suze1

If we get to Schwangau at 8am to visit the castles about how long does it take to visit them? After visiting the castles what are the suggestions for the reminder of the day.

Also, if we arrive at 8am is it still better to purchase our tickets ahead of time on the web.

MarkvonKramer

As I recall, the actual tour portion of Neueschwanstein was only about 20-25 minutes. Get your tickets in advance and get there on time and you should be set.

Didn't tour the other "castle" so I can't say how long that tour lasts but expect the same approximate time. They should tell you on-line.

I expect 4 hours should be sufficient for both, gives you time for trinket shopping and hiking in the general vicinity.

Mark

pja1

Hi Suze1,
In my opinion it depends what month your going. We have been to Schwangau 2 times, both in October. Saw Neuschwanstein one year and Hohenschwangau another. If your there by 8am I think you'd be ok. Neuschwanstein gets VERY crowded but Hohenschwangau wasn't both times we were there. Other things to do...there is a cable car approx. a mile from the castles (www.tegelbergbahn.de) and an alpine slide there also (same website as above under "general information"). Fussen is also a nice old town to walk around (www.stadt-fuessen.de) and the Weis Church is about a half hour away (www.wieskirche.de) which is simply stunning inside.
paul

suze1

The trip is being planned for May 2007, we'll be there May 2, 3 and 4.

vegaslocal

We were there two weeks ago. We arrived by 10 am. There was still parking and there were still tickets available, but you could tell that Schwangau was starting to get crowded and some tour buses had already arrived.

I would hate to see what that place looks like in the summer.

If you tour both castles, your tour will begin at Hoenschwangau. You will be booked on the next available tour in your language. It takes maybe 15 minutes to walk up to Hoenschwangau. The walk up to that castle is no big deal. The tour will last 20-30 minutes.

Your tour of Neuscwanstein will begin 2 hours after your tour of Hoenschwangau begins. That's plenty of time to get up to it.

I would HIGHLY recommend that you don't walk up the hill to Neuscwanstein unless you are in fantastic shape. You can catch the bus to the Marienbrucke above Neuschwanstein for 1.80 euros - the best money you will ever spend!

What they don't tell you is that when you tour Neuschwanstein, you will have to walk up and back down about 150 steps just on the tour itself. There's no WAY I would have been able to climb all those stairs after a hike up the mountain. I for sure would have spilled my martini!

There's really not much to do in Fussen, but it's okay to walk around. We stayed there for two nights.

I would recommend you hop back in the car and drive around the German/Austrian border. The scenery is beautiful.

vegaslocal

for the life of me I will never be able to type Neuschwanstein! I need a drink!

RufusTFirefly

Do make your reservations on the internet before you go if you know what time you'll be there. Just to avoid any possible confusion: The castles are actually located in the tiny village of Hohenschwangau.

Schwangau is a slightly less tiny village a couple of kilometers more-or-less north.

Intrepid1

At Neuschwanstein be prepared to wait for an English-language tour (if that is important to you) which sometimes doesn't happen until "there are enough" English speakers to warrant one.

suze1

When I get on www.shwangau.com site to make ticket reservations for touring the castles it's all in German, the home page is in English but when I click for tickets it only comes up in German, is there a sight where it's in English. Also, when I make the reservation for both castles do they automatically spread them apart, like we would have one tour at 8:30am and then the other tour at whatever time they set up.

RufusTFirefly

suze1: Here's the online ticket site in English.

http://www.hohenschwangau.de/546.0.html

Bob_KY

If you have time, be sure to ride the bus all the way up to the bridge overlooking the castle, you will get the best pictures that way and the view is awesome.

lorikeet

I think that I should book the tickets to the castles by internet. Wouldn't this mean that the crowds should not be a problem? (or not very so much?) How much time should be left between the two as I think it could be a day trip from Garmisch.

Thankyou for your help.

grsing

I booked my tickets in advance (was there on Easter this year), didn't really need to, but early May is starting to get in to the high season, so it might be a good idea, up to you. The actual tours are only about a half an hour each. How fast you get up and down from the castles of course depends on how fit you are, and/or whether you want to pay for someone to take you up and down in a bus or carriage. The earlier suggestion of 4 hours should be about right. What you do after is of course personal preference, but I had great fun wandering around the foothills of the Alps; once you get away from the castles, there are very few people out and the scenery is gorgeous. I'm in pretty good shape, and wilfully ignored signs warning "Lebensgefähr bei Schnee" (mortal danger in snow) and the like (not sure if there will still be snow in may, but I managed to fall in a drift up to my waist in mid-April, so there very well may be a little), you may or may not be up for more strenuous activity like that, but it was one of my favorite experiences of the trip.

Mimar

If you're driving, stay overnight in Hohenschwangau. There are several hotels, no need to go to Fussen unless you want to. We stayed in the Muller. Then you can get an early start on the castles. Plus free parking.