Neuschwanstein tips?
 

We are on a Germany vacation and within driving distance (maybe 2.5h) of Neuschwanstein. What is the best way to make the best of a day trip there in late March/early April? When should we plan on arriving, getting tickets, anything else to see and do etc?

At this time of year the crowds are not bad, if you arrive by mid-morning you will be fine. You park and buy your tickets at the base of the hill, and when you buy your ticket you can specify the tour starting time. You can walk up the hill to the castle in about 15-20 minutes, or you can pay to ride to the top in a horse-drawn carriage. There are any number of cafes at the base of the hill, and another one just before you get to the castle. Spending 60-90 minutes in the castle area is more than enough to see everything. Make sure you hike along the path to the bridge over the gorge that gives you a great view of the castle. Although certainly a very touristy place, its worth a visit nevertheless. Enjoy.

Up-post said it all.
I am sure you know plenty info online as well, such as, but not limited to:
http://www.hohenschwangau.de/index.php?id=430

If you want additional places to visit, try check out online these:
Oberammergau, Ettal and Linderhof, not necessarily in that sequence. Linderhof would be worth at least 2 hours.
I have done all of them on a day-trip (driving, I mean). Beautiful destinations. You might wish to start the day early, since day light hours are limited.

When do you want to go? Not a problem at all this time of the year - any time should be fine.

keep in mind easter vacation starts 18 April. Until 30 April u maybe wanna get there in the morning.

another thing - they only sell tickets for specific tours now - so you can buy your ticket (which is usually 90 Minutes later) so you have enough time to walk up, hang out or whatever. in the past you just bought a ticket and got in the line. especially in the high season you sometimes waited for hours. but today everything is relaxed. i think you can also prebook online here
https://www.hohenschwangau.de/?id=378

Thankas for all the suggestions. I still have this and next weekend, and the week in between. Is there any difference between Sundays and weekdays in terms of demand and services available (e.g. closed stores, restaurants)

Hi,

This sounds like an odd suggestion ......

If you're an atmosphere sort of person ...... my tip is to hang back and try and (without bringing attention to yourself) try and be the last person leaving each room and then when everyone has left, steal surreptitously back to the previous room for a moment or two. The groups can be a bit of a bustle with all the jabbering and everything. The main (music?) room at the top which looks out through the colonnades to the surrounding countryside is particularly atmospheric and a few moments in this wonderful room by yourself will be memorable.

Remember that the castle is still brand new as Ludwig didn't occupy it properly before his untimely "death". So it's a stunning experience.

Enjoy your visit.

My TomTom indicates the drive to Schwangau will take 3.5h so there may not be too much time to add additional destinations. However, I noticed that the Zugspitze was listed among the nearby POIs. How long would a roundtrip up and down the Zugspitze take using the various gondolas (zahradbahn etc)?

in case you really want to do that i would suggest and drive to ehrwald in austria and go up from there. From Füssen around 40km = 40 Minutes.
If you want to do the Zahnradbahn it's 60km and about an extra hour.

I'm planning on going to the castle in October, mostly because a friend of mine traveling with me has been wanting to go there for years. I was wondering if anyone has recommendations for hotels or B&Bs nearby under 150 euro (or so) for a double.

Mandatory: Toilet/shower ensuite, ability to get breakfast
Big plus: Awesome views, breakfast included

Please keep in mind the the slope up the hill is VERY STEEP. While there is a horse drawn carriage, allow for delays depending on number of tourists needing ride.

There is also a bus service that will take you up and down the hill. I went in September, arrived at the ticket place at ~1300 and got a ticket for the 1610 tour. If taking the bus, ensure you leave enough time to walk from the bus stop to the castle (about 15 minutes).

It is also rather nice to walk up. I f:pund it to be rather pleasant. Just make sure to allow enough time.

Don't sit directly behind the horse.;)

We went in October a few years ago. The trees were changing color and were absolutely gorgeous. We had a car so we stayed in one of the guesthouses in the village of Hohenschwangau; I think it was the Hotel Mueller. We did not have a reservation but had no problems getting a room with breakfast at a very reasonable rate - since it was the shoulder season.

If you really want to splurge, you might consider the Hotel Rubezahl near Fussen. We were able to stay two nights in one of the apartments at a really discounted rate by not making an advance reservation and just asking about availability at the reception desk The website is www.hotelruebezahl.de We had a balcony with a view of the schloss; it was amazing in the moonlight. Our rate included breakfast. They also offer spa services at an additional cost.

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.