We plan on spending one day of our Munich trip seeing Neuschwanstein and enjoying the sights from Marienbrucke, exploring Fussen, etc.

However, I just noticed on the rail europe website that the earliest train from Munich arrives Fussen at 10:57 and the latest train from Fussen departs at 17:05. This gives us only 6 hours to get from the train station in Fussen, to the castle, into the castle for the tour, have lunch, and do some hiking.

Does anyone have any experience in this area and know whether there are other ways to get to and from Fussen? Or do you think 6 hours is enough? I have heard it can take a while to get tickets as well.

We are also thinking of doing a day trip to Salzburg and the route works out to where we can get there very early and leave very late. I'm just surprised that this option doesn't seem to exist for Fussen.

Raileurope does not provide a complete schedule. There are trains every hour of the day from 6:50 am to 9:50 pm. Check www.bahn.de for the day in question.

What a relief! Thanks!

If the train schedule doesn't work with your schedule, we rented a car just for a day and drove to that area. It was absolutely gorgeous and we ended up getting lost, ending up in Austria and the most beautiful small lake in the mountains on our way to Ettal. It was one of the best days of our trip and we appreciated the flexibility of a car.

Be sure to get to Neuschwanstein castle as soon as possible as the several times i've been there the lines have been very long, even in November and opening hours may be short. If you go right away you should have no problems. Weekends may be more crowded. Buses marked Koningschlosser, "King's castles" because there are two castles near each other, each associated with Mad King Ludwig who built Neuschwanstein and rehabbed the other less famous and less visited castle nearby, the name of which escapes me. You can also usually find folks to share taxis to the castles, two miles from the train station, or walk there on footpaths. Don't neglect a short stroll around Fussen, especially to the rive gorge near the town center. Train is a great way to go, like above says hourly links to late in night.

I found where there are hourly trains all day long. What a relief!

We do plan on taking some of the footpaths around Fussen. This is one of the major reasons we wanted to have a lot of time there! I hear great things about taking the trail to Marienbrucke, so we definitely didn't want to miss that.

Also did more searching and there is a website for the 2 castles where you can order tickets online and pick them up 1 hour prior to the ticketed time. In case this helps anyone, the website is neuschwanstein.com. This has general info and then a link to the Hohenschwangau website where you can order tickets.

Thanks for all the info, everyone!

Ifr you are willing to make one very easy change (in Buchloe) the earliest train running M-F leaves Munich at 6:51 AM and arriving at 8:57. Last return is about 11:15 PM. Although rail travel to Fussen is fairly simple you might find it more convenient, as others have suggested, to rent a car for that portion of the trip...in the end I think you'll find it will give you more flexibility.

Why not stay at least one night in the lovely town of Garmisch?

We would love to spend a night or two in some other parts of Bavaria, but we don't have much time on this trip. We will have to make a return trip to do some of the things we won't be able to do this time around.

We drove through much of Bavaria and enjoyed it thoroughly--driving is easy, roads are good, signage excellent. Got to see a lot that we wouldn't have seen by train (we did use trains the first part of the trip, and they are clean, efficient, and comfortable).

Anyway, whether you go by train or car, if you know which day you'll be visiting Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, that website mentioned above works fine for advance reservations--we used it with no problems and avoided the worst lines at the ticket center.

If you do decide that you are interested in driving, you can find previous posts in which I've described the route we took last year.

Why not spend the night in Hohenschwangau? We stayed at the wonderful Hotel Müller overnight in May. Our room had a view of Neuschwanstein castle. It was wonderful to be there after everyone had left. It was soooo quiet. We did Neuschwanstein Castle in the late afternoon of one day, and Hohenschwangau Castle in the morning. The latter is the more interesting and beautiful on the inside.

We considered staying in the area, and it is tempting. But we will not be able to swing it on this trip. We will be staying put in Munich.

Thanks for the advice!! We will have to make another trip when we have a chance.

Will there still be a long line or wait for purchasing tickets to the castles during early October? How long is the line usually?

In late June we went to the visitor's center about 10 expecting lines. I was the second person in line (and like at a bank, you divide to different ticket sellers). So the whole process took maybe 2 minutes. They set you up with times for the admissions, one of ours was almost immediately and the other set just enough later to allow us to get there.

provence--if you're concerned about ticket lines and you know the date you will be in Hohenschwangau, you can buy tickets in advance on line.

Sammy,

Allow me to second the sentiments of Rufus by suggesting that you purchase your "Ludwig" tickets in advance. I was at the castles this summer, and I really appreciated the streamlined approach to entering one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions. Unfortunately, the vast majority of tourists at the castles had to endure a lengthy ticket line.

As regards touring the Fussen area, do try to obtain a rental car for the day. While it's unfortunate you'll be limited to a day, touring the area via car is a delight, and you'll enjoy the flexibility of having four wheels. While around Fussen, make a point of visiting the rococo splendor of Wieskirche pilgrimage church. It, like so very much of Bavaria, is a must-see.

Best of luck.

The advice offered by previous posters on renting a car for a day is right on. It is the best way to tour the area. There is a lot to see within short drives of each site, which makes having a car the perfect sightseeing venue. Case in point: Linderhoff, King Ludwig's summer retreat palace. GORGEOUS and to me far more interesting than Neuschwanstein. Not too far either. Ettal, a charming town on your way down from Munich. Obberammergau, a MUST SEE, I can't even imagine been in the area and not visiting this wonderful town. All of these sites, we did by car on a day, departing early from Munich. Totally doable.