaves at 5 minutes after the hour, so that gives you 10 minutes. It's a very short walk around or through the station building, and across the parking lot to the bus stop, the Bahn says three minutes. I don't remember the exact number of the bus stop, but it is clearly marked as the bus to the castles, and there will be other people waiting. I was there once when there were a lot of people; they put on an extra bus.

This route is very popular for large groups of travelers from other countries. Normally you would just exit the train, take the very short walk to the station and then out to the awaiting bus. But when these large tour groups are present it can be a free for all. I've witnessed them actually run out of the train car down ONTO and ACROSS the tracks through the hedges to get to the bus. And once one or two of them started the whole group just became a spectacle - it was horrible.

Just know that there will be several taxis waiting there, too, and it's a very short trip from there to the ticket center.

Yes, the Bayern Ticket covers the buses in addition to the trains...but not the RailJet trains

the Bayern Ticket covers the buses in addition to the trains...but not the RailJet trains.

Of course not. The Bayern-Ticket is not valid on anything but regional trains. Not on the German long distance trains (ICE/IC/EC) and certainly not on the Austrian LD Rail-Jet, which, incidentally, only runs in Bavaria between Salzburg and Munich, non-stop.

The fastest, most direct routes to Füssen are all by regional trains only (it would be possible to take an EC to Buchloe and a regional train from there to Füssen, but it would take longer).

I just did this exact trip last month and it was very easy. The bus was waiting across the parking lot when the train arrived in Füssen. When it arrived at the castles I took a picture on my phone of the return bus schedule so I would know when to be back to make it to the train station. I believe the most recent RS book says the bus takes 30 minutes to get there. It’s actually only 10 minutes. Depending on when the train is leaving when you go back to Füssen, you can get off the bus one stop early if you have time and walk through the town to get to the train station. It was a nice short walk and I was able to get some good pics.