Ludwig Castles
 

I'd really like to do all three of: Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein and Lindenhof as a long day trip from Munich. I've looked into several tours, and it seems like only a couple do Neuschwanstein and Lindenhof, and none do all three. Public transport, at least to Neuschwanstein, seems a bit complicated. I'll be there the last week of August, and I can go on a weekday.

Thoughts about how to negotiate all of this? I did see something like Mike's Bike Tours where I could skip the bike portion and maybe do all three of the castles?

There are FOUR Ludwig "builds' not three. The fourth, the palace at Herrenchiemsee is the largest of all and was built as a tribute to Louis XIV and Versailles. It is the most elaborately decorated of the four as well although in some ways not as fanciful as Linderhof.

You can get to Neuschwanstein, etc., if you are willing to take the train from Munich to Fuessen. From there you can take either a taxi or a public bus.

For Herrenchiemsee you take the train from Munich to Prien which is located on the main line between Munich and Salzburg.

I assume you are also familiar with both the Residenze as well as the Nymphenburg both of which are located within the city limits of Munich.

Public transit from Munich to Neuschwanstein is easy and pretty seamless. You just walk off the train in Fuessen and right onto a waiting bus. You can walk to Hohenscheangau and take the bus up the mountain to Neuschwanstein. Follow the crowds. Just make sure you have timed tickets in advance. It's another hour to Linderhof and hard to do by public transit. So I'd suggest a tour. It's a lot for one day. But since it's almost 3 hours to Hohenschwangau doing it independently without a car is really hard.

There will be some long lines in August for Neuschwanstein. I liked the gardens at Lindenhof. Do as Doug said and have timed tickets.

If I do a tour, do I need the timed tickets?

And, can I buy the timed tickets online? I hunted around the website a little but read something about two days before? It implied in person to me.

Is there a tour that anyone knows of that combines N/H/L? It does seem like L is doable by public transport with just one train, which is useful.

If you do a tour are you insisting that it be with an English-speaking guide?

Oh, and JoeTro, you're welcome.

Neuschwanstein gets the crowds and postcards, but IMO Hohenschwangau is the far more interesting of the two. It is more of a palace than a castle and one can easily picture how the family lived with little Ludwig playing and running around. There is a fine view of Neuschwanstein from the terrace which is how it is best seen. Again IMO, close up Neuschwanstein is a big, not so old building constructed to represent a castle and the interior while of some interest, particularly the quirky parts left me walking back down the hill singing Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is."

Love Herrenchiemsee- haven't seen the others though. You won't need tickets for that one. Even the train ride and the ferry are picturesque .

It's LindeRhof, not Lindenhof--and it was our favorite, especially for the underground grotto where the king was rowed about in a boat while listening to Wagner. Very fanciful. The gardens are lovely.

If you do a tour and want to see the interior of Neuschwanstein, make sure the tour includes that. Not all the tours do. In that case, you'd have to buy your own ticket, and you should confirm the procedure/cost with the tour company. I've seen some tours promise no-line access, and I simply don't know how that works because the tickets always sell out.

And if you do this on your own. In high season, you simply will not be able to get a timed ticket to see the interior of Neuschwanstein unless you arrive first thing in the morning (and even then you may not be able to do it). So definitely book in advance. The last time I went (during the off-season in late November), there were no tickets left for the day even though I arrived by 11. So lesson learned. I didn't imagine that the crowds would be as thick as they were. Imagine many times the crowds in August.

Try this for a long day:

1. Reserve a combo ticket, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, over the internet. Ask for the earliest English tour. It should come back 9am.

2.You will need to pick the ticket 1 hour before your tour time. You will need to take a train which will get you to Fussen so that you arrive in time to take a taxi/bus to the ticket office in time to claim your ticket. A taxi can take you to within a few feet of the ticket office.

3.The two castle tour ends about 12 noon. Here is where you need your track shoes. You need to go down the hill from Neuschwanstein, catch a cab so that you can catch the 12:45pm bus from the Fussen train station to Oberammergau arriving 2:19pm.

4.Local #9622 bus Oberammergau to Linderhof. 25-40 min, near hourly

5.After seeing castle take local #9622 local bus back to Oberammergau. Have dinner.

6.Train to Munich (1 change).Run late into the night.
See bahn.de for train/bus schedules.

https://www.hohenschwangau.de/430.html

https://www.hohenschwangau.de/1392.0.html

http://www.schlosslinderhof.de/engli...ce/history.htm

Thanks, everyone. This all very helpful. Much to consider.

What about this tour? I wonder if 3.5 hours is enough time to see both N and H?

http://www.grayline.com/tours/munich...unich-5868_13/

No, it's likely not enough time. It takes at least 30 minutes just to stand in line and get up the mountain to Neuschwanstein (and potentially just as long to get down), longer if you walk. The castle tours themselves don't take much time, but the logistics are difficult. I'd say it's probably one or the other but not both if you have only 3.5 hours in Hohenschwangau.

Joe

What you are suggesting would be to ditch the Gray Line tour at 1:00pm - on Arrival at Neuschwanstein Castle.
Do a combination ticket:
Kings-Ticket (Neuschwanstein castle & Hohenschwangau castle) which you would have reserved 2 or more days in advance over the internet.

(All tickets can be reserved in advance. Reservations for the same day are not possible. If you made a reservation in advance, you also have to pick-up the tickets in the Ticket Center 1 hour before the castle tour.)

https://www.hohenschwangau.de/543.html

https://www.hohenschwangau.de/1392.0.html

You would miss the 4:30pm - Depart from Neuschwanstein Castle with the Gray Line tour for the return to Munich.
You would have to get back to Munich on your own.
You are thinking out of the box!

Thanks, all.

Hi, again. Thanks for all of these tips. This is so unlike me, but I'm kind of thinking of taking a tour. Thoughts on either the Viator or Gray Line? Both are about $62 and seem to allot time for both Neuschwanstein and Lindenhof. Gray Line looks a little more compressed, although both say 10:30 hours.

They may be the same tour. Viator is a booking agency, not a tour operator, and it's a bit opaque so you can't easily see who is actually operating the tour you are booking.

What about Flexibus? Looks like they do Munich-Lindehof and Lindenhof-Neuschwanstein?