In Oct 2016, I booked all my tickets to Castle Neuschwanstein, but unfortunately, I got a Visa only for 8 days, so I only got the chance to visit Bratislava, Prague, and Vienna.
In Oct 2017, I booked my tickets again for Castle Neuschwanstein, but I got a visa rejection from the Austrian Embassy, and again my plan was canceled.
Finally, in October 2018, I again booked all my tickets to Castle Neuschwanstein with my wife for our 8th month of wedding celebrations.
It was one of my dreams to visit this castle in Autumn, and thanks to ALLAH Almighty I fulfill my dream in this year's fall you never know what Allah had planned for you.
Indeed visiting it with the love of my life was millions of times better than visiting it as a bachelor. It's not only the most visited castle in the world, but it's also the most romantic castle.
Undoubtedly, it's the best thing to do in Germany in any weather, and it has a completely different look and surroundings from other castles in Germany. It's a Gem of Europe, and your Euro trip can't be completed without your tour of Neuschwanstein Castle.
How to Reach Castle Neuschwanstein:
We started our journey from Dortmund's main train station (Hauptbahnhof) by Deutsche Bahn's (DB) ICE Train. There's a small town near Castle called Füssen where we stayed. Füssen is around 3.5 km away from the Castle.
Check below to find out the best prices of tickets to travel to different destinations using Omio.
As Füssen is a small town, there is no ICE going to Füssen, so we changed the train and took the Regional Train (RE) from Munich.
It took us around 2 hours from Munich (Germany's 3rd Largest City) with two changes. After a long journey of 9 hours from Dortmund. Finally, we reached Füssen at 10:30 PM. All the restaurants closed from around 10:30 PM to 11:00 PM. The only option we had at that time was McDonald's. So if you are hungry at night, McDonald's is a place to go. It remains open until 1:00 AM.
Our Room in Füssen:
It was a very sudden plan. I did not have much time to book the hotel in advance. All the hotels in Fussen were fully booked, and all the options left were pretty expensive. We would highly suggest booking the hotel in advance, else you will find all the expensive options.
Luckily, we found a very cozy room using Booking.com with a personal bathroom around 2 km away from Füssen City Centre. The room was in a basement of a German household.
Our host was very cooperative and welcoming as we reached there around 10:30 PM, and he was still waiting for us. Our room was located near a Super Market REWE.
Journey Towards Neuschwanstein Castle from Füssen:
The next morning, we started our journey to Neuschwanstein Castle from Füssen. You can take a bus No. 78 from Füssen Bahnhof. The return ticket is for € 4.5, or you can rent a cycle for € 10 for a whole day. You can also go on foot. Most probably, the prices will be changed now.
The bus dropped at a village called Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein Castle is above the hill from Hohenschwangau. You have to walk upwards to around 700 meters, or you can take a horse cart. It will cost you around € 7 per person. Most probably, the prices will be changed now.
Tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle :
When we reached the ticket station, there was a huge queue. There are limited slots available to buy the tickets online. We would suggest you book the ticket online even if you are not able to buy tickets online. So in this way, you will get priority in the queue because there is a separate queue for it.
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After waiting for half an hour, we got tickets. If you are an EU student- Don’t forget to ask for your Student discount. There are 3 main attractions in this area – 1) Neuschwanstein Castle, 2) Hohenschwangau Castle, and 3) Museum of the Bavarian Kings.
There are different types of combinations of tickets, if you are planning to explore more than one attraction in a day, we would suggest taking a combo Ticket.
Horse Carriage Ride:
After getting the tickets, we were ready to go Castle, and we took a horse carriage so that we could enjoy the view and our surroundings. I highly suggest having a horse carriage ride and reach to the castle like a Royals.
FINALLY !! FINALLY !! We are here. WOHOOOO – It was like my dream came true. I totally lost in the beauty of the castle.
The carriage can take you to a certain point, and afterward, you have to walk all the way to the Castle. On your way to the castle, they are a few Restaurants and cafes.
You can also do some shopping at some stores and enjoy the scenic beauty of Bavarian foothills from the hill, and the view is out of this world. It's highly recommended to stay there and enjoy the beauty of the Bavarian Alps.
Bavarian Foothills View from the Hill:
On the other side of the hill, you can view the sky-high Bavarian Alps, the view of the Castle from this point is majestic, and a man-made platform provides the best point to explore the beauty of the Castle.
After spending some quality time on both sides of the hills, we started walking towards the Castle, and there was an open ground right after the Gates. When I saw the ground and the buildings surrounding it, I felt for a while that I was in Minas Thrith, a legendary and mystic city shown in The Lords of the Rings.
The white courtyard was just like the scenes of The Lords of the Rings, and Neuschwanstein Castle was glowing in the sunlight coming from behind the Bavarian Alps.
History of Neuschwanstein Castle:
Neuschwanstein Castle was built in the 19th Century by King Ludwig II of Bavaria from his personal funds. The Castle was intended as a home for the king, but he died in 1886, the same year in which the castle was completed. After his death, it was open to the public.
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The tour inside the castle is only possible with a tour guide. You can have a tour in different languages. We opted for English, and our tour started at 3:05 PM. After every 5 minutes, there is a tour going into the castle. It is strictly prohibited to take photos – so guys, put your phones and cameras inside and lost in the beauty of the castle.
Bavaria being the richest state in Germany has many castles, but the most important castle in Bavaria is Neuschwanstein Castle. If you haven't been to Bavaria, you must visit Bavaria and enjoy its rich history and culture, and experience.
Inside the Castle:
We have climbed up the castle and pass through the Throne room. We also got an opportunity to have a look at the personal rooms of King Ludwig II and the place where he used to keep his jewels and money.
The walls of the castles are covered with paintings depicting different faiths and religions of the world. There are so many windows in the castle from where you can enjoy the view of the lake. Everything is so alluring and detailed oriented.
There's also a café where you can enjoy your coffee with cheesecake along with a terrace where you can enjoy the view and also the best place to take a breathtaking picture with an amazing view of the valley floor.
Unfortunately, The Marien Bridge, aka Sky Bridge, was closed down due to some construction and renovation work, so I did not get a chance to enjoy the view from the bridge.
We would suggest you go on the left side when you go out from the castle – if you walk for 100 meters. It is the best place to take a picture with a background of the castle.
After exploring the surrounding areas, we took the same bus back to Füssen Train station. We stayed in Füssen for three days and explored the surrounding villages and Bavarian Alps. We would highly suggest exploring this place for at least two to three days.
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Visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Winters:
In Jan 2020, we made a random plan for a one-day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle. It was snowing, and the castle had been covered in snow, casting a magical spell on the visitors.
Ending Note:
If you are already living or staying in Bavaria and just want to spend a day in Castle. We would suggest taking a Bayern Ticket – With a Bayern ticket, you can travel in the whole Bavarian State for € 26 per person, and you can buy up to 5 tickets by adding € 5 for each person. You can check the ticket details at Deutsche Bahn (DB).