How to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany (a guide)

You may recongise Neuschwanstein… it’s actually said to have been the inspiration behind Disney’s Cinderella Castle. 

And you can absolutely see why. Visiting Neuschwanstein has been one of those bucket list items for me. Ever since I can remember, I have always been obsessed with Cinderella. She was of course, the best Disney Princess around. OK, so it might be something to do with that blue dress.

Needless to say, on our recent visit to Munich, I had to visit this castle. 

And I actually had a hard time finding out information on exactly where to go and what to do while I was googling it. Therefore, I wanted to put it all down, step by step, so when you visit Neuschwanstein you’ll know exactly what to expect and what to do.

A guide to visiting Neuschwanstein Castle

Booking tickets

I found it hard to find the “official” site. So here’s the hard part done for you. You can book your tickets HERE. Tickets are €13 (euros) each. But it depends on what you are after. We decided to visit both castles (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) on our visit, because when in Germany, right? This ticket cost €25 each.

Essentially on the website to book tickets you don’t pay upfront but are reserving a placement of time for the day. You can’t simply wander into the castle at anytime. You apply for a time slot which they confirm. 

They have tours in various languages, which will determine when you will have your given time slot. It’s super handy and a really smart way to go about bookings. The ticket office system spaces out bookings which ensures that your tour won’t be super packed.

Extra notes on bookings:

FYI – remember that when you book your ticket slot you need to pick it up in the local ticket office early! The official site recommends picking your tickets up at least an hour before your tour is set to start. Remember, this is when you will actually pay for the tickets. The credit card you saved them with is simply on file in case you’re a no-show.

Anyways, the ticket office is incredibly easily signposted so you can’t miss it when you enter the town. 

I booked our tour time for 11am which meant we needed to pick up the tickets around 10am. Of course, we were running late because of who we are as people. We arrived at 10:15am. It was perfectly fine as our first tour was at the closer castle Hohenschwangau.

But I’m not sure how much later it’s OK to do that as the website is fairly strict on it. Plus if your first castle is Neuschwanstein it’s a pretty long trek up there (about 45 minutes to walk to the top). 

Besides that you’re going to want to get there early anyways to look around – it’s BEAUTIFUL.

Getting to Neuschwanstein

We rented a car for the day from Munich and drove down early in the morning. It was easy to hire a car from Munich’s train station, München Hauptbahnhof. Although it can be a little confusing finding the car park where you pick up your vehicle so be sure to go over it a few times with the rental agent. 

From Munich it’s a pretty smooth hour and 40 minute drive to the castle town of Schwangau. 

There’s plenty of parking available and it’s signposted so you can choose from a variety of marked areas. Parking for the day is less than €10. I say less than ten because I think we paid €5 but I can’t remember for sure. 

Let’s visit Neuschwanstein Castle 

The walk up to the castle takes around 45 minutes from the centre of town. You can pay an extra fee to take a horse and carriage service and sometimes the bus is running (in the winter, I’d plan on walking or taking the carriage service) because the bus wasn’t running when we were there. It’s OK though because the walk is beautiful! It’s just quite a hill to climb. We were definitely sweating by the time we got to the top. You can check the website daily to know what is open and what’s not. 

Inside Neuschwanstein Castle

You’re going to be surprised by this massive structure. In reality, the King who built it, King Ludwig II only spent about 12 nights in total at the property before his untimely demise (I know, quite dark)! 

Ludwig wanted the castle built in the authentic style of the old German knights’ castles. He was obsessed with the Middle Ages. Something about the glamour, the beauty. Much like how I sometimes find myself feeling like I could have been in Paris the 1920s… Side note, has anyone ever seen Midnight in Paris? I think sometimes we all wanderlust after a different time period because of the romance of it all. Ludwig II was the same! Kings, they’re just like us. 

What to lookout for inside:

Ludwig has started construction in 1868 on Neuschwanstein Castle and well, it’s been the longest reno project of all time (exaggeration, I’m sure there are others). So spoiler alert… it’s under construction. The inside of the castle is a serious work in progress. There are certain rooms that will absolutely stun you, such as the Throne Hall. And currently the Singers Hall is under construction, but my oh my, it’s going to be stunning!

King Ludwig definitely knew what he wanted in his room. The room size was modest, but the decor is not whatsoever. They’re regal, it’s the only way to describe them. Stunning detail work and well worth the tour.

The thing is there are only a handful of rooms to walk through and explore. I do feel like the true awe moment of beauty that Neuschwanstein holds is on the outside. Oh and sorry to disappoint you… but you’re not allowed to take photos inside. Sorry!

Access to the Marienbrücke Bridge

Depending on the time of year you travel, this bridge could be closed. Marienbrüke Bridge has spectacular views of the castle. I was annoyed during our visit because it was quite icy. Yep, the bridge was closed and locked off from public access. (Much like the glass box in Chamonix on my recent trip to the alps).

Marienbrücke, situated above Pöllat gorge, is a viewpoint and a great spot to take photos from. The bridge is a completely independent structure. If you travel to Neuschwanstein in the winter, there’s a strong chance the bridge will be closed. Luckily, you will not have to cross the bridge in order to reach Neuschwanstein Castle – it’s just a great photo opp spot! You can check if the bridge is open on their official website.

Here’s how to get the “best shot” of the castle  

Plenty of people come to Neuschwanstein for the Instagram and I don’t blame them! You’ve probably seen that perfect shot of people perched on the mountainside looking out at the castle. And yes, it’s BEAUTIFUL. But honestly, don’t do it in the winter. We braved some questionable maybe “do not enter signs” to get the view. 

But it was so icy and pretty scary. One false step and you could slip over. Because I’m such a nervous Nelly, we were beyond cautious. But I saw others who didn’t look as overly concerned which frightened me for them. 

I think the summertime is a much better idea if you’re looking for that sort of angle. I’m glad we did it, but only from the viewpoint that I would really not recommend others ever trying it in the winter. It’s just not worth the risk pals!

And here’s where to get the safer shots that are JUST as good

My favourite shots actually happened to be ones from a very safe viewing area! Who would have thought it?

Don’t forget about Hohenschwangau

Hogenschwangau may not be the “main attraction” of the town. And I can confirm that it’s slightly overshadowed by the beauty of Neuschwanstein. But that doesn’t mean you should rule out a visit to Hohenschwangau Castle. It’s a MUST.

This is the original castle of the town, where Ludwig II spent his childhood. It’s smaller in scale and not quite as grand built into the side of the mountain as gloriously as Neuschwanstein, but Hohenschwangau is still worth a visit!

I really enjoyed our tour especially because the tour guide spoke personally with us as we were a small group. It was fun to interact and be able to actually ask questions about each room and the history. 

So have I convinced you? Do you need to book a day trip to visit to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich? Or have you been before? 

Kelly x