Avoid the Hassle: Here’s the Easiest Way to Get to Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most stunning castles in the world located in the heart of Bavaria, Germany and a few hours from Munich and the border of Austria.

I think I read 100 blogs on how to get to the fairytale Bavarian castle, Neuschwanstein, from Füssen, Germany. For some reason, I could not get the actual answer I needed, so in hopes to make it easier for people in the future, I’ve included the EASIEST ways to get to the castle.

While we’re at it, let’s be friends on Instagram!

After attending Oktoberfest in Munich I went directly to Füssen, Germany on the train. I used Füssen as my home base for visiting the castle. You can definitely do this as a day trip, although it would be a LONG day. I recommend staying there for a night if at all possible, plus it’s beautiful!

Avoid the Hassle: Here’s the Easiest Way to Get to Neuschwanstein Castle

Pro Tip:

If you want to actually go inside of the Neuschwanstein castle then I recommend booking in advance. I didn’t actually go inside because I heard it wasn’t the best castle to go to, but up to you. Book here if you’d like to be ahead of the game. 

Here’s the easiest way to get to Neuschwanstein Castle…

Step 1

Get to Fussen. You can easily take the train from Munich to Fussen for about 2 hours. It cost me one-way approx 12.50 euro. I stayed the night here and loved it. Most people just do a day trip from Munich, but I recommend doing a night here at least because it’s BEAUTIFUL!

Step 2

Go to the Fussen station. You’ll get off the train here and then you’ll walk around the station to the busses at the back. There are tons of people going the same way so you should not miss it…especially if you take one of the trains out early from Munich.

Pro Tip:

If you have luggage like I did, I would recommend dropping it at your hotel/hostel beforehand because you won’t want to deal with it going to the castle and I couldn’t find luggage storage at the castles.

Step 3

Get on the bus 73 or 78. If you ask the bus driver he/she will help  you. Most people are doing the same thing as you. Plus you’ll know the stop when you get there because you’ll be able to see the castles. This bus is about 2.30 euro both ways.

• Bus 73 in the direction to Steingaden / Garmisch-Partenkirchen
• Bus 78 in the direction to Schwangau until you reach the stop Hohenschwangau / Alpseestraße.

Step 4

Buy tickets to go inside the castle (only if you want to). You can only go in the castle on a guided tour and tickets are timed so when I got there around noon the next trip was 4:30pm. I decided to not do it.

Step 5

Now you need to actually get to the top of hill to see the castle. You can either walk up (45 min walk), take a touristy horse drawn carriage, or take the bus. The line for the bus is sometimes long and costs around 2.80 round trip uphill and downhill and you can purchase it at the kiosk by the line for the bus. I took the bus because I was feeling lazy.

Step 6

Once you get to the top I recommend going straight to the Marienbrücke bridge.

You’ll see the signs for it at the top. Cross the bridge and walk about 5 mins. Soon you’ll see some steep trails on the left side of the mountain that people may be coming down. If you’re up for it, climb up for the best views of the castle. That’s where I got these!

Step 7

Walk around the castle and check out views of the other castle Hohenschwangau. 

Step 8

Hike up to Hohenschwangau and walk around or tour the inside.

Step 9

Take the bus back to Fussen or Munich!

Pro Tip:

I realized this AFTER I took the bus from Fussen, but if you rent a bike and go straight from Fussen to Newschwanstein it’s a GORGEOUS ride and so so easy along a beautiful path. I did this the next day and wondered why I didn’t do it before. You can’t take the bike clear up to the castle, but you can take it to the town which is just as good.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the easiest way to get to Neuschwanstein Castle

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