On the bucket list, before there were bucket lists
When you think about a fairy tale castle, images of Neuschwanstein (New Swan Stone) castle probably pops. When I was a little girl, I had a poster of it hanging on my then bedroom wall. In my mind, it’s always been on my bucket list. It’s no surprise that the design of the castle has been the inspiration for Disney’s “Cinderalla” and “Sleeping Beauty” castles. So when I actually saw it in person, it was breathtaking and magical.
Pro tips before you go:
- First, if you want to enter the castle, you’ll need a ticket. Tickets sell out early, so plan ahead and check the availability of tickets on the official ticket store hosted by the town of Hohenschwangau.
- The best way to travel around Germany is by car. The best way to travel between Germany and nearby countries such as France or Switzerland is by train. We rented a car from Avis at the Munich train station (Munich Hauptbahnhof) and drove about two hours to Neuschwanstein Castle. The drive itself on the Autobahn and across stunning landscapes was a mini highlight itself.
- Visit the official Neuschwanstein website for the best directions to get to the castle. All transportation leads to the town of Hohenschwangau. For those driving, there are four parking lots numbered: P1, P2, P3, and P4.
Stepping Away ratings guide
🤩 == Worth it all
📷 == insta-Grammable
💡 == Cultural or historical inspiration
✅ == Required
Summary of the top locations:
Total length of time to visit all locations: 6 hours + travel time (day-trip)
- 🤩📷 Gipsmühl-Runde (Address: Gipsmühlweg, 87645 Schwangau, Germany)
- ✅ Village of Hohenschwangau (Address: Alpseestraße 2, 87645 Schwangau, Germany)
- 📷 Gatehouse of Neuschwanstein Castle (Directions: Left side of the castle when you walk up facing towards the castle)
- 📷 Courtyard of Neuschwanstein Castle (Directions: Enter through the Gatehouse of the castle)
- 🤩💡📷 Inside Neuschwanstein Castle (Directions: C’mon in!)
- 🤩📷 Marienbrücke (Mary’s bridge) (Address: Marienbrücke, 87645 Schwangau, Germany)
- 🤩📷 Secret view point (Directions: few minutes walk due east of Mary’s bridge)
🤩📷 Gipsmühl-Runde
Address: Gipsmühlweg, 87645 Schwangau, Germany
This place is a must visit for the unforgettable experience and pictures. The contrast of the vast green fields running up against the castle in the distance, perched on the mountain, is magical. When you have a few clouds dispersed across the mountains, it’s truly a sight to behold. Unsurprisingly, lots of couples come here.
✅ Village of Hohenschwangau
Address: Alpseestraße 2, 87645 Schwangau, Germany
All roads lead here before the castle. If you drove in, there are four parking lots P1, P2, P3, and P4. Visit the official website for parking information on accessibility and special vehicle types. We got there around 3pm in the afternoon, and all the lots were pretty full. But we still managed to find a spot and paid €10.
Pro tip: The horse-drawn carriage is the best way to the castle. The walk is a hike and adds an additional 40 min. to your travel time. The shuttle comes about every 20 minutes, but it’s a bit unpredictable. The horse-drawn is about €8 vs €3 for the shuttle. One caveat: for both the shuttle and horse-drawn carriage, you have to walk an additional 15 min. to the entrance of Neuschwanstein castle.
📷 Gatehouse of Neuschwanstein Castle
Directions: Left side of the castle when you walk up facing towards the castle
You enter the castle through the Gatehouse of Neuschwanstein castle. Usually a queue builds up here at the Gatehouse while the castle tour guides let batches of people in. You need a ticket to enter. While you wait, you get a great panorama of the surrounding forest and mountains. Don’t forget to snap a picture of Mary’s bridge off in the distance.
📷 Courtyard of Neuschwanstein castle
Directions: Enter through the Gatehouse of the castle
When you enter into the courtyard of the castle, you have a chance to roam around before you scan your ticket on the turnstiles. If you walk up the stairs, you have a great spot to snap a picture of the upper courtyard. If you get the angle right, you can have a perfect hero image for your trip to Neuschwanstein castle!
🤩💡📷 Inside Neuschwanstein castle
Directions: C’mon in!
No pictures allowed, so you get to fully immerse yourself in the castle.
Pro tip: At the end of the tour, there is a great spot to take a picture of Hohenschwangau castle against the backdrop of a beautiful lake, forested hills, and the town of Hohenschwangau.
🤩📷 Marienbrücke (Mary’s bridge)
Address: Marienbrücke, 87645 Schwangau, Germany
This is where all the famous photos of Neuschwanstein castle come from. We believe this is where you will get the best view of the castle. The bridge is popular, but you can definitely find a great angle from any part of the bridge.
🤩📷 Secret view point
Address: Marienbrücke, 87645 Schwangau, Germany
This is the best place to get a picture of you with the castle – and it’s more secluded. When you cross the bridge from west to east, there is a secret path a couple minutes from the bridge. Keep walking until you notice a dirt path on your left side that you can climb up. You might reach a first clearing with metal railing, but you can climb up even further. The climb is a bit steep, but short. For super-grammers, there will be trees to help frame the shot, and unlike taking a picture from Mary’s bridge, you won’t have any metal railings blocking your full-frame picture.
Reflections
This castle made my trip to Germany worth it.