neuschwanstein castle

Old Jun 17th, 2008, 09:03 AM
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neuschwanstein castle

stopping here first before spending a week in austria....is it a full day event?has anybody purchased the coach tickets to take you up to the castle?
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Old Jun 17th, 2008, 09:12 AM
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No, it is not an all-day event. You can see both castles in a morning or an afternoon. We took the motor coach up.
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Old Jun 17th, 2008, 09:18 AM
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Neuschwanstein itself can be a few-hour thing - mainly waiting in lines to get in even if you have a reservation

But Fussen and the castles can be a wonderful full day

In addition to the other authentically old medieval castle next to Neuschwanstein you could putz around the back of the castle on paths and go to the Marienbrucke (name?) high above the castle where Mad Ludwig himself often went to ponder the castle's construction, which of course he never lived to see fully

And Fussen itself is cutish - a Baroque pastel hued town and there is a neat path along a gorge there that few tourists take time to discover.

So yes can be quick or can be a nice full day. Fussen the town has lots of nice eateries, shops, etc.
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Old Jun 17th, 2008, 09:31 AM
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My Hometown, is in the Allgau region I tell people I am from Fuessen... Wonderful area. Should you partake in the tour, the coach is a good way to get there or you can take the horse and carriage up. Take the tours in Hohenschwangau then Neuschwantstein. Your legs will thank you later...

Eric
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Old Jun 17th, 2008, 09:37 AM
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Neuschwanstein is one of those places which look better from outside than in. The natural setting in the forests and the hills lives up to all the hype; the inside was never finished. As a result, the tour does not go into every room because there is nothing much there to see.

I think the view from up above the castle is worth the time it takes to get up there because it is splendid.

You may well find that the English language tours sell quickly because many Europeans grab the first available tour in a language they understand. As a result, our tour group was perhaps 60% native speakers and 40% other speakers.

We had a similar experience in Salzburg. The tour of the Festspielhaus started out bi-lingual but our tour guide had clear English diction. As a consequence, the German speakers in the group told her English was sufficient; she did not need to repeat herself in German. The gain was that she then had more time to tell us about what we were seeing.


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Old Jun 17th, 2008, 09:52 AM
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Get there first thing, schedule early tours and it will be about a half day. Depending on when you arrive the lines can get really long. If you are going to arrive later, book in advance.

I like to take the bus up to Neuschwanstein, hike further uphill to the bridge (Marienbrucke) for some great views, then down to the castle for your tour. After the tour hiking down is easy. Hohenschwangau is an short uphill walk from the center.
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 02:59 AM
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I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, but I thought the interior of Neuschwanstein one of the most unique and interesting of any castle we've visited in Europe. True, many of the rooms were never completed, but what was completed is very unique.

Especially interesting if you are aware of what was happening in Europe at the time, and especially what was going on in Bavaria with Ludwig's "idiosyncrasies," and his fascination with Germanic mythology and everything Wagnerian.

It was a welcome change from the usual castle fare of room after room of armor, swords, and big tables.
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 05:13 AM
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We hiked up to Queen Mary's bridge, is this the one you guys are talking about? A beautiful, beautiful view from there of the castle and area!
http://tinyurl.com/6g5vuk
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 05:18 AM
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You should not miss going up to the Marienbrucke for great views! Plus, if you cross the bridge, you can walk along a path that will take you up into the woods for an even better view! The path isn't marked, but it is a fairly easy climb.

Here are a few pics we took from that vantage point if you are interested:
http://tinyurl.com/6zmnjk

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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 07:00 AM
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Hi N,

You can do N and Hohenschwangau in the better part of a day or as little as 1/2 day, depends on how slowly you travel.

Yu don't buy coach tickets in advance. Just go the the bus, drops you off at the Marienbrucke above N, or the horse buggy (more interesting) that drops you off about 50 meters below the castle.

If you are quick travelers, you could skip H and drive to Linderhof - our favorite.

Definitely visit the Grotto.

Enjoy your visit.

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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 07:09 AM
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I think you make it as quick a visit or as long a visit as you wish. We used up the better part of a day and visited both castles as well as hiked up to the bridge. It was thoroughly enjoyable because we didn't try to rush through it. We were there in March and the two days prior to our visit it had snowed 14". So we were literally surrounded by a winter wonderland - the hike through the snowy woods was breathtakingly beautiful!
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 01:25 PM
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I agree with Rufus - very intriguing interior

a surprise at every turn

the most enjoyable castle interior i've been in - not the same ole same ole stuffy portraits and old furnishings

really a suprise at every turn
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 01:34 PM
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Definitely leave time to visit BOTH castles. Hohenschwangau is more homey than Neuschanstein and some people do not go there. We enjoyed both of them.

The hill to the entrance of Neuschwanstein is steep. Take the horse and buggy up for a fun time. You can walk down to the busses if you want at the conclusion of the tour.
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 04:35 PM
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We just returned from Germany and we toured both Neuschwanstein and Hohanschwagau. It was not crowded at all and it was June 11. We were late and arrived at 12 pm and had 12:15 reservations for Hohanschwangau. We went to ticket center and got right up in the line for reservations and made it to the tour at 12:15. Our Neuschwanstein tour was scheduled for 2:15 after stopping for a quick brat and beer, we made it in time. We chose to walk to both castles, and Neuschwanstein was much longer walk than Hohanschwangau.

I loved Neuschwanstein and had been told the outside was better than the inside. I thought the interior was beautiful and it was left exactly as it was when "Mad Ludwig" died and it was turned into a museum within two weeks of his death. He had only lived there for 3-6 months when he died.

I definitely recommend reservations. We made them by phone and didn't have to pay until we got there.

Enjoy!
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 07:16 PM
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If you are in any kind of reasonable shape you can walk up too - many people do.
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Old Jun 18th, 2008, 08:02 PM
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agree with traveldawg - take the buggy up and considering walking down. bewarned - its pretty crowded!
enjoy - my little girl was thrilled to see the real "disney" castle!
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Old Jun 19th, 2008, 04:06 AM
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We didn't know you could take a buggy up so we walked. It was only after we were almost there we heard the clip-clop of horses! I would of definitly riden.
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