How do I get to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich?

Neuschwanstein Castle sits above the small Bavarian village of Hohenschwangau in southwest Germany, close to the Austrian border. The nearest railway station is 5 kilometers away in the town of Füssen. So how do you get there from Munich?

Catch a train to Füssen. Füssen is the town closest to the castle, it's about 2.5 hours train ride away from Munich. Buy your tickets online on the Deutsche Bahn website. The standard fair for the round trip is around 56 EUR.

If you travel on the weekend or leave after 9 am Monday-Friday, you will be able to use a BayernKarte, or in English, "Regional Day Ticket for Bavaria." These are special train tickets that entitle you to travel anywhere within Bavaria by regional train and most other public transport for an entire day including the U-bahn and S-bahn in Munich. If you are travelling alone, it will cost just 25 EUR for the day. There are even better savings if you travel in a group of up to five people, as it is only an extra 6 EUR for each additional person. You can buy the ticket at the train station or on the Deutsche Bahn website.

Catch the bus from Füssen to Hohenschwangau. Buses run regularly, and it takes less than 10 minutes to reach Hohenschwangau from Füssen. The buses are generally timed so that they arrive at the same time as trains. Be aware that in summer months they can be really busy.

• Bus 73 in the direction of Steingaden / Garmisch-Partenkirchen
• Bus 78 in the direction of Schwangau until you reach the stop Hohenschwangau / Alpseestraße.

A return ticket can be purchased from the driver. However, the Bayernkarte is valid on buses as well as trains, so if you have one of these, simply show the driver when you board.

Options for getting from Hohenschwangau to Neuschwanstein. If you want to go inside the Castle, you have to buy a ticket at the Ticket-Center in Hohenschwangau in advance and you'll have to take a guided tour. Note that during summer months it gets very busy and it's better to reserve your tickets.

Once you have your ticket for Neuschwanstein you can make your way up to the castle in three ways:

• On foot in 40 minutes.
• By bus. These are specially organised private buses, so the BayernKarte will not be valid; a round-trip ticket is currently 2.60 EUR.
• By horse-drawn carriage if you want to get Disney.

Lots of information about these options will be available in Hohenschwangau, and the paths are clearly labelled. You should also be able to pick up a free map in the village.

In winter months, due to ice and snow, the bus and horse-drawn carriages sometimes do not run, so you may only have the option of walking. If you have mobility issues check the advice on the official website before travelling.

If you want to take some photographs of the castle, follow the signs to Marienbrücke, a bridge which is about a 15 minutes walk away and has great views. Although if you are afraid of heights you may end up giving crossing the bridge a miss!

While you are in the area, you might also want to take some time to walk around and explore the beautiful countryside surrounding the castle.