Neuschwanstein Castle Tour: Train, Coach or Van

Each Munich day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle on this site starts in Munich, lasts 10 to 10.5 hours and is priced per person. All three reach the castle of King Ludwig II above the village of Hohenschwangau, Schloss Neuschwanstein in German. That is where the likeness ends.

The ticket. Only the coach day with Linderhof sells an option with castle tickets. On the train or bus day you buy entry on the morning of the tour. On the van the guide books the tickets for you, and you pay the guide in cash after the visit.

The rooms. The van includes a guided tour of the castle. The other two treat the interior as an optional extra, so a Neuschwanstein Castle tour can mean the grounds, the bridge and the view, or the king’s rooms as well. Read the option before you pay.

The ride. A seat on a train or bus, a coach seat with a live guide in eight languages, or one of eight seats in a van that comes to your hotel.

The top pick goes by train or bus. The listing describes a two-hour ride through Bavarian landscapes to the old town of Füssen, and says a private bus sometimes replaces the train. You meet at Dachauer Str. 4, arrive 15 minutes before departure and come back to the same address. The 9:15 departure is back around 18:30, the 10:00 one around 19:15.

The Linderhof day goes by air-conditioned coach from Karlsplatz 21, with a live guide in eight languages and an audio guide. There is no stop in Oberammergau. In Hohenschwangau you have lunch at your own expense.

The van comes to your hotel. On the van, pickup is included, the group is limited to 8 participants, and the route runs along the Romantic Road. The listing adds a gorge walk with cascading waterfalls, the Wieskirche, an 18th-century pilgrimage church on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and a Bavarian farm where you can opt for a cheese and sausage platter. Elina from Sweden, on the van: «Picked us up at our Hotel and drove us to the locations listed.»

The coach day with Linderhof is the lowest-priced of the three at $85 and reaches two palaces. Our top pick costs $89 for one castle, Füssen and a guided walk of the grounds, and it is the Neuschwanstein Castle tour we would book first. The van costs $140, and the difference pays for what the others leave out: a pickup at your hotel, a group of eight at most, and the guided visit inside, with tickets booked for you. On the van and the train or bus day, castle entry is paid on top, so count it in.

For context: day trips on this site start from $66 per person, for the Herrenchiemsee palace and boat day. Listings between $22 and $59 are the aquarium ticket, the hop-on hop-off bus and the bike ride in town, and the three guided visits to the Dachau Memorial Site.

Book our top pick if this is your first Neuschwanstein Castle tour. For $89 you get the train or bus ride, Füssen, a guided walk of the grounds and views of the Marienbrücke, with 4,387 reviews at 4.7. Add the rooms on the morning if you want them.

Take the coach day if Linderhof matters, or if you want the ticket bought with the trip. Pay for the van if the rooms, a pickup and eight seats are worth $140 to you.