Are you searching for the best way to plan your day trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle?

Wondering what the best transport method is or whether it’s worth it to just jump on a tour bus and let someone else do all of the tricky navigating?

Whether you’re planning to drive yourself through the delightful Bavarian countryside or make the most of Bavaria’s excellent public transportation, it’s all covered here!

I’ve packed all the information that you need to go see the fairytale castle yourself into this handy guide so you can spend less time searching for information and more time enjoying your stunning excursion to the Bavarian Alps and Schloss Neuschwanstein.

Grab your camera and let’s go!

If you’re looking for flexibility over convenience, the train is likely the best way to get out to Neuschwanstein from Munich.

Unfortunately, though, there is no direct train that goes straight from Munich Central Station out to the castle.

1. You’ll first need to catch the RB74 train to Buchloe and swap over here to the BRB RB77 train to Füssen.

2. The first train ride will take roughly 45 minutes to reach Buchloe and after that, about an hour and 15 minutes to Füssen.

3. When you arrive in the charming village of Füssen, stroll your way out of the train station to the bus stops and locate the stand for the 78 Bus, direction Schwangau.

4. Sit on the bus for a total of five stops and get off at the Neuschwanstein Castle stop, along with probably most of the rest of the bus.

You’ll find yourself facing the parking lots surrounding the foot of the mountain the castle is on. 

The bus line tickets are also included in the Bayern Ticket, a vote for simplicity if you’re using this ticket and it’s valid on every bus. Along with practically all regional trains.

I would highly advise using the Bayern Ticket for maximum flexibility – plus if there’s two of you, the Bayern Ticket might just work out as the most economical option as well! 

Buying an advance ticket through the DB website or the ticket machines means that you can only take the train at the time that you selected, so if you miss it, you’ll need to purchase more train tickets at full cost. Which might take the shine off your day trip!

Take some time if you need before you head up the final 1.4km stroll up to the entry to the Schloss, if you don’t feel up to the walk, you have a couple of options.

There are horse-drawn carriages which take the winding road up to the castle, in a throwback to the olden times, we can guess that Ludwig didn’t walk up there much.

Tickets can be bought from the drivers on the day in cash and you can’t make a reservation in advance. This is certainly the pricier option, coming in at €8 for the uphill trip and €4 for the downhill trip per person, regardless of age.

The ride takes around 20 minutes and they will drop you off about halfway up, you’ll need to walk the remaining 10-15 minutes up a moderate hill to get to the castle itself. The carriages run year round every day that the castle is open.

The other option is a shuttle bus which leaves from the P4 parking lot beneath the Hohenschwangau Castle and drops you off close to the Marienbrücke, running roughly every 20 minutes in summer. Tickets can be bought from the bus driver or the attendant down at the P4 stop in cash.

For the uphill journey, the cost is €3 per adult or €1.50 per child (7-12 years). The downhill only is €2 or €1 for kids and a return ticket will set you back €3.50, €2 for the little ones. Children under 6 years old can take the bus for free but pets are not permitted.

This bus is not included in the Bayern Ticket as it’s run by a private company, rather than government transport services. The bus does not run if there is snow or ice so keep this in mind if you’re visiting in the cooler months.

Keep in mind that neither of these two options actually lead right up to below the castle due to space limitations, personally, I just chose to walk up and from memory, it took about half an hour and it’s shaded most of the way up.

There’s only one direct bus connection from Munich to Neuschwanstein per day, it leaves Munich at 8:30am from the Munich Central Bus Station.

Taking 2 hours and 5 minutes, it reaches Hohenschwangau – the village beneath Neuschwanstein – at 10:35am.

The bus heading back to Munich from Hohenschwangau leaves at 17:10 and takes 2 hours and 5 minutes to return.

Along both legs, the bus stops at Schongau, Steingaden, Trauchgau, Halblech and Buching. But I wouldn’t recommend getting off unless you plan to stay in one of these spots for the night as there are only the two bus trips for the whole day.

The fares are quite reasonable at roughly 9-10€ each way and the busses come equipped with free Wifi and power outlets. You’re looking for Flixbus 163 both ways, on the way out of Munich, the destination will read Kemptener Straβe Füssen. 

The Flixbus stops just next to the Tourist Information Centre Hohenschwangau, you’ll need to walk the final 1.4km up a gently ascending road up to the castle itself.

This is much the same as if you caught the train to Füssen and then the local bus from Füssen to Hohenschwangau. Catch the bus back to Munich via the same stop, the bus destination will then read Munich ZOB. 

You can book your tickets in advance via the Flixbus app or online, you can show them to the driver on your phone – no need to have them printed off!

You can pay extra to reserve a seat on the bus and sit next to your travel buddy (you’ll need to pay for each leg of the trip) but you will be allocated a seat randomly on the bus otherwise when you purchase your tickets.

If you’d like to have one of the experts guide you around Neuschwanstein and take care of all of the pesky details, these organised day trips have fantastic reviews and some even include bonus stops like beautiful Linderhof.

