Is it worth visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in winter? Is it worth going inside the castle? How do you get there? Is the Marienbrucke bridge open?
So many questions!
Personally, I think that Neuschwanstein Castle is worth visiting in any season, whether or not you go inside. It is a stunning, mountainside castle set in a truly breathtaking landscape.
This guide will be helpful for planning a trip to the castle, no matter what season you’re visiting. That being said, we visited Germany for Christmas, so we had no choice but to visit Neuschwanstein in winter. So I’ll also have tips and information about that as well.
Year visited: 2025
Time of Year: December
What’s in this Article:
- About Neuschwanstein Castle
- How to Get There
- The Tour Inside the Castle
- Visiting in Winter
- Where to Eat
- Where to Get the Best Views
- Other Things to Do
About Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle was built in 1869 (though technically it was never finished) by King Ludwig II. He didn’t build it as a fortress, as most castles were originally intended. He specifically designed it to look like a fairy tale castle in the Alps.
The whole thing is designed to invoke a sense of the mythical, and it is the perfect place to visit for someone like me, who (like Ludwig) loves living in a fairy tale world.
- Book Suggestion: If you want to learn more about the fascinating history of the castle and King Ludwig II, I highly suggest the book Not So Happily Ever After. It’s an easy and interesting read before you visit.
How to Pronounce Neuschwanstein
The name “Neuschwanstein” means “New Swan Stone,” and you will see many swan motifs throughout its decorations, a tribute to Wagner’s “Swan Knight” opera Lohengrin.
It is pronounced “Noy-Schvaan-Stine.”
Where is Neuschwanstein Castle?
Neuschwanstein Castle is located in the picturesque Bavarian Alps in southern Germany, near the border with Austria. It is about 2 hrs. south of Munich.
How to Get to Neuschwanstein Castle
This is going to be a long section, because getting there is by far the most complicated part of visiting (no matter the season!).
I’ll go over how to get to Neuschwanstein Castle via tour, and public transportation, including how to get from the ticket center in Hohenschwangau up to the actual castle.
Book a Tour
The easiest, and most stress-free way to get to Neuschwanstein Castle is simply to book a tour. But, this is also going to be the most expensive way.
It is so much cheaper to go on your own than to book a tour. However, when we went, the train line we needed got shut down, and we ended up having to take a (very expensive!) Uber to get there in time! At that point I was really just wishing I had booked the tour to not be this stressed.
Typically… the train to Fussen should not shut down. But, for peace of mind, booking a tour can be worth the money. You can also add other stops, like at Linderhof Palace, which I would have loved to be able to see.
- Good to Know: The tours usually include transportation, but will not include the price of the ticket into the castle (like I said, expensive!). You can just enjoy seeing the outside, or you can buy a tour ticket on the bus.
Public Transportation
If you’re using public transportation, the best way is to book a Bayern ticket. A “Bayern” ticket is a “regional” ticket for Bavaria. That means you can take any regional transportation on the day of your ticket.
You can purchase a Bayern ticket, and search for trains on the official DeutschBahn website. Regional trains will have an “R” or “RE” in front of the train number. You can also filter only regional trains in your search.
You can’t use it before 9:00 am, so the earliest you can get to Fussen will be about noon. But then you can get on any regional train back, so you can leave whenever you’re ready, and not have to go at a specific time.
This ticket also allows you to access the bus from Fussen to Hohenschwangau. And it is cheaper than purchasing regular train tickets, so it’s basically a win-win!
Munich to Fussen
From Munich you can get a 2 hr. train to Fussen. Ideally you will get a direct train, but sometimes you will have to make one transfer. It should all be about 2 hrs. though. The best train to get on is around 9:40-11:45.
Take the train from the Munich central station to the station in Fussen. Fussen is a small town, so there is just the one station, and you will walk outside to get the bus to Hohenschwangau.
Fussen to Hohenschwangau
When you arrive in Fussen, the bus stop will be right outside the entrance to the train station. The Bayern ticket is good for the bus to Hohenschwangau. It will be about a 10-15 minute ride.
The bus drops you off at the visitor’s center in Hohenschwangau. There are paid bathrooms here, as well as at the train station in Fussen (once you get up to the castle, the bathrooms are free). From here you walk up the hill a little ways to the ticket center.
- Good to Know: If you booked castle tickets online ahead of time (which I highly suggest, unless you’re coming with a guided tour), you do not need to go inside the ticket center.
