Munich's Fairytale Castles: Exclusive Skip-the-Line Day Trip

Saying this was a “tour” was not accurate. They stick you on a train, then stick you on a van, then stick you on a bus. You have to buy everything but the train including access to the castle and the bus ride to it, so it honestly made us scratch our heads as to why we were also paying them (they even hiked the cost of the castle access up higher than it was if we’d just bought it there). We got near nothing from the guides as far as information or access. One was angry with us for coming back later than he’d expected from the castle (because they sent us unguided to it) The castle is amazing, but you can probably save yourself the money and just go on your own. You’ll have to figure it out on your own either way.

Exactly what I was looking for. Met up at Munich station and the tour guide guided us there with no problems. First plan 30 min train ride then drive the rest of the way. Tour was great (the castle gives you a listening device that you must use). The tour itself was a little short but nothing you can do about that. After the tour was over we had a 20-30 min to walk around and do whatever. Then met back up with the tour guide and he took us to the train station that got us back to Munich. It was great having someone get you from point A to Point B and then back to point A, especially as someone from the US that doesn’t speak German and don’t know how the trains work here!

This day tour was an experience to remember! Our driver was friendly and approachable, but he also shared lots of information about the castle and its history. The castle itself was breathtaking and the surrounding landscape felt like something out of a storybook. I highly recommend!

I am reviewing “Skip-the-Line Day Tour from Munich to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau”. The tour doesn’t include the Hohenschwangau Castle (despite the wording in the title) other than that you can see it from a distance because the 2 castles are nearby, sort of across from one another). That was enough for us. After reviewing how to get to Neuschwanstein on my own (complicated & difficult to time right for entry to the castle), I decided to book this tour. It’s practical and quick - what you’re paying for is efficient transportation to and from and your entry ticket. Other than that, the tour is just the one offered by the castle (same as everyone else who goes). The guides don’t stay with you, they take you to and from, and you take a bus and walk up to the castle and do the castle’s own guided audio tour by yourself. You can also get this tour for about $38 pp cheaper on the tour operator’s website (Bavarian Castle Tours). When I requested the “low price guarantee” difference, they reimbursed me, then took it back and canceled my tour… I re-booked and ultimately got the difference once in Europe where the currency is euros as on the German site. We enjoyed seeing the castle and the transportation went smoothly. We felt the company really has it down to a science with perfect timing. We didn’t really have enough time for lunch (as others have noted) but brought snacks and bought some warm Quarkbällchen donuts on the walk down from the castle- delicious! A great day, despite an early start, and back to Munich by 3PM - with time to do other things!

Our your guide never introduced himself although he did get us where we needed to go. He seemed to be distracted from the tour group. On our 45 minute car ride he never spoke to us about the area or the history of the castle. He scared us a bit with his driving and being on his phone.

The morning started quite frustrating as the travel company changed plans for departure the night before. We were scheduled to depart at 8:10a, they chose to move it up to 7:30a, meeting at 7:15a. I don’t check my phone constantly on vacation. I was confirmed for 8:10a. This caused us to run to meet the guide, skip grabbing coffee, just to get to the train and sit for 20 minutes. It departed at 8:00a. I’ll give them credit for waiting on us, but… I wasn’t late. They wanted to leave early. Tour of Neuschwanstein was excellent however we were a bit rushed to get back. Didn’t have time to take everything in and also grab some lunch. So we didn’t eat. The travel company wanted to return early as well. We were scheduled originally to get back at 3:10p. They chose to rush us and get back at 2:30p. Experiencing the castle was wonderful!! Experiencing the travel company was dreadful. Chaos and stress for NO reason.

This was a great way to get to the castle. The Castle was magnificent, tour was audio but cool inside the castle tour only takes about 25 minutes. We road bus up to the castle and walked back down. It’s the way to do the up and down to the castle. Trip started at 7:15 and we were back in Munich by 1:45 giving you the rest of the day to spend in town.

Neuschwanstein is a must see place. Very lovely scenery especially we went during the winter season and you can see the beauty of the castle. Also, the tour guide (Lahdo) is nice as well.

We took the train from Munich to Fussen - very easy to navigate. I purchased the Castle tickets and online from the castle directly and the train tickets online from Deutsch Bahn. It was a beautiful fall day in September 2019 - we toured Neuschwanstein first and then Hohenschwangau. You definitely want to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. My friend and I are in good physical shape so we walked the incline mile to Neuschwanstein - there are also busses and horse and buggy that will deliver you if you don't wish to exercise. The tours are well run and very interesting and the Castle's and settings are spectacular! We ended up walking 8 miles that day so if you're up for it, it's a great day and you'll get a good workout in as well!

Neuschwanstein is a must see. Our Füssen local guide Lado was exceptional. Met us at the Munich train station at 7:00am. Recommend an early start for this adventure to beat the tour buses. Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge, aka Pöllat Bridge) has the perfect photo opp. Interior guided tour is a separate ticket. The audio tour is only 15-20 minutes, much shorter than expected, but only 17 rooms were ever completed. The return train through Austria brought unexpected amazing sights. Thanks to Lado for a unique exerience we can never forget.