Neuschwanstein Castle from Mary’s Bridge. (Jerry Garrett Photo)
SCHWANGAU, Germany
You can spend a little or a lot to see Neuschwanstein Castle. I spent nothing.
And I saw everything I wanted to see.
How can that be? After all, some people will get nicked up to a hundred euro or more to see King Ludwig II‘s architectural masterpiece (yes, this was the inspiration that Walt Disney had for Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland/Disney World).
All it takes is a little initiative, and a determination not to follow the herd, to keep your money in your pocket.
I drove there. I realize not everyone has a car at their disposal to do this. But it’s not that hard. Munich is barely 90 minutes away – even for slow drivers; 60 minutes from Innsbruck. Bus tours are available, but these have to rank as the most expensive way to see anything. Not recommended, unless you have some mobility problems (which may prevent you from seeing the castle anyway – no matter how much you pay).
I found free parking. Normally this is 5€ in the lot, and that isn’t a bad deal – because the lot attendants are friendly, helpful, and can (and will) give you change to use the adjacent pay toilets. (Clean and functional, btw.) But I stopped about 250 meters south of the touristy area, along a forest road, and found free parking there.
Hohenschwanstein – finished & furnished & free to hike.
The castle is up on a steep hill. Most everyone buys a ticket at the bottom of the hill (don’t go up, expecting to buy a ticket at the castle – turn back! – you can’t). As of this writing, the tickets cost 12€ pp for adults (seniors save one euro) and kids (with a paying adult) under 18 are free. There’s another castle, as you’ll see, which belonged to Ludwig’s father, and you can see that, but you need another ticket. There’s yet another ticket you can buy to see the small museum at the bottom of the hill.
The price for the whole thing is 29,50€ pp.
The tours go inside the castle, and can include multi-lingual guides, or audio cassettes.
I didn’t buy a ticket.
Why not?
The tours are brisk, brusque and sorta boring. You’re in and out in 30 minutes or less, and there’s not all that much to see at Neuschwanstein because the place was a work-in-progress that was never finished. Many rooms are unfurnished. Many are unfinished. Refurbishing work on what was completed is ongoing, inside and out. The tour only goes to some of the rooms.
The outside of the castle is more important visually than the inside, anyway. (The other castle, Hohenschwangau, is at least finished and fully furnished – and you can walk up to it much more easily – and it provides a good photo op to snap Neuschwanstein.)
Besides, the tickets only get you an interior tour of the castle. The ticket doesn’t get you up the mountain to the castle. To get there, you have three options: 1) Take a horse-drawn carriage (6€ pp, each way); 2) Take a bus (2€ pp, each way), or 3) Walk (free pp, each way).
I walked up. It wasn’t easy, but it is easily do-able for a reasonably fit person. Do NOT be discouraged by the misleading signs, which tell you it takes 40 minutes to hike up there. It actually takes about 20 minutes; I think it’s about a mile.
Don’t try this if you’re out of shape. (On the other hand, if you want to get in shape, challenge yourself.) You will sweat (even in winter), but you will be proud of yourself for doing it.
It’s steep, but a beautiful forest walk with a cute little waterfall (about 2/3rds of the way up).
Warning: If you do buy a ticket, you will be assigned a time for your tour. Whatever method you take for getting up to the castle, make sure you are at the castle on time, or your tour will leave without you and your ticket will be a worthless wad of paper.
Also be advised that even if you take the bus or carriage, you still have to walk about 300 meters down to the castle – and then back up that steep hill after your tour.
“When you wish upon a star…”
If you walk up, go all the way to Marienbrucke (Mary’s Bridge). It’s wooden bridge over a breathtaking river gorge. And it has THE view of the castle. The view that is in all the photos you see of the place. The walk up to Mary’s Bridge is only another 300 meters or so (if that), past the place where the buses and carriages stop for the castle tours. But this last little bit you must walk – and it is all uphill. (I got there just as 300 Chinese tourists arrived, and decided to all go out and stand on the wobbly little bridge at the same. Yikes.)
When done, walk back down. It’s free – which is like how my whole trip was.
The payoff for walking up (besides gloating at other folks who look fit enough that they should have walked) is that at Mary’s Bridge there is a view that only your eyes can appreciate.
No photo can do it justice. This is the money shot. Savor it.
Neuschwanstein is one of Bavaria’s Crown Jewels.
Sad to think what happened, at the hands of fellow Bavarians, to the genius who dreamed it up.
(Editor’s Note: A less gung-ho itinerary, if you’re less physically fit, but just as determined not to needlessly blow money, is to pay 5€ to park, 2€ for the bus ride up to Neuschwanstein, walk back down and take the easy stairs to Hohenschwangau – two castles for 7€ total.)
