Prices, hours and rules checked against the official pages of the Bavarian Palace Administration and the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau. The booking page always has the final word.
Neuschwanstein Castle is the fairy-tale castle of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, perched 1.5 km above the village of Hohenschwangau, four kilometres from the town of Füssen and a few hundred metres from the Austrian border. It is the most photographed building in Germany, the model for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle and, since July 2025, a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and the King's House on Schachen. The rooms can be seen only on a guided tour of about half an hour, every ticket carries a fixed time slot, and in summer those slots sell out weeks ahead. This guide is built around that one fact: it tells you how to get a slot, how to reach the castle from Munich, and how to turn the visit into a full day, or a long weekend, in the Bavarian Alps.
Neuschwanstein Castle tickets in three steps
Each ticket is valid for one tour at one time. In summer and on long weekends the late-morning and early-afternoon slots go first; in winter there is more room, but the last tour starts before 16:00 and daylight is short.
The official shop of the Bavarian Palace Administration sells entry at €21 plus a €2.50 booking fee per ticket, in English. If you would rather not plan the trains, a day trip from Munich with the ticket included costs more but solves transport and the sold-out problem in one go.
See tickets and toursThe Ticket Center is down in the village and the castle is a 40-minute uphill walk, or a shuttle bus ride plus a 10-15 minute walk. Miss your slot and you do not get in; the ticket is not refunded.
Tickets on TiqetsTicket types, the combination ticket with Hohenschwangau Castle and the plan B when the official shop shows nothing are all on the Neuschwanstein Castle tickets page.
Prices
| Ticket | Price | What you need to know |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18 and over) | €21 | guided tour of about 30 minutes with a fixed time slot printed on the ticket |
| Reduced | €20 | students, visitors over 65, people with disabilities and groups, under the rules of the Bavarian Palace Administration |
| Under 18 | free | a named €0 ticket is still required; online, the booking fee is charged for children too |
| Online booking fee (official shop) | €2.50 per ticket | online purchases only; nothing extra at the Ticket Center counter |
| Day trip from Munich with the ticket included | varies by operator | coach or minivan, guide and a reserved castle slot in one booking |
There is no family ticket and no early-bird discount: the price is the same all year round, only the number of free slots changes. Children under 18 go in free but must be added to the order as €0 tickets, otherwise the system does not hold a place for them on the tour. The booking fee is charged on those children's tickets as well, so a family of four pays €42 for two adults plus €10 in fees online, or €42 flat at the counter in Hohenschwangau.
Opening hours
| Season | Castle (tours) | Ticket Center Hohenschwangau |
|---|---|---|
| 28 March – 15 October | 9:00 – 18:00 | 8:00 – 16:00 |
| 16 October – 27 March | 10:00 – 16:00 | 8:00 – 15:30 |
| Closed | 1 January · 24, 25 and 31 December | same days |
The castle hours tell you when the first and last tours run, not when to turn up: the queue for same-day leftover tickets forms outside the Ticket Center before 8:00, and in July and August the day's leftovers are usually gone by 9:00. Seasonal details, closing days and the rules at the entrance are on the opening hours and prices page.
Munich to Neuschwanstein: the day trip
The castle lies about 120 km south-west of Munich, which makes it the city's classic day trip. By train, regional services leave Munich Hauptbahnhof for Füssen roughly every hour and take about two hours, some with a change at Buchloe; from Füssen station, bus 73 or 78 reaches the "Hohenschwangau Neuschwanstein Castles" stop in about ten minutes. The Bayern-Ticket covers train and bus for the whole day: from €32 for one person, €10 for each additional traveller up to five, valid from 9:00 on weekdays and all day at weekends. By car, take the A7 towards Füssen and then the B17 to Schwangau; paid car parks P1 to P4 sit at the foot of the hill in Hohenschwangau. Until about mid-December 2026 the main road through Schwangau is closed and a signposted detour via Hohenschwangau adds five to ten minutes. Every option, including the last climb from the village to the gate, is on the how to get there page. If you would rather sit back, the tours from Munich page compares coach trips, small-group minivans and train-escorted tours that come with the castle ticket already reserved.
Planning a Bavaria trip around the castle
One day from Munich
Train at 7 or 8 in the morning, tour slot around midday, an hour at the Alpsee and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings, train back around 17:00 or 18:00. Two people on a Bayern-Ticket pay €42 for all transport, less than a single castle ticket costs in total with fees. Or let an organised day trip handle both the ticket and the transport.
