Hi, thank you for reading my post. My situation is this. I will be arriving in Munich on the day before Oktoberfest. I would like to use this day to go see Ludwigs castle. I assume I would want to go very early to aviod lines etc. Where would I depart from in Munich. How much would it cost round trip to get there. How much time would the entire excursion last, (leaving at 8 am). Also, might anyone who has been there know prices or a web-site w/ info. Munich is my departure city. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and respond. Thanks all.

Here's a website <BR>www.allgaeu-schwaben.com/cneuschwanstein.html

Neuschwanstein gets very crowded with tour buses. It was my experience that the tours were very crowded and rushed (hard to understand the tour guide with so many people) so I suggest doing a little research before you go. <BR> <BR>There is a tour group that takes the train from Munich. Their office is located in the Munich station. If I can remember their name, I'll post it for you. I think they had a trip that did the 3 castles for one price.

T. Paul. <BR> <BR>You can easily drive to the castle from Minich in About 90 minutes. Very easy trip, even I didn't get lost. Any hotel can give you directions. <BR> <BR>And it is well worth the trip! <BR> <BR>TBH

Will you have a car?

You might want to rethink this. The best part of seeing Neuschwanstein castle is the view from the distance. The inside part of the castle is nothing special. Your time would be much betting spent going to Salzburg, which is also an easy day trip and far more interesting.

For a full experience you may want to consider visiting Linderhof Castle as well as Neuschwanstein Castle. (About 1.5 - 2 hours by car from Munich to Neuschwanstein and about 1.0 hour from Neuschwanstein to Linderhof). <BR> <BR>If you were to leave Munich at 8:00 a.m., you would probably arrive at Neuschwanstein at the begining of the 'rush'. Under the best time circumstances Neuschwanstein is a four hour deal by itself / Linderhof is probably three hours. With travel and wait times you are looking at a full day. . . but doable. <BR> <BR>As an alternative, you may want to consider spending the night near Neuschwanstein (Fussen / Schwangau) to get a jump on the full day.

I agree with Russell Wayne <BR> <BR>While Luwig's castle is interesting and quite frankly best seen from a distance in the dark when the ligts are on...Salzburg is awesome. <BR> <BR>Early and late train will give you an entire day there. <BR> <BR>Tom

Two things: <BR> <BR>1) Go to www.db.de to view train schedules. It is very easy to use (go to the English section), and can tell you how to get anywhere from Munich and how much it cost. <BR> <BR>2) Have breakfast at the bottom of the hill going up to the castle. They have a great pancake with 'embedded' bacon in it. Goes well witht he local brew. <BR> <BR>Seriously, I went to the castle a few years ago, and it is pretty neat, but it is not of the same class as others. It has been a 'tourist attraction' since it was built in the 1880's. Not all the rooms are completed. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

With all due respect to those who are recommending Salzburg instead of the Ludwig castles, I do not concur. IMHO, the charm of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein surpasses that of Salzburg. Although Neuschwanstein is at its most striking from a distance, it is definitely worth seeing up close. I would really encourage you to go, if possible.

<BR>The most difficult part of driving to Neuschwanstein will be getting out of Munich. Otherwise, it's a piece of cake. I would advise a detailed road map of southern Germany, however. <BR> <BR>Several responses have urged you to visit Salzburg instead of Neuschwanstein. Hopefully, you will stick with Neuschwanstein, it is very impressive. From a distance, it is almost inspirational. At minimum, it is one of the iconic images of Europe.

Neuschwanstein, it is true, is lovelier from a distance. However, it is still interesting to see, especially in combination with Linderhof, King Ludvig II's more internally impressive home. Panorama does a decent 10 1/2 hour tour that includes both for about $40 plus entrance fees. It's a bit rushed in Linderhof, but everything is taken care of. Here's their web site: http://www.autobusoberbayern.de/eng/...usfluege8.html. <BR> <BR>I believe the Euraide Office in Munich also offers a good castle tour on Wednesdays. Their web site is at: http://www.euraide.de/munich.html. <BR> <BR>BTW, Euraide (located by track 11 at the Munich train station) is a TERRIFIC resource specifically designed for English speakers. Run by a guy from Chicago, this friendly office can answer all your travel questions and can book train tickets, tours, and even hotel rooms. We visited this office three times and found them much easier to use than the Tourist Information Office. <BR> <BR>Salzburg is also wonderful, but I think it's best to visit when you can spend at least two days there.

I respectfully disagree with Russell and Tom. I think that although Neuschwanstein is very impressive from a distance, it is also very impressive from inside. The bedroom where 14 wood carvers worked for 4 1/2 years to create the canopy. The kitchen is the source of central heading that includes a plate warmer. The dining room is 2 levels above the kitchen and a dumbwaiter was built in to send the food to the dining room. There is running water through the castle tapped from the higher mountains behind. Linderhof is also very impressive inside in addition to the fountains front and back. Although Ludwig II was eccentric, he was also brilliant. <BR>Regards, <BR>Art <BR> <BR>

I went last summer and used Mike's Bike Tours. They are a wonderful company and offer tours in Amsterdam as well. If I remember correctly, the tour took about 6-7 hours total. The cost was probably around $40-$60- I can't quite remember. You will ride a motorcoach departing from Munich to the castle. Your guide takes you, by bike,on a tour of the surrounding town as well as to Swan Lake. <BR> <BR>I would highly recommend using them. The guides are also very knowledgeable and helpful. Hope this helps!