Leaving for tour of Europe that stops in Munich for 2 days. Would like to take the train to see Neuschwanstein. Can anyone who has done this kind of day trip please give me some input on how to do this? How hard (or feasabile) is it to do this sort of thing if you do not know any German??? Thanks in advance for input.... <BR> <BR> <BR>John

Hi John--You will find this to be a very easy and worthwhile day trip. It takes about 2 hours each way on the train and its a beautiful ride. You can either go direct to the town of Fussen or change trains in another little town whose name escapes me at the moment. However, it's very clearly marked on the yellow "abfahrt" signs at the station. When you get to Fussen, catch a bus across the street (also clearly marked) for the town of Schwangau. From there you buy your ticket to see the castle which is beautiful. Strongly recommend that you go to www.neuschwanstein.com and send them an e-mail stating the time you want to visit. They will tell you how to fax the ticket office for reservations thereby bypassing the lines. Have a really nice time. Gina

Good advice on advance tickets. The lines can get long and they are divided by language. Definitely buy in advance if you are on a train schedule

You can make this trip on a one-day pass for with up to 4 others for 35 DM total with the "Schoenes Wochenende" ticket, good Sat or Sun any hour on the local trains (RE, RB, SE, S). On weekdays, get a "Bayern Ticket" for about the same price, good on the same trains between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., then from 6 p.m. on. Buy these tickets from a lobby ticket machine on the day of departure or in advance at a window. If there are 5 of you, it's about $3.50 each round trip!

You did say you wanted to take the train, but I just thought I'd tell you that the Munich tourist office has a day trip to both Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles, the latter IMHO being more interesting and less rushed. In any case, the trip is in English, and you don't have to figure out where to go.

get a klugelschreiber. They're the best

Here's the website for the train schedule: http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en <BR>It looks like there are direct trains from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Füssen (Fuessen) every 2 hours (8:51, 10:51, etc) and direct returns also every 2 hours (17:05, 19:05, etc) otherwise you can change in Buchloe. Russ offered good info on the train tickets to get, which you can buy from machines in any station. The bus meets arriving trains and waits right in front of the station. It says 'castles' and also in German on the front of it. It takes 15 minutes or so to get there. When you arrive, check the returning bus schedule because they don't run constantly. I can't offer advice on tickets because I haven't been lately and they've changed the way they sell them. The earlier you get there, the better. By the way, no problem not knowing German. Just make sure you get on the right train and get off at the right spot and you can take an English tour.

I should've also said that you buy bus tickets on the bus. I don't remember the price but it's not bad. Go ahead and buy round trip. The bus drivers may not speak English but they're used to dealing with tourists. When I said "I can't offer advice on tickets" I meant tickets to the castles. There's a pay toilet right at the bus stop which I think takes 50 pfennig coins.

Hi: My daughter and I went by train to visit the castles. Neither of us speak a word of German, and we had no problems getting there or back. It really is quite simple, and everyone we met was very helpful.