I just went last month. It was great to see, as it has features that you won't find in other castles. The guided tour was a little disappointing as it was only 35 minutes so it was kind of rushed. The castle could certainly merit more, but I could see that might be difficult because of the volume of visitors. There was a tour given every 10 minutes. As it was, the following group was constantly waiting for us to vacate a given room.

Just note that this is a major tourist attraction, with many European tourists as well as the groups from China, Japan and so forth.

We had purchased tickets online, which was a relief--it took 5 minutes to retrieve them. The line to purchase same-day tickets was about 2 hours long we were told, with only tickets available for 6 hours later (in line at 1030am for 430pm tickets).

If you have time, the area within one hour drive has other interesting places to visit.

That's very sad .... some time since I've been. The last time I was there we were pretty much in a small group with no one following for an hour or so.

To me the major things about the castle is the nature of it's fantasy; the fact that it is absolutely brand new because no one has ever lived in it - and the atmosphere if you can get a few moments by yourself here and there. I wish private visits were possible because this is a once in a lifetime type thing if you can visit without the babble and the rabble.

You're right - there's Hohenshwangau and Linderhof but Neuschwanstein is sadly the star but the enjoyment of it is something that seems unavailable to most people now.

Was talking with a person at the Chicago Seminar Do this weekend, seeing as we are staying in Munich in late November, it was suggested to rent a car and take a day trip to Neuschwanstein and the town of Garmisch. Seems very doable via map.

Anyone done such a trip?

If so, is there a better small alps town to visit after Neuschwanstein or is Garmisch the one to visit?

Can be done, depends on the weather. A colleague did the Neuschwanstein - Garmisch drive via the B17/23 on the german side in the snow in January and got caught in bad snow with a automatic car (MB C series with rear wheel drive). Still he managed to do it in a day. Garmisch is definitely nice, there is a reason why the US Military still retains this garrison as their NATO training center ;)

A LONG time ago I used to drive this car during horrible snow storms http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1164...28694718vJmwuA an MB had to be better, even in the mountains.:D

Do you have any recommendations for an authentic hotel in the area?

If you talk German and
if you are willing to drive around 100km and
if you are a group (or at least a family),
you can consider to stay in Aulendorf in a medieval hotel. They also offer a knight's banquet in the evening. Food is excellent and the show is fun.
http://www.ritterkeller.de/
http://www.ritterkeller.de/index2.html

We just stayed here last week with a group.( Shelby Run Europe )
You can see the (unfortunately covered with scaffolding right now) front of the castle from rooms facing the street.

http://www.hotelmueller.com/

We stayed at a great hotel near Fuessen called the Hotel Bergruh. The drive takes about 20 mins & there is plenty of parking. The views from the hotel are amazing and they speak some English.
A good tip about visiting Neuschwanstein if you have a few days is to look out of your window. If it's sunny, go for it as early as possible!
We're fairly fit walkers and the walk up the hill took about 20 - 30 min. If you want to visit Marienbruke take the bus up the hill as the bus stop is closer to the bridge than the footpath route.
There are a few places to eat that are not overpriced and free toilets both within the castle grounds and by the gift shops.
The tour does feel rushed and can be bad if you get a guide who lacks enthusiasm for the tour as we had when we did it the 1st time.
If you are doing a couple of castles of Ludwig's or within Bavaria consider buying a state castles pass which will save you money.