How to Get to the Castle
No matter if you’re coming via public transportation or a guided tour, you will get dropped off at the bottom of the mountain, and will have to make your own way up to the top. There are several ways to do this.
- Walking: You can just walk up the path from the ticket center to the castle. It is a steep uphill climb, and takes about 40 minutes to an hour. It is free to walk up the hill.
- Horse Carriage: You can take a horse carriage ride up the hill. It costs 8 euros per person to ride up, and 4 euros to ride down. You pay the driver in cash. Carriage rides run through the winter, and follow the same road as the walking path.
- Shuttle Bus: The shuttle bus takes a different road up to the castle, and drops you off by the Marienbrucke bridge. It does not run if it is icy. Cost is 3 euros uphill, 2 euros down. You pay the driver in cash, or pay in the ticket center.
You can combine different ways to get to the castle and back. For example, we took the horse carriage up, but walked back down. The downhill walk was very easy.
- Good to Know: The lines for the carriages and shuttles up the hill can be long, so be sure to consider the time this will take when booking your timed entry ticket to the castle. We arrived in Hohenschwangau about 11:45, and reached the castle about 12:45, before our 1:00 tour.
- No matter what, you will still have a little ways to walk to reach the castle gates, from where the horses or bus drop you off. But it is not a bad walk (and the views!).
- There are benches along the walking path to rest if you want to.
- You can check on the website what trails and transportation is open the day you visit.
Where and When to Get Tickets
Before you make your way up to the castle, make sure you have tickets!
The best place to buy tickets is online ahead of time. You will have to book a specific time for your tour, and there are options for audio tours in multiple languages, English guided tours and German guided tours.
If you book your tour online, you will get an eTicket, and you do not need to go inside the ticket center.
If you booked a guided tour to Neuschwanstein, this most likely will not include tickets (be sure to check the tour details), but they will have tickets available for purchase on board the tour bus.
You can also find tickets available in person at the ticket center. These will only be what is left based on availability, so it is better to purchase tickets ahead of time.
The Tour Inside the Castle
You can absolutely visit Neuschwanstein Castle without touring the inside. The views alone are worth the visit, in my opinion. But if you are planning to go inside, here is all the information you need to plan your trip.
How Early to Get There
Getting to Neuschwanstein Castle takes TIME. It is good to give yourself a lot of leeway between arriving in Fussen and getting up to the castle. If you walk, you don’t have to wait, but it takes a long time to walk up. If you ride up, you will have to wait in line.
It took us just about one hour from arriving in Hohenschwangau (not Fussen) to get up to the entrance to the castle. A tour guide who dropped some people off to wait in line before walking up himself said the line was not bad right then, but he’d seen longer.
You should give yourself a 2 hour window from arriving in Fussen until your tour starts at the castle. If you have too much time, there are lots of little shops and restaurants, and views to enjoy along the way.
Types of Tours
You can book an audio tour in several different languages, or you can book a guided tour in one language. Guided tours are offered in English and German. But all of these are only offered at specific times, so you will have to look on the website to see what is available the day you’re visiting.
We booked an audio tour at 1:00 pm, because that was the only English option left available by the time I booked. I couldn’t decide what time I should make the tour for, so by deliberating, I ended up having to take the only option left! We ended up having perfect timing for our tour, though if I were to book again, I would choose a later tour (before it sold out), so I didn’t stress about getting there on time.
How Long is the Tour?
The tour inside the castle lasts 30 minutes.
Arriving for the Tour
You can walk all the way up to the castle gates without a ticket (the red facade pictured earlier). If you have a tour booked, you will scan your ticket here and enter the courtyard. You can enter the courtyard at any time, but the entry into the actual castle is very specific to the time of your tour.
There are bathrooms and lockers available inside the courtyard. You will want to be here a few minutes before your tour is scheduled to start.
There is a screen that says what tour times are allowed to enter. When it is your specific tour time (we’re talking 12:55 tours vs. 1:00 tours), you can scan your ticket and enter the castle proper. Then you will follow the hallway inside to the desk, where you will pick up your audio guide or meet your tour guide.
Can You Take Your Bag in the Castle?
Yes, you can take bags inside Neuschwanstein Castle. Excessively large bags, like a large hiking backpack (the kind you would have if you’re backpacking through Europe) are not allowed inside. However, a typical backpack is. I kept my camera bag with me.
