In the summer of 2016, I (with family) had visited the castle that is considered to be the inspiration behind The Sleeping Beauty castle in Disleyland, the Neuschwanstein Castle! An unforgettable experience! So, this week I decided to recollect and write about my day trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle and help inform you, if you’re considering visiting the castle soon.
Train from Munich to Füssen
We took the earliest direct train from Munich Hauptbahnhof station for Füssen. There was a train leaving earlier than ours, however it wasn’t direct, and we wanted to save ourselves the hassle of transfers. The 2 hour train journey was quite picturesque as we gradually moved from an urban setting into the German country side. The clear skies, the lush green plains and the small cottages along the way were a treat for the eyes.
Bus from Füssen to Hohenschwangau
After alighting from the train, we headed towards the bus stand which was located right outside the train station. From Füssen, we had to head to Hohenschwangau by bus no. 78 (yeah, crazy that I remember that detail and that I totally didn’t use Google to dig it up *wink wink*). We waited for about 10 minutes for the bus to arrive, bought our return tickets on the bus and reached Hohenschwangau in about 6 to 7 minutes.
Buying the Neuschwanstein Castle tickets
From the Hohenschwangau bus stand, we walked up hill to the Hohenschwangau Information Point to purchase our Neuschwanstein Castle tickets. We committed a ‘cardinal sin’ of not purchasing our tickets online. I say this because the queue to buy the tickets at the counter was horrifyingly long! Having arrived in Hohenschwangau after an early morning train and bus ride, it was quite unpleasant to stand in line for nearly 1.5 hours (in the blazing hot European summer) just to buy the tickets!
Getting carried away now!
Anyway, after having bagged the tickets, we decided to opt for the horse carriage ride up to the castle. There are several ways to get to the castle from the Hohenschwangau Information Point. You could just walk up hill to the castle and slowly savour the majecstic views. It usually takes about an hour to complete the distance by foot. If you want to conserve your energy, you could take either a bus or a horse carriage ride up to the castle and cover the distance in about half an hour. I do have to point that there was also a lengthy queue to buy tickets for the horse carriage ride.
It’s important to note the time for when the last horse carriage of the day leaves from the castle back to the Hohenschwangau Information Point. We made that mistake, and at the end of our castle tour, had to walk all the way back down to the Hohenschwangau bus station, nearly missing the last bus headed to Füssen.
Marienbrücke bridge provides the best view!
After having braved two arduously long queues, it was nice to be rewarded with magnificent views from the castle gate! Guided tours is the only option available to enter the castle, which meant that we had a waiting time of about 30 minutes to gain our entry. This I didn’t mind as it gave me the opportuntiy to explore the periphery of the castle, take photos and to fuel up with some delectable coffee from the cafe right outside the castle gate.
I did read that the Marienbrücke bridge provides the best view of the castle, but during our visit, the bridge was locked for maintainance purposes. If it weren’t locked, I would have been able to capture an iconic shot of the castle against the backdrop of the Black Forest and the German Alps!
Stunning interior!
The interior of the castle was opulent and the views from the castle arches were breath-taking! The castle was built as a private residence for King Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1869. The Throne Hall, the Singers’ Hall and the King’s suite were all exceptionally decorated with stained glass windows, fine wood work, beautiful paintings and impeccably embroidered upholstery. Indoor photography was prohibited which meant I couldn’t archive the spellbining interiors for myself.
Bye Neuschwanstein
And with the end of the guided tour, we had to say ‘sayonara’ to the castle as well. With a heavy heart and tired legs we descended towards the Hohenschwangau bus station, caught the last bus to Füssen and then headed back to Munich by train.
My wish is to revisit the castle and spend a few days exploring the nearby Schwangau village. Once we move past the pandemic, I hope my wish comes true!