Jerry Garrett
June 11, 2013
Garrett On The Road 
WoooW Neuschwanstein is the most beautiful castle in the world
Fantastic !1
http://new-swan-stone.blogspot.de/
By: Konig Ludwig on February 10, 2014
at 8:00 pm
Can the castle be seen if we’re staying at fussen?
By: S.I.R. on March 29, 2014
at 1:33 pm
From most locations, yes. The castle is about three miles away from Fussen. The castle sits on a small hill across the valley.
By: Jerry Garrett on March 29, 2014
at 2:04 pm
Hi Jerry,
can i have the permission to use the top picture in my Intro from my Youtube videos.
I Play Minecraft and want to make a rebuild from this castle in minecraft and i need few pictures for my intro.
I was born in German and know i am living in Australia. I visit the castle once when i was young. It is a beautiful castle.
Would be nice if you can let me know if i got permission to use your picture.
Thanks so much
By: Dave Kischel on March 31, 2014
at 8:56 pm
Sure. No problem. Thank you for asking.
By: Jerry Garrett on March 31, 2014
at 9:59 pm
Thanks, that’s great mate 🙂
By: Dave Kischel on March 31, 2014
at 11:11 pm
I also will put in your webpage adress in the ending with a special thanks to you ;P
By: Dave Kischel on March 31, 2014
at 11:15 pm
No need. But appreciated, just the same!
By: Jerry Garrett on March 31, 2014
at 11:39 pm
I visited both castles less than 2 weeks ago. Did all the walking, climbing and running downhill with my wife. Also got the guided tours.
You can view some of my pictures here:
https://plus.google.com/115322211994899451515/posts/iQwdSkaSFw2
These are dramatised and the real thing looks less surreal of course. The view from the Mary’s Bridge was worth all the effort.
By: okaydoubleu on July 13, 2014
at 11:57 am
Well worth the trip. Unforgettable. Especially if you know the stories behind it.
By: Jerry Garrett on July 13, 2014
at 6:27 pm
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at 6:28 pm
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at 6:29 pm
We are driving there this summer and this helps us a lot! Thanks! I have just 1 question about the parking… Did you park in Hohenschwangau? Where is the best place to park if you just want to see the castle from the bridge? Regards Liza
By: Liza on June 2, 2015
at 5:38 pm
Drive as close as you can to the point where you are going to have to start walking up the hill…and then work backwards to find a parking spot. There are a lot of places to park (for a small fee, of course), and there is constant turnover of spaces. So if you see someplace you want to park, and there are no open spots, just wait a bit. Something is likely to open up soon. No need to park in lots miles away from the castle, although you will see signs urging you to do so.
By: Jerry Garrett on June 3, 2015
at 6:40 pm
Hi and thanks for you tips.
In this summer Marienbrucke will be closed…. Do you know, alternatives to go to the other side of the bridge to take similar photo? This is very importanto for me.
Thansk very much
By: Seb on July 18, 2015
at 11:15 am
I’m researching for an upcoming visit to the castle and your blog post has provided all the useful details I need. Thank you – it’s good to know there are like-minded travellers out there who value the same level of detail in planning a travel itinerary!
By: Alex on August 15, 2015
at 4:00 am
Glad to help. My daughter and her friend said they recently hiked up the “back way” (I don’t know exactly where that is) and were able to see some unique sights that way for free, as well.
By: Jerry Garrett on August 15, 2015
at 8:08 pm
While it is true that the tour of the interior of Neuschwanstein Castle is too short, it is definitely NOT true that there isn’t much to see inside. Most of the interior was finished before Ludwig’s death, and what was finished ranges from interesting at the very least to bizarre at the other extreme. Ludwig’s castle is his embodiment of the theatrical Wagnerian vision of Germanic mythology. I thought the interior fascinating, with the only downside of the tour being that it was too short. I did manage to lag a bit from room to room so I had a few extra minutes to study some of the amazing, and again often bizarre, décor and art work and 19th Century craftsmanship.
By: Bill on May 5, 2016
at 11:02 am
Hi! Thanks for your post!
I’m planning to visit the castle in November, will the hiking route still be safe to trek during this period?
By: Aidil on October 1, 2016
at 3:37 pm
I’m sure it will be in the best possible condition. This area is kept up quite well by its curators.
By: Jerry Garrett on October 2, 2016
at 8:07 pm
Thanks for your very detailed post. Do you happen to remember the location of the forest road where there is the free parking spot? (or how to get there from the tourist center office?)
By: HostMAX on September 20, 2018
at 3:08 am
Sorry it has been awhile since my last visit. I don’t think I could describe it properly. But it exists!
By: Jerry Garrett on September 22, 2018
at 1:24 am
Hi Jerry, I find it to grasp that a free, unrestricted parking lot would be allowed 250 m away of a paying parking. You sure you parked legally? How early did you get there?
By: Pablo on September 10, 2019
at 7:03 pm