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On our second day in Munich, we decided to go for a day trip to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. This had always been on my travel wishlist for years where this fairytale castle was believed to inspire Walt Disney to build Sleeping Beauty Castle.
HOW TO GET TO NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE FROM MUNICH
As usual, both my husband and I always woke up early to kick off our day. We prefer to start our day earlier and end our day earlier too. At least to avoid the crowd, if possible. For your information, there is no direct connection by train departing from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle.
1) First, take train from Munich Hauptbahnhof (München Hbf) to Füssen which takes roughly two hours. Because we have Eurail Global Pass, so this train ride is covered under this pass.
2) After arriving in Füssen, take Bus 73 or 78 to the village Hohenschwangauof. The bus stop of this bus ride is just right opposite of the train station. It's a short ride where it takes under 10 minutes and it costs €5.20 for a round trip. You pay directly to the driver during boarding.
Initially we did try our luck to buy the tickets online in advance from their official website here but somehow, it was sold out. Luckily both of us didn't give up and try our luck by walk-in at the Ticket Centre. Guess what! We're so happy when they told us there were few available tickets left. That's the advantage of waking up and reach the place earlier. Definitely worth it! The admission fee of Neuschwanstein Castle for an adult is €15 and do take note it's guided tour. Make sure to reach the castle at least 10-15 minutes earlier before your time slot.
In case you are wondering, Neuschwanstein Castle is actually sits above the village of Hohenschwangauof. There are three ways to get up to the castle:
1) Walking for at least 1.5km uphill to the castle (probably takes 45-50 minutes)
2) Riding on horse drawn carriage
3) Taking the bus (Round trip for €3.50) - We opted for this in order to save time and our energy.
If you are driving with car, there are 4 parking lots in Hohenschwangau but P4 is the closest to the bus stop for the shuttle up the hill to the castle. For more info regarding parking map and fees, you can check it out here.
The bus stop to catch the bus up to Neuschwanstein Castle is located next to the Ticket Centre.
Unfortunately the bus doesn't stop right in front of the castle. It's about 600m walking distance downhill to the castle itself. The bus stop somewhere in between the castle and Marienbrücke. Because we still had spare of time before our time slot for entering the castle, we decided to walk to Marienbrücke. It's a pedestrian bridge built over a cliff where you can get the magnificent panoramic views of Neuschwanstein Castle.
#6: This is where the shuttle bus drop off the passengers when reaching the hill - somewhere between the castle and Marienbrücke
Entering Neuschwanstein Castle is only possible with guided tour. Therefore, make sure to pick up or buy the ticket at the Ticket Centre at the downhill before going up to the castle as there's no ticket centre outside the castle. And also make sure to arrive at least 10-15 minutes earlier before your time slot, or else you are not allowed to enter to the castle.
#10: There's no ticket centre outside the castle. Therefore, make sure to pick up or buy the ticket at the downhill before going up to the castle.
Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside the castle. However, each visitor will be given a handheld audio guide device and this guided tour takes at least 35-40 minutes to witness some of the spectacular and amazing castle's interior. Once the guided tour ends, visitors are allowed to hang out at the cafe or getting memento at the souvenir shops that are located inside the castle.
#12: Make me wanna play Disney's song - "When dreams come true"
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