Füssen as a base
Sleep in Füssen or Schwangau and you can take the first tour of the day before the coaches arrive, walk down through the Pöllat gorge when the path is open, and still have the afternoon for the Tegelberg cable car or Füssen's old town. Two nights make the whole Allgäu doable: Wieskirche, the Forggensee lake, a border hop to Reutte in Austria.
The royal castles route
Hohenschwangau in the morning (Ludwig's childhood home, a 45-minute tour), the Alpsee at lunch, Neuschwanstein in the early afternoon; the administration sells a combination ticket for both castles on the same day. Add Linderhof, 45 km east, and the Oberammergau passion-play village, and you have the full Ludwig II circuit in two days.
Best time of year to visit
Summer gives long days, the open gorge path and the full shuttle service, but also the longest queues and the earliest sell-outs: for July and August book the moment your dates are fixed. Late September to early November is the sweet spot for most visitors: autumn colours around the Alpsee, slots available a few days ahead, the Marienbrücke still open. Winter is the quietest and the most photogenic, with the castle in snow, but the bridge can be closed in icy weather, the shuttle bus and the carriages may stop, and the last tour leaves before 16:00. Easter and the weeks around Christmas behave like high summer. The season-by-season table is on the hours and prices page.
What you see inside
The tour passes through fourteen finished rooms on the third and fourth floors. The Throne Hall is a Byzantine basilica in miniature with a four-ton chandelier shaped like a crown and no throne, because it was never delivered. The Singers' Hall on the top floor is modelled on the Wartburg and tells the story of Parsifal; the carvings in the Gothic bedroom took fourteen woodcarvers four years. The surprise is the technology: hot-air central heating, running water on every floor, flushing toilets, a telephone line and an electric bell system for calling the servants. The route ends in the kitchen on the ground floor, complete with an automatic spit. The full story of Ludwig, Wagner and the castle that was never finished is on the history page.
Where the famous photos are taken
The postcard view, the castle seen side-on above the gorge, comes from the Marienbrücke, the bridge over the Pöllat gorge ten minutes' walk from the gate: in winter it may be closed for ice and wind, and the day's status is posted on the Ticket Center site. The front elevation with the blue turrets is best from the "Jugend" viewpoint beside the shuttle-bus road. For the aerial-style shot with the Alpsee and the Forggensee behind, take the Tegelberg cable car three kilometres away, or walk up the castle's eastern flank. Photography and filming inside the castle are not allowed.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to visit Neuschwanstein Castle?
€21 for adults, €20 reduced and free for anyone under 18. Online, every ticket carries a €2.50 booking fee, including the free children's tickets; at the Ticket Center counter there is no fee.
Can you see Neuschwanstein Castle without a ticket?
Yes, as far as the outer courtyard and the Marienbrücke: the grounds and the viewpoints are free. The rooms are open only on a guided tour with a timed ticket.
How far in advance should I book?
For summer, long weekends and the Christmas period, weeks ahead: the convenient slots disappear first. From November to March, holidays aside, there is often availability a few days out.
What if the official shop is sold out?
The Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau sells the day's leftover tickets from 8:00, same day only and first come first served. The other route is a day trip from Munich with the ticket included, which works from the operator's own allocation.
How long does the visit take?
The guided tour lasts about 30 minutes. With the climb from the village, the wait at the turnstile and the walk back down, allow at least two and a half hours in Hohenschwangau.
Is the tour in English?
Yes. Guided tours run in German and English, and an audio guide in 17 languages is included in the ticket price. The official online shop is also in English.
Is Neuschwanstein worth it as a day trip from Munich?
Yes if you start early: two hours each way by train, a midday tour and time at the Alpsee fit comfortably into a day. The same trip with a reserved ticket and no timetable to watch is what the tours from Munich sell.
Can I bring a backpack or a pushchair?
No. Backpacks, pushchairs, rigid baby carriers and bulky items stay in the car or on the coach; there are no lockers at the castle. Small bags are fine.
Book before you travel
Neuschwanstein Castle tour slots sell out ahead of time. Compare entry tickets and day trips with the ticket included, and lock in your date.
Tickets and tours on GetYourGuideTickets on TiqetsDistances from the castle
Straight-line distances from Neuschwanstein Castle.