The photos of Neuschwanstein Castle are some of the most well-known images of Bavaria Germany. Upon a mountain in the far south of Germany lies the castle that fairytales are made of. Undoubtedly, this should be on your list if you are in the region as it is an easy day trip from Munich. I have included how to get there, what to expect, and some of the best photography spots.

Train from Munich

The easiest way to get to the castle is by catching a train out of Munich to Fussen. These run every hour and take about 2 hours. Enjoy the scenery along the way as it is beautiful countryside. Cost-wise a one-way ticket is 24.90 euros when I was there.

Once you arrive at Fussen make your way to bus 73 or 78 to the castles or to Hohenschwangau. These are hard to miss as most everyone is heading that way. The bus will cost you extra if you don’t buy the Bavaria ticket (mentioned later). I believe it was 7 euro each way. 

The cheapest train tickets

The much cheaper way to do the trip is by buying a Bavaria or Bayern ticket. These tickets cost 25 euro for the first person and only about 7 euros per additional person so much cheaper! The catch to this is if you use this during the week like I did you can’t start using the Bavaria ticket until 9 am. For me, this was a big deal because I knew later in the day would just mean many more crowds and wanted to arrive early as possible. I ended up buying a one-way ticket there as well as the Bavaria ticket which I used for the buses and for the way back. The way the Bavaria ticket works is you can take any public transport (regional train, subway, bus, etc) for the one cost for the day. This can save you a lot of money and is recommended. 

Once in Hohenschwangau

When you arrive in Hohenschwangau (about a 10 min bus ride) you will see Neuschwanstein on the mountaintop. You will start heading uphill to your right to the ticket office. You only need to visit the ticket office if you wish to book for a tour inside. I highly recommend booking reservations ahead of time as the lines to get tickets are very long! Book your ticket reservations in advance here.

There will be horse carriages and buses to get up to the castle for an extra cost if you don’t wish to walk. There are additional 1-2 more castles you can tour as well in this region if you wish. 

If you choose to walk up you will be walking uphill for about 30 minutes surrounded by trees and a lot of other tourists. The walk will get your heart pumping but isn’t that hard. Once you reach a small tourist shop and restaurant you are almost there! Continue a bit further to get to the foot of the castle. Here you can enter for your designated tour time (if booked) on the left. Beware they do not sell tickets at the door so make sure you do this at the bottom ticket office before you make the hike up. 

Best photo spots

After walking around the side of the castle I strongly recommend you continue uphill which is around the right of the castle. Here you will find some of the best views. This will first bring you to a lookout over the beautiful valley, then to the bridge which gives you the perfect view of the Neuschwanstein castle. The bridge will be quite packed so beware. If you continue a short while past the bridge on the hiking trail you will have another lookout which tends to be a little less crowded. You can also hike quite a bit further up and eventually get a spot nearly to yourself as well if you’re willing. Stay on the main path and the hike is fairly easy. If you are into hiking and enjoying the outdoors you can continue on this trail or find many others around the castle to go on. 

Driving from Munich

Another option from Munich to Neuschwanstein is by car. I did no drive in Germany but have heard from many it is quite easy. The drive from Munich is 120km and will take 1.5-2 hours total. This is a pretty straight shot and should be easy to navigate. There is parking at the base of the mountain in Hohenschwangau. Much like the train, I would imagine this drive to be quite scenic as all of Bavaria is gorgeous.

If you are planning a trip why not make it in late September in order to take in the well-known Oktoberfest? Get my guide to Munich’s Oktoberfest here.