My wife and I were on a five day trip to Munich and took a day trip to the castle via Radius tours…read more They were a great tour group and the bus ride was great with the freeway with no speed limits with Porsches flying by us and the countryside with lots of mustard growing. The castle is beautiful and you can go to a high bridge. The tour guide was a little robotic, but nice enough. The tour is about thirty minutes and the views are spectacular. A few castles are nearby to look at as well. Check out Mary's Bridge. It was WAY high up but with nice and high railing, I am afraid of heights but I wasn't bothered. Lots of people on it though.

I agree with most of the other 3-star reviewers on this page. This castle tour is expensive and you…read moredon't see many rooms, nor do you get to ask any questions or interact with any human docents. You're given an audio tour and waved ahead. We had fantastic weather when we were there, so no complaints there. And we were particularly careful to get there early, so as to not miss our entry time. I do get it that over-tourism is a real issue in this region, and that this particular castle is a victim of its own success, needing to shuffle tens of thousands of tourists every season. But I'd like to think there are alternative ways of educating people about the castle and its builder, dreamer, and ruler. TIP: Tour in the morning. By the time we were done and back downhill, the lines for the shuttle buses were easily 200+ people deep. TIP: DO NOT EXPECT HELPFUL SIGNAGE! We had to ask multiple people where to pick up the shuttle bus. TIP: If going straight to the castle, do not follow the shuttle bus crowds towards the bridge. Head the other way, and perhaps catch the bridge on the way back, especially if you feel like you might be rushed for your entry time. TIP: BRING CASH. The shuttle bus is NOT included in your ticket price, and is cash only. It was maybe 2 euros pp (I don't honestly remember). You CAN walk it, but we had some health issues and needed the shuttle; the incline is significant and probably would take 30+ minutes uphill? INTERESTING: this castle is about the same age as Biltmore in Asheville, NC. It's just not that old!

You can purchase tickets online to do a guided tour of the Hohenschwangau Castle. We purchased our…read moretickets a few months in advance so that we could better plan out our day. When you purchase a ticket you are given a time and a number. You wait in a large courtyard for your time and number to signal the right to go through the turnstiles and start your tour. The courtyard has a gift shop and a few benches to sit on. The castle is located in a small quaint German town close to the border of Austria. It was built by King Maximilian ll of Bavaria and used as a summer home for his family. His children Ludwig ll and Otto spent many years here. The tour is informative and moves quickly. You are allowed to take photos and questions are welcomed. The tour goes through about six rooms and lasts around thirty to forty minutes depending on time spent asking questions. The rooms are beautifully maintained and offer an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge of the past.

We made reservations for both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castle tours and I preferred the…read moreway the Hohenschwangau tour was run. We were told to arrive 1 hour before our reservation but 30 minutes would have been plenty of time. We were in a small group and our guide made sure that all of us were settled in each room before starting. She gave us a brief overview before starting the prerecorded audio narration. I left feeling more knowledgeable about King Ludwig's childhood and family life at Hohenschwangau. The tour took about 30 minutes and there was not much to see afterwards. We had thought we needed 3 hours for this castle but the walk up was short, but 2 hours for everything was plenty of time for us.

My 1,000th review is dedicated to Marienbrucke (Mary's bridge). This is a bridge built about 300…read morefeet above the Pollet Gorge and provides that jaw dropping view of Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration behind Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty castle. Getting to the bridge is about a 1 hour hike up an inclined road from the visitor center, or you could do what I did and take a shuttle bus from the visitor center (10 minute ride for €3,50 = $3.85 USD). The bus leaves every 20 to 25 minutes, starting at 8am and they take cash only. From the bridge it's only about a 10 minute walk down to the castle. Only 200 people are allowed on the bridge at any given time, and there is a counter at the start of the bridge keeping track. I've heard lines can get pretty lengthy during the day. If you walk further along the 115 foot long bridge it's less crowded and you have unobstructed views of the castle. Overall, I can say that the view from here was the highlight of my summer trip to Germany and Italy. If you are visiting Munich or anywhere in the southern Bavarian Alps, you have to see Neuschwanstein Castle. The views are breathtaking.

Do you want that iconic beautiful view of Neuschwanstein Castle? If so, then Marienbrücke (Mary's…read moreBridge) is your answer. The bridge is narrow and gets jammed packed with tourists hoping to get the same photo you're trying to snap. Walk further down the bridge, where it's less congested. If you visit during fall/winter, note that the bridge might be closed due to ice/snow. As for how to get there, it's worth spending €3 for a roundtrip ride on the bus that takes you up from the foot of the mountain.