But… I did have to wear it on my front. Which was awkward (turns out this particular bag was definitely not designed to be worn on the front!!). I decided it would have been worth it to pay a couple euros for a locker. However, I was not the only one with a bag on my front.
- Pro Tip: If you are uncertain if your bag is small enough to bring in, you can just ask at the gate like I did.
Lockers & Bathrooms
There are lockers available both outside of the courtyard (you can leave them here without a ticket to get into the castle), and inside the courtyard. Lockers cost a few euros.
There are also bathrooms available in the same locations. Bathrooms here are free to use!
And of course there is also a bathroom inside the castle, at the end of the tour, as well as a gift shop and cafe. You cannot access this area without a ticket, and not until the end of the tour.
The View from the Balcony!
Make. Sure. that you take in the view from the balcony if you tour the inside of the castle. Even though I had read about this, I still almost missed it! Thankfully, I saw some other people go that way while we were too tired to get ourselves up off the benches by the bathrooms…
After your tour you will walk out to a lobby area with the bathrooms on the left. On the right is a hallway that leads to the cafe, but at the end of the hallway is a little balcony. Make sure you go out on the balcony and take in the views!!!
Is Neuschwanstein Worth Touring Inside?
Absolutely, I believe it is worth touring the inside of the castle. Although the tour is short, the rooms are incredibly detailed and opulent, and completely stunning to see in person. And also did I mention the view from the balcony??
That being said, if you want to save money and/or time, I do also believe that the castle is worth visiting without going inside as well. Basically, it’s just worth visiting. Period.
Visiting Neuschwanstein in Winter
Weather
Winter season runs from about November through March. The temperature averages in the 20s and 30s Fahrenheit.
Do keep in mind that the castle is up in the mountains, and will therefore be colder than wherever you’re visiting from. Munich temperatures tend to remain fairly comfortable throughout the winter, but it will be colder at Neuschwanstein.
There is a good chance that there will be at least a dusting of snow, because of the altitude. This was the only place we saw snow during the two weeks of December that we were in Europe.
What to Wear to Neuschwanstein in Winter
It was in the 20s (F) when we visited, and I got cold waiting in line for the carriage ride. Then again, I also got too hot and car sick in the car on the way there, and kept pulling off all my layers…
However, for the most part, I was pretty comfortable. If you are planning on walking up to the castle, you will also be warm from the exercise.
One thing you do want to make sure you bring is a good pair of boots. I wore these boots for our entire trip, and they were perfect. Super comfortable for walking around and being on my feet all day, but with good grips for the snowy/icy path, and warm enough without making my feet too sweaty!
The other key to dressing for Neuschwanstein is to wear layers. Like I said, I got hot in the car ride, and cold waiting for a ride. So pack a couple layers like a sweater and a lighter jacket that you can take off and keep in your bag if you get too warm.
I did wear thin leggings under my jeans, which I was really grateful for. A scarf and winter hat are also good to bring, and easy to take on and off. And of course don’t forget gloves.
What’s Open in the Winter
The castle itself is open year-round. In addition to Neuschwanstein Castle, you can also visit Hohenschwangau Castle and the Museum of Bavarian Kings, so there is plenty to see and do no matter the time of year.
There are also plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops open in the village, as well as on the path up to the castle (where the horse carriages drop you off).
The carriage rides to the castle run year-round, and the walking path from the village up to the castle is always open.
What’s Closed
Some things will be closed in the winter, but it also depends on the day. There is a good chance that most of the hiking trails around the castle grounds will be closed during the winter.
The biggest downside to visiting Neuschwanstein in winter is if the Marienbrucke, or Mary’s Bridge viewpoint is closed. The bridge gets very icy and slippery, and will be closed off if conditions aren’t safe. This is the spot where you can take an iconic photo of the castle. It was closed when we were there at the beginning of December.
- Good to Know: The Mareinbrucke is not always closed in winter. I have seen people lucky enough to visit when it was open. However, if you are visiting in winter, I would plan on it being closed. It will most likely be closed, and that way, you won’t be disappointed. But you will have a fun surprise if it’s open!
Like the Marienbrucke, the shuttle buses will shut down if it is too icy. They do run sometimes in the winter, but it is not guaranteed.
- Pro Tip: You can check what’s available that day, including hiking trails, transportation and viewpoints on the Hohenschwangau website.
