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Neuschwanstein above the Alpsee and Hohenschwangau Castle, seen from the mountain
Yellow Hohenschwangau Castle on its wooded hill above the Alpsee
The Forggensee from its western bank, with the Säuling and both castles beyond
A red Tegelbergbahn cabin climbing above the forest at Schwangau

Things to do in Neuschwanstein and Füssen: 10 experiences

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Photo: Dmytro Balkhovitin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hohenschwangau

Tour Hohenschwangau, the castle where Ludwig II grew up

Check dates and prices

Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0

Forggensee, Füssen

Cruise the Forggensee with the castles on the skyline

Tours in Neuschwanstein and Füssen

Photo: Johannes Robalotoff, CC BY-SA 3.0 de

Tegelberg, Schwangau

Ride the Tegelberg cable car and watch paragliders launch

Tours in Neuschwanstein and Füssen

Photo: Geoprofi Lars, CC BY-SA 4.0

Neuschwanstein draws the crowds, but the corner of the Allgäu around it holds a full trip: a second royal castle, Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig II grew up; two lakes under the castles; a cable car to a paragliding summit; and Füssen, a walled old town on the Lech with its own castle and a past in lute making.

The castles run on timed tickets and a village of a few streets handles every visitor, so the order of the day matters: book both castle slots online, arrive early, and keep the lakes, the museum and Füssen for the hours around them. The Neuschwanstein tour itself is covered on the Germany page.

10 things to do in Neuschwanstein and Füssen

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Yellow Hohenschwangau Castle on its wooded hill above the Alpsee

Tour Hohenschwangau, the castle where Ludwig II grew up

Hohenschwangau

About 2 hours with the walk upTimed entry

The yellow castle facing Neuschwanstein, where Ludwig II spent his youth, shown on a 45-minute guided tour at a fixed time.

Check dates and pricesBoth castles on timed audio-guided slots
Been there?
The iron Marienbrücke spanning the Pöllat gorge in the forest

Stand on the Marienbrücke for the classic view of Neuschwanstein

Pöllat Gorge, above Neuschwanstein

1 to 1.5 hours from the villageFree

An iron footbridge of 1866 over the Pöllat gorge, the spot for the postcard view of Neuschwanstein against the plain.

Been there?
The Museum of the Bavarian Kings, a former hotel on the shore of the Alpsee

Fill the gap between castle tours at the Museum of the Bavarian Kings

Hohenschwangau, Alpseestraße

About 1.5 hoursNo booking needed

The story of the Wittelsbach family, Ludwig II included, told by the Alpsee without a time slot or a queue for a guide.

Tours in Neuschwanstein and Füssen
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The Alpsee from the north shore with forested mountains around it

Walk around the Alpsee and row out for the view of both castles

Alpsee, Hohenschwangau

1.5 hours on foot, plus a boatNo booking needed

Ludwig II's favourite lake, right under the two castles, with an easy 5.2 km loop and rowing boats for hire.

Been there?
A red Tegelbergbahn cabin climbing above the forest at Schwangau

Ride the Tegelberg cable car and watch paragliders launch

Tegelberg, Schwangau

Half a dayNo booking needed

A cable car from Schwangau to a 1,730 m summit, with Neuschwanstein below on the way up and paragliders taking off at the top.

Tours in Neuschwanstein and Füssen
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Painted house fronts on Reichenstraße in Füssen's old town

Climb to Füssen's High Castle and learn why the town made lutes

Füssen

Half a dayNo booking needed

A walled town on the Lech with a prince-bishops' castle and a museum of lute and violin making in its old abbey.

Tours in Neuschwanstein and Füssen
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The Lech pouring over the stepped weir of the Lechfall into the gorge at Füssen

Walk from the old town to the Lechfall and cross the Maxsteg

Lechfall, Füssen

About 1 hour on footFree

A short walk from Füssen to where the turquoise Lech drops about 12 m in five steps into a narrow gorge.

