Travel from Munich to Neuchuaustein Castle

"It seems the earliest the train can get you close is 10:00 am"

Where did you get that idea? According the German Rail website, the first train to Fuessen leaves Munich at 3:17 AM (arr. Füssen 6:42). The next ones are at 4:53 (7:24), 6:51 (8:56). There is one at 7:51 (9:57), but it's hardly the first one.

On workdays, the 9:51 train is the first one on which you can use the Bayern-Pass by itself, but if you buy a local ticket to Geltendorf along with a Bayern-Ticket, you can take the 8:52. The local ticket covers your travel until 9:21 when you get to Geltendorf, and the Bayern-Ticket is valid after that.

Note: do not use the RailEurope website for schedules. RailEurope, which is owned by French Rail, is a U.S. reseller of tickets (at an inflated price), and they only show on their website schedules of trains for which they sell tickets, which tends to be a small portion of the actual trains, and only the most expensive of those. Also, it is not necessary to buy your ticket from Munich to Fuessen in advance. They sell an unlimited number of tickets at the train station, and, because it is a regional train, there are no reservations. Even with expensive ticket purchased over here, your chances of getting a seat are the same.

Richard,

You might also have a look at Radius Tours. They offer tours of Neuschwanstein (among others) and take care of not only the transportation arrangements to and from Fussen, but also the admission for the "official" Castle tour.

Happy travels!

I used an Irish tour company and it was simple and easy. They bought our tickets and we had a guide hike up the mountain with us and tell us about german history-one of the best trips i've ever taken! It's worth the time/money to get there!

Why pay all that money to take a tour when it is so easy to do it yourself. The trains are easy to use, there is a line for English in the ticket kiosk, and your admission to the castle includes a guided tour in English.

I agree with Lee. It is so easy to do by yourself. Just go early in the morningto avoid most of the crowds.

We took a bus tour that we arranged in a Tour Office in the Munich main train station. Full day and well worth the money.

The best way is by rail on your own from the main station in Munich to Fussen (change in Buchloe). This is a two-hour journey. Buy your ticket at the Munchen Hbf station for the next available train - no reservation needed. Take a very short taxi ride from Fussen station to the castle ticket center. (BTW, I would recommend calling the castle ticket office a couple of months before your trip to reserve a tour time and buy your tickets - English is no problem). You will pick your tickets up at the ticket center upon arrival and take a carriage ride or hike up to the castle for your tour. You'll need to time leaving Munich a little since you'll have a tour time to make, but trains run about every hour, so you shouldn't have any problem. Stay the night in Fussen (very close) or Reutte, Austria (long taxi ride).

Check out the castle website for all of the details:

http://www.hohenschwangau.de/

Thanks so much everyone. DIY is OK, so we'll do that. The note about the local train times is super, and we'll get an early one. Same as reserving a time at the Castle.

Good show!

Ta,

Richard