Is it worth visiting

Throughout our time in Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle was the most memorable experience we had. The view on Mary’s Bridge was extremely profound and enjoyable to us. It had an incredible blend of epicness and beauty that is hard to describe. The lush Bavarian countryside added to the scenic views. The castle interior was quite impressive, especially the throne room. It has this dome-like spatial feel that adds this incredible sense of depth while the room itself is surrounded by incredible paintings and gold opulence.

The Mary’s Bridge view of Neuschwanstein Castle has one of the strongest “wow factors” we’ve had the privilege of experiencing. The beauty and majesty of it is truly stunning in person and unreal. The castle epitomizes the idyllic fairytale image and architecture that Ludwig II envisioned. There are so many rooms inside the castle that left us impressed, but what really stood out were the paintings. Even 100+ years later they are in great condition. The surrealness and details of the painting left us in awe.

While there are plenty of incredible castles in Germany and much of Europe, the distinct fairytale architecture and design of Neuschwanstein Castle gives it a high uniqueness score. The interior is also lavish and opulent in a classy way. Despite there being a huge crowd in the mid afternoon, interestingly we felt it was one of those places where the crowds don’t really take away or ruin the experience. Especially for the inside tour as they only allow a certain number of people at various time slots.

For our visit to Neuschwanstein Castle, we decided to book a tour via Viator (not sponsored by the tour company or platform), which also included a visit to Linderhof Palace, another creation of Ludwig II. While it is probably cheaper to travel by yourself to these destinations, we wanted more convenience when it came to transportation and logistics. We paid around $85 for this tour experience and also had to pay for the admission of both castles in addition. The tour guide handled retrieving the tickets for us. In terms of value, we felt it was “good enough”. You’re mainly paying for the transportation and convenience along with some storytelling from the tour guide as the trade off vs. DIY. They drove us in a clean and functional coach bus. It was also a cheaper option compared to competitor tours offering something similar.

We spent nearly 3 hours for the entire experience of visiting and exploring Neuschwanstein Castle (outdoors and indoors). We felt there was plenty to do as we hiked up to the castle, explored some of the nearby viewpoints and trails and had a reasonable amount of time enjoying the castle’s interior. It kept us entertained and stimulated throughout the afternoon.

Neuschwanstein Castle sits on top of a mountain and there are a few ways of getting there from the town below. We’ll discuss later in more detail about your options, which includes a bus or horse-drawn carriage. Ultimately we chose to hike as it’s supposed to take 25 to 30 minutes via the Mary’s Bridge trail. Because we chose to hike upwards, we expended a decent amount of energy and effort, which we don’t fully mind. Some parts of the trail to Mary’s Bridge can be quite steep and lightly challenging. Once we’re at the end of the trail we took a breather before queuing up for the viewpoint. It’s also another 10 to 15 minute walk to Neuschwanstein Castle itself from Mary’s Bridge although the walk was much easier. You can save a lot of energy if you choose to take the bus shuttle or horse-drawn carriage.

Neuschwanstein Castle has generally low natural risks. The main risk is being on Mary’s Bridge. While the bridge itself is safe enough, it is quite high up. If you’re deathly afraid of heights we wouldn’t recommend the viewpoint. We noticed some parts of the bridge felt a bit wobbly, which was slightly offputting. If you pay attention normally you should be fine. Also, if you decide to hike up or down you’ll have to pay general attention to any buses or carriages coming by. Make sure you’re towards the sides of the paved paths. There are also dirt paths beside the side of the paved roads. These are slight shortcuts to save 5 to 10 minutes of hiking, but some of them can be quite steep and uneven. We wouldn’t recommend using them on your way up.

The Hohenschwangau area which is right below Neuschwanstein Castle felt very safe. As one of Germany’s most trafficked and popular sites there will be a lot of fellow tourists so crowd levels are high. You should practice normal safety precautions. Despite the large crowds, we felt safe and had no issues with others. While there is no admission required to view the castle from the outside, there is admission required to enter inside. There are several checkpoints where you need to show your ticket such as right outside the castle gates, helping make the area feel safe and secure. You should have no issue with others assuming you take normal safety precautions.

Because we were a part of a tour group, the logistics around exploring the exterior and interior was organized. We were told what times we’ll need to meet for the inside tour and it began promptly on time. A very straightforward experience.

There will be a good amount of walking required when exploring the Neuschwanstein Castle grounds. For most people, it will require slightly above average physical ability. You could skip the hike up and down to get to the castle if you choose the bus option for example. If you choose to explore inside the castle, there are several spiral staircases you’ll have to climb as you move from room to room. There are wheelchair tour options, but you will have to register ahead of time. For more information we’ve provided a resource from their official website.

As mentioned earlier, Neuschwanstein Castle sits on top of a mountain. There are 3 main ways of getting there, which gives you some ease and flexibility. The quickest way is a bus shuttle that costs €3 one way and the ride is ~10 minutes long. The second option is a horse-drawn carriage that costs €8 and the ride is ~20 minutes long. However, for the carriage it might not be the most comfortable as they try to stuff as many people in for the ride. For both bus and horse-drawn carriage, they only accept cash and are not something that can be purchased in advance. The third option is hiking. There is a “main road” that directly goes to the castle, but is a 30 to 40 minute ascent. There is a separate path directly to Mary’s Bridge viewpoint that takes 25 minutes but is more steep to trek. The bus offers the most straightforward effort to arrive at the castle grounds.

Exploring both the outside and inside of Neuschwanstein Castle was very straightforward. Because we were a part of a tour we just had to follow the instructions of the guide for how much free time we had and what times we’re supposed to meet. The schedule was well planned, making it easy for us as guests to just relax and follow directions. However, if you are visiting without a tour group you will most likely need to purchase tickets ahead of time to secure admission if you want to explore inside the castle. Exploring the surrounding exterior of the castle doesn’t require any advanced booking or coordination.