Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
Tickets and Opening Hours for Romantic Castles in Schwangau, Germany
Dec 20, 2007
Schloss Neuschwanstein opened for visitors shortly after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886 and has been one of Bavaria’s most popular tourist attraction ever since.
Buying Tickets for Schloss Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles
Tickets to both Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau are sold only at the Ticket Center in Schwangau town and not at the castles. This allows visitors to roam the town after buying tickets and hopefully spend some money at restaurants, cafés, and souvenir shops while waiting for the tours to start.
Tickets, especially for Schloss Neuschwanstein, can sell out early making it sensible to reserve in advance via phone or on the internet. The slight surcharge is absolutely worth the certainty of having tickets on a given day and at a given time. Reserved tickets need to be picked up at the ticket center – special windows are set aside for this purpose.
- Demand for tickets is generally higher in the afternoon than early morning. Arriving earlier than the mass of day-trippers from especially Munich is a good idea.
A slight discount is available if both Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein are visit on the same day. School groups are charged for Schloss Hohenschwangau but not for the far more popular Schloss Neuschwanstein.
- Children under 18 are admitted free!
Transportation from the Ticket-Center to Schloss Neuschwanstein
Several routes lead from the ticket center to Schloss Neuschwanstein – set aside at least 30 minutes for the shortest and most direct route. Alternative routes are more interesting especially the one going through the Pöllat Gorge.
Walking is generally the fastest way up but alternatives are available from Schwangau town as long as the roads remain free of ice:
- A bus service is available from Schlosshotel Lisl to near the panorama viewing points “Jugend” and “Marienbrücke”. From here, it is still 600 m (2,000 ft) or 10 minutes to the castle entrance.
- Horse-drawn wagons go from Hotel Müller to near the castle – from here, it is still 300 m (1,000 ft) or 5 minute’s walk to the entrance.
Pay the drivers directly in cash – the down ride is generally half the price of the up ride.
Transportation from the Ticket-Center to Schloss Hohenschwangau
The most direct route from the Ticket-Center to Schloss Hohenschwangau takes 10 minutes and goes over a slight hill. A level route is also available taking around 20 minutes.
- A horse-drawn wagon goes from just below the Ticket-Center Hohenschwangau to Schloss Hohenschwangau taking around 20 minutes.
Opening Hours for Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau
Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau are open daily from April to September from 9 am to 6 pm and from October to March from 10 am to 4 pm. The Ticket-Center opens and closes an hour earlier than the castles.
- Schloss Neuschwanstein Castle is closed on December 24, 25, and 31, January 1, and Faschingsdienstag (Mardi Gras). Schloss Hohenschwangau is only closed on December 24.
Guided tours are compulsory in both Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau and take 35 minutes each. These guided tours of the castles are available in English or German. Audio guides are available in Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Italian, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish, Slovenian, and Czech.
In addition to the steep walk up the hill to Schloss Neuschwanstein Castle, a further 165 stairs are ascended and 181 descended on the tour. Visiting Schloss Hohenschwangau is more relaxing as only around 90 stairs are involved.
- Wheelchair users can see Schloss Neuschwanstein on special tours on most Wednesdays after normal castle closing hours – 4 pm in winter and 6 pm in summer. A maximum of five wheelchair users and five assistants is allowed per tour. Reservations for this tour are compulsory through the Schlossverwaltung Neuschwanstein (Tel. 08362/939880).
More Information:
- Top Sighs in the Füssen & Schwangau Area
- Schloss Neuschwanstein Castle
- Schloss Hohenschwangau Castle
- Transportation and Daytrips to Füssen & Schwangau
- Schlosskonzerte (Castle Concerts)
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