Get Your Guide has a great range of perfectly planned tours for you to choose from.

Most come with flexible cancellation and all you need to do is make your way to your pick-up point in Munich – some even include a hotel pick up – for an effortless way to see glorious Neuschwanstein up close and personal!  

Time to get to probably the most important info in this whole article – how to buy tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle before you get there.

This is officially the most popular tourist destination in Bavaria, if not in Germany, over 1.4 million people visit every year. So, we’ve gotta be prepared to make sure that your visit is as enjoyable as possible.

Luckily, tickets are available for purchase in advance online – check out the official castle website over here!

Tickets to see the interior of the castle are sold in specific timeslots so it won’t be overcrowded on the inside so have an idea of when you’ll be arriving. If you choose an early or late entry slot, double and triple check that your transport options will still work!

Don’t be tempted by other sites that may pop up online, these could be counterfeit and I’d hate to see you turned away from your fairytale visit.

A very small amount of same day tickets are released at the ticket office in Hohenschwangau at the bottom of the hill, the office opens at 8am so be prepared to line up early if you’re determined to get in early and tickets are all sold out otherwise.

Another possible option is to book an organised tour as I covered above as some of these (not all) include entry into the castle as part of the overall price.

My best advice is to check the official site as soon as you know the dates that you’ll be visiting and try to get a time slot in the middle of the day to give you the best transport options if you’re not driving down. 

When heading up the mountain road to the castle, you’ll spy an observation deck (Aussichtspunkt) over to your left, feel free to stop off for some beautiful shots including the charming red and white gate of the Schloss – Ludwig actually lived in rooms in the gatehouse for a bit while construction was underway on the main castle. 

You’ll be able to match your happy snap with the postcards down in the gift shops. Or stop by on your way back down if you’re in a hurry.

Pass through the famous gateway into the lower courtyard and keep rolling up to the impressive castle.

If you’ve purchased a ticket to go inside the castle, be sure to prioritise your timeslot over everything else, you’ll be able to knock off the rest of this list after you’re out.

The guided tour takes roughly 30 minutes taking you through 14 opulent rooms, the expert guide will talk you through each one.

If you don’t have a ticket to see the inside, it’s totally free to walk around and even right up into the courtyard.

Take your time wandering your way around Ludwig’s dream castle – he originally wanted one even bigger than this and more dramatically perched on a higher cliff, can you believe.

Wind your way over to the path leading up to the Marienbrücke, home to a photographer’s dream shot over this fairytale fortress. 

On the way, stop by the Panoramablick Schwangau for an incredible view over the turquoise Alpsee tucked into the pine covered foothills. You’ll even be able to spot the daffodil-hued walls of Hohenschwangau Castle amongst the rest of the village.

Continue on your way up to “Mary’s Bridge”, take care on the steep path up there in rain or snow as it can get slippery. This wooden footbridge was originally built in 1845 and stretches from two rocky pillars for the ultimate view of our favourite castle.

The Marienbrücke can rock a bit and does get packed with people hoping for a good picture so keep this in mind if you’re visiting in inclement weather.

This is probably the most crowded spot in the grounds so you might need to wait for a gap to get your new phone background but hopefully not too long.

The bridge does get closed through winter in times of heavy snow, just double check the Schloss website  before you go for the latest information.  

This answer depends on what you’re hoping for when you visit the Schloss:

In the summer months, the castle is the busiest and sees the highest number of visitors in long lines. But there is the best chance of getting beautiful sunny weather, which isn’t always guaranteed up in the foothills of the Alps.

So if you have a lot of time on your hands and don’t mind waiting in line to walk out onto the Marienbrücke, summer could be a good fit.

A better way to see gorgeous Neuschwanstein is to visit in autumn or spring, you still have good weather but the crowd levels drop a bit from the summer peak. This is when I would recommend to go! 

If you’re okay with cold weather and you’d like to see snow, it’s a good idea to visit in winter when there are the fewest crowds and you might be able to time your visit with the adorable Christmas markets! Bring your winter woolies with you though, you are essentially in the Alps after all!  

Schloss Neuschwanstein is stunning all year around and there are no especially bad times to visit, that said, there are certain times of year when it may be less pleasant.

In the winter months, as the castle is at a higher altitude and is often covered with snow. While it makes for a beautiful scene fit for a snowglobe, the snow and ice will make things a bit trickier for pedestrians and those with mobility restrictions.

The Marienbrücke will also be closed, one of the main highlights of the castle visit, along with the other walking paths to the viewpoints.

However, you’re likely to see the castle with far fewer visitors and if you visit in December, you may even find the Christmas market in full swing.  

If you’re not a fan of crowds, avoid visiting Neuschwanstein on the weekends and particularly during the school holidays in Europe.

Tourist numbers will be at their peak and there are no restrictions on how many people can visit the castle, even if there are limits on how many can go inside the hallowed halls.