Is it Worth Visiting Neuschwanstein in Winter?
I absolutely believe that Neuschwanstein Castle is worth visiting any time of year! It is stunning to see in person, whether just the outside, or the inside as well. And it is especially magical dusted in snow.
I was disappointed that the bridge viewpoint was closed when we visited, but the views of the castle we did have were still incredibly gorgeous and worth it.
You will also have fewer crowds to deal with in the winter. Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of Germany! The area can get incredibly busy during the summer months. Although there were plenty of people around, the winter crowds did not feel overwhelming, and the lines were not too long.
Where to Eat
There are a lot of options for places to eat when you’re visiting Neuschwanstein Castle. We ate a late lunch after our tour at the restaurant just outside of the castle. We also grabbed some delicious quarkballen as a snack there on the way up.
Restaurant Options
- Castle Cafe: If you have a tour ticket, you can eat at the cafe in the castle after your tour.
- Neuschwanstein Castle Restaurant: This restaurant is located on the walking path up to the castle, and is right where the horse carriages will drop you off if you ride them. We ate here after our tour, on our way back down the hill.
- You can also order gluhwein and quarkballchen from the outdoor stands. Quarkballchen are like little fried donuts, and I highly recommend you get some!
- Hohenschwangau Restaurants: There are several restaurants in the village near the ticket center. You will see them all up and down the street as you make your way to the castle.
Where to Get the Best Views of Neuschwanstein Castle
Views abound all around of Neuschwanstein Castle! Don’t worry. No matter what, you will have a great view!
But to help you plan out the best visit, here are all of the best viewpoints of Neuschwanstein Castle.
- Good to Know: Not all of these views are available in winter, or easily accessible via public transportation.
Neuschwanstein Viewpoints
- View from the Road: If you are driving (or taking an emergency Uber), you will get a great view of Neuschwanstein Castle from the road into Hohenschwangau. This is a good spot to drive to, if you have a car.
- Views from the Village: As you walk from the bus stop to the ticket center, and make your way up to the castle, you will be greeted with views from every angle!
- Marienbrucke Bridge: This is one of the most common and popular views of the castle, though it can be closed in winter. The bridge spans the Pollat Gorge, and offers a full view of the castle in its entirety.
- Hiking Trails: If you keep trekking up on the trails past the Marienbrucke, you will find some lesser known views of the castle.
- Tegelberg Cable Car: A short ways from Hohenschwangau is the Tegelberg Cable Car with skiing, hiking, a restaurant, and castle views.
- Hot Air Balloon/Helicopter: For the stunning (and expensive) view of the castle standing in front of the Alps that you see on postcards, you can book a helicopter or hot air balloon tour.
Other Things to Do
If you are visiting Neuschwanstein Castle on a day trip, you may or may not be looking for other things to. Because it takes so long to get there (and back), you honestly won’t have a lot of time to do anything else.
However, if you’re not planning on touring the inside, you’re staying longer in Hohenschwangau, or you just want to know all of your options, there are plenty of other things to do besides seeing Neuschwanstein Castle.
Things to Do
- Hohenschwangau Castle: The older and smaller Hohenschwangau Castle is where King Ludwig II grew up. You will pass this castle on your way up to Neuschwanstein.
- Museum of Bavarian Kings: Also nearby is the Museum of Bavarian Kings, if you’re interested in learning more about King Ludwig and his ancestors.
- Hiking Trails: Many of the hiking trails will be closed in the winter. You can check what is open on the website. If a trail is open, it’s a great way to spend time, get exercise, and, most importantly, take in more views of the castle!
- Explore the town of Fussen: If you’re coming via train, you will arrive in the little town of Fussen. This is a picturesque town with lots of little shops and restaurants to explore if you have the time.
- Pro Tip: If you’re going to Hohenschwangau and/or the Museum of Bavarian Kings, book a combo ticket with your Neuschwanstein ticket to save money.
Any more questions?
If you have any more questions about visiting Neuschwanstein in winter, or your own helpful tips and ideas to share, feel free to comment below or send me an email.
Planning a winter trip?
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Julia is a travel blogger with a Bachelor’s Degree in photography from Indiana Wesleyan University. She worked as a professional photo-retoucher for seven and a half years, before leaving the company to work in the travel industry. She now works at a historic 1800’s hotel. When she’s not working, she’s reading fantasy novels or classic literature, and planning trips to magical destinations.
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