Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castle
 

Is it nessesary to have reservations to tour the castles I will be taking a trip to Germany April 7th to the 15th- I plan on visiting the area of the castles the 10-11th. Also- this will be my first time in Europe- we will be renting a car from Munich airport and driving into the city (staying at the Kempinski)this will be our first stop along the way (Munich-Fussen-Rothenburg-Heidelburg). How is the driving? Is it confusing? I am a little nervous.

Thanks- Aimee

Reservations are not necessary. I debated the same issue before our trip and decided to get tickets there so I didn't have to worry about arrival time. We were there end of September and had around a 15 minute wait in line for the tickets. It is better to be there early. Can't help with driving in Munich as we picked up our rental in Dachau, but the drive from there to Rothenberg and down to the castles is not difficult at all...just have a good map. Have fun.

Aimee,

Driving into Munich will be your biggest challenge. You might want to rent your car on the day you leave Munich rather than the airport. The drive on the Romatic Road is pretty basic, but I kept going in circles in Nordlingen.

I'd also wait to rent a car the day you leave Munich. It's pretty much a burden in this city--Munich has excellent public transportation and many rental offices in the city.

Driving is not confusing. Are you from the USA? Some things are different--e.g., off the Autobahn, you don't see route numbers very often, so the navigator needs to keep track of what cities are along the route you want to take. As you leave each town, there's a sign showing the next couple of cities along the route,so you can tell if your still on the right road.

3 summers ago, we drove basically the same route you're contemplating.

Munich to Fussen (actually, we stayed in Hohenschwangau, the village where the castles are located): Took the Autobahn for the first part--A95/E533 south. When we got bored with the Autobahn, we exited near Sindeldorf and took B472 towards Habach. Eventually hit L2062 to Saulgrub, then down B23 to Oberammergau. Oberammergau is very scenic. Near Oberammergau is Ettal which is worth a stop.

Then we headed west to Linderhof Palace on the Linderhof Strasse for a couple of hours visit.

On leaving Linderhof Palace, we continued west into northern Austria on the road that follows the northern shore of the Plansee--a nice lake. Stopped for a pleasant late lunch along the lake. Then through Reutte, Austria where we took Route B179 back into Germany near Fuessen.

We left Munich at around 8:30 AM and got into Hohenschwangau in time to check into our pension and see Hohenschwangau Castle that evening--of course this was summer and it was light late.

The drive up the Romantic Road was a piece of cake. Stopped at the Wieskirche, Nordlingen and Dinkelsbuhl on the way to the Rothenburg area (we didn't stay in Rothenburg--we stayed in a castle hotel east of Rothenburg).

It was so hot the day we headed towards Heidelberg, that we didn't make any of our planned stops--just stayed on the Autobahn.

I also strongly recommend picking up your rental car as you leave Munich, rather than at the airport. This saves you several things, including a few extra days rental fee, the airport surcharge (which can be substantial), and driving in Munich.

The train from the airport to the city center is convenient and easily figured out. Once you are in the city center, get a taxi to your hotel. You will arrive much less stressed.

Several car rental companies have offices in the main train station. From there, it is not difficult to get out of the city. The rural areas are easy to drive through, but it can be difficult to find hotels in Heidelberg. Do your homework and have a plan for finding your hotel before you leave home.

The driving's not at all bad. I would recommend staying off the autobahn until you are accustomed to the driving and signage, then once you DO go on the bahn, stay in the right lane and pass no one for 30 minutes, while you observe "how it's done". Unlike in the US, speed up to pass, do it within 10 seconds, and get over immediately. The rural roads between the towns you mention seem less trafficed than those in the US, and by far more interesting. Echoing Bird, the less you drive in Munich, the more you'll enjoy your trip. If you question why, imagine a guy from China trying to navigate LA, or Boston, or Chicago. How would he read the signs?
You'll need no reservations for the castles; just try to arrive before the tour buses arrive (about 9:30) or after they leave (about 2:30). We found our touring was enhanced by buying a roadmap/atlas which had scenic towns designated with special colors, which enabled us to stop on the way from A to C to see what made B scenic...lots of pleasant surprises that way, and without major delays or detours.

Thanks so much for the info! I am from the U.S- I am used to driving in large cities- Philadelphia, New Yok etc...I was pretty much just going to drive the car to the hotel and leave it - I will be arriving in Munich Saturday the 8th and departing on Monday- I just thought It would be easier than trying to figure out the trains. I am also staying in Hohenschwangau (Villa Jagerhaus)I just couldn't remember the spelling when I was typing the email=:)
Thanks for the tips- wish me good weather!!!

I have all of my hotels booked-
Kempinski in Munich, Villa Jagerhaus in Hohenschwangau, Burg Hotel in Rothenburg and Hirschgasse in Heidelburg- leaving out of Frankfurt airport on April 15th- I will definitly reconsider waiting for the car until I leave Munich- I already have a reservation though- I guess I can try to switch the date and place. Thanks again for the info.
Aimee

We were there late in the day and still had to wait a while before our tour. They were sold out of the English tour at the time we got there.

http://www.hohenschwangau.de/548.0.html ((b))

RufusTFirefly,

How is the driving on the road from Linderhof along the Plansee and through Reutte to Fuessen?

I have seen several references to it here and in other sources, but I have never seen comments about whether it is an easy drive or a mountainous or curvy drive.

JoeE--it follows the lake, so it does curve some, but not switchbacks or anything approaching difficult driving. There are some ups and downs, but you're not driving on mountain cliffs.

I am not a guy who particularly enjoys driving, but I found it a pleasant and easy route.

I agree the road from Linderhof along the Plansee and through Reutte to Fuessen is great drive. Last time we took it not many cars on road and scenery was wonderful. Shortest route and road was good.

RufusTFirefly and zozozo,

Thanks for the info about the road from Linderhof through Reutte to Fuessen. We may try this route next time. We've always been hesitant to try it because we were afraid it might be difficult to drive.

The "problem" will not be needing a reservation for these sites. As Budman has indicated, you may or may not be able to get on an English-speaking tour. Sometimes you are forced to wait until there are a sufficient number of English-speaking-preferred folks before an English-speaking guide starts off.

How far in advance should you book a tour of the castles in order to get an English-language tour?

IF you got there before the buses, say 9:00AM, I think you wouldn't need a reservation

Aimee,

If you decide to pick up your car as you leave Munich, be sure to compare the cost of picking up the car at the train station vs. picking up the car at a "neighborhood" office, of which there are many in Munich. I believe the airport surcharge (16 or 19%) also applies to cars picked up at train stations. However, if you pick up a car across the street from the train station (or at any other local office), there is no surcharge. The only disadvantage, perhaps, is that the local offices may have a smaller selection of cars than the train station. If you have a reservation, of course, your car should be waiting for you. On the other hand, in the rental car business, making a reservation and holding a reservation seem to be two different things (you may remember a Seinfeld episode about this), and my experience in Europe, unlike the US, is that if they don't have the class of car you reserved they will try to downgrade you, not upgrade you.

I am picking up a rental car in Munich next month thru Autoeurope (gemut.com), and yes, it is cheaper to pick one up in a Munich local office instead of the airport/train station.

As I type this, I am reading that the OP took off for her trip yesterday. :-) Hope this is some help to others. ((b))