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The Forggensee from its western bank, with the Säuling and both castles beyond

Cruise the Forggensee with the castles on the skyline

Forggensee, Füssen

1 or 2 hours on boardNo booking needed

A reservoir north of Füssen with summer-only boats, and Neuschwanstein and the Alps lined up behind it from the deck.

Tours in Neuschwanstein and Füssen
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The white and gold Rococo nave and painted ceiling of the Wieskirche

Stop at the Wieskirche, a Rococo church alone in the meadows

Wies, Steingaden

1 hour, plus the driveFree

A UNESCO-listed pilgrimage church by the Zimmermann brothers, plain outside and all white stucco, gold and fresco inside.

Tours in Neuschwanstein and Füssen
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Neuschwanstein Castle seen from the Marienbrücke gorge bridge in spring

Tour Neuschwanstein Castle on a timed ticket

Schwangau

30-minute tour, plus 30 to 40 minutes' walk each wayTimed entry

Neuschwanstein sits a steep climb above Hohenschwangau, and a 30-minute guided tour with a fixed start time takes you inside.

Check dates and pricesDay trip from Munich with castle entry and LinderhofTicket guide
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Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Neuschwanstein and Füssen yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Regional trains run from Munich to Füssen, and from Füssen station buses 73 and 78 go to Hohenschwangau, the village below the castles. The Deutschlandticket is valid on bus 78. The castles cannot be reached by private car: drivers use the paid car parks P1 to P4 in Hohenschwangau. Until about mid December 2026 the main road through Schwangau is closed for works, with a detour via Hohenschwangau.

  • Getting around

    From the Ticket Center it is about 40 minutes uphill on foot to Neuschwanstein and 20 to 30 to Hohenschwangau. Horse carriages and a shuttle bus (to the Marienbrücke, above Neuschwanstein) run on demand without a timetable or reservations and can mean long waits in the holidays. The Deutschlandticket and the Bayern-Ticket are not valid on the shuttle bus. Bus 78 also serves the Tegelberg cable car.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, two days work best: one for both castles, the Museum of the Bavarian Kings and the Alpsee; one for Füssen, the Lechfall and either the Tegelberg or a Forggensee cruise. As a day trip from Munich you will see Neuschwanstein and perhaps Hohenschwangau, and little else.

  • When to go

    May to early October gives the most: the Alpsee boats run from May, the Forggensee boats only from 1 June to 15 October, and Hohenschwangau keeps longer hours until mid October. Same-day castle tickets can sell out by late morning in busy periods, and the buses fill up from July to September. In winter the Marienbrücke and the shuttle bus stop whenever there is snow or ice, though the castle tours carry on.

  • Where to base yourself

    Füssen has the train station, the most restaurants and an old town to walk in the evening, a short bus ride from the castles. Hohenschwangau and Schwangau put you at the castle gates, which helps with an early slot, and are quiet once the day visitors leave.

Questions travellers ask

Can you visit Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau on the same day?

Yes. Both are shown only on timed guided tours, so book both slots in the official shop. The ticket office advises arriving at least 1.5 to 2 hours before a Neuschwanstein slot and an hour before a Hohenschwangau one, and the walk up to Neuschwanstein alone takes about 40 minutes.

Is the Marienbrücke open in winter?

Only when there is no ice or snow. For safety it closes in wintry weather, and the shuttle bus stops too, but Neuschwanstein's tours carry on. The ticket centre posts the bridge's status every day on hohenschwangau.de.

Can I buy Neuschwanstein tickets on the day?

A limited number go on sale at the Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau from 8:00, valid only for that day, and they can be gone by late morning when demand is high. Booking online in the official shop is the safe option.

Do I need a car to visit the castles?

No. Take a regional train from Munich to Füssen and bus 73 or 78 to Hohenschwangau. Cars cannot drive up to the castles anyway: everyone walks, rides a carriage or takes the shuttle from the village.

Is Füssen worth a stop beyond the castles?

Yes, for half a day: the High Castle and its galleries, the town museum in the former St. Mang abbey and the walk to the Lechfall are all within a short distance of the station.

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