Germany / Munich & the Bavarian Alps / Neuschwanstein & Füssen

Neuschwanstein & Füssen

King Ludwig's Fairy-Tale Castle in the Alpine Foothills

1 dayIdeal stay₹9,050From / night₹2,980Food / day₹2,500Entry

Neuschwanstein, the castle King Ludwig II built on a crag above Hohenschwangau, with his father's yellow Hohenschwangau Castle and the Alpsee below. The inside is seen only on a timed guided tour of about 30 minutes, sold online only (€21 plus a €2.50 booking fee): book days ahead in summer. From the ticket centre it is a 30-40 minute uphill walk, or a bus or horse carriage most of the way; the Marienbrücke gives the classic view when it is open. Füssen, 4 km away, is the base, two hours from Munich by regional train. Linderhof Palace and the Wieskirche are nearby.

Highlights

Neuschwanstein guided tour
View from the Marienbrücke
Hohenschwangau Castle
Alpsee shore walk
Füssen old town
Linderhof Palace and the Wieskirche

Things to do

Neuschwanstein guided tour and the uphill walkMorning · 4h
Hohenschwangau Castle and the AlpseeAfternoon · 2h 30m
Tegelberg cable car and ridge walkAfternoon · 3h
Füssen old town and the Lech gorgeEvening · 2h
Linderhof Palace and the WieskircheMorning · 5h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Neuschwanstein & Füssenvia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Neuschwanstein & Füssenvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: May – October, December – February (snow)

Worth knowing

Neuschwanstein Tickets Sell Out in Summer

Neuschwanstein is seen only on timed guided tours, sold online only (with a €2.50 booking fee per person) and often sold out days ahead from June to September. Book your slot as soon as your dates are fixed, and allow 30-40 minutes from the ticket centre up to the castle gate: late arrivals lose their tour.

Heads up

Winter at Neuschwanstein

The castle is open all winter (it closes only on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January) and looks its best under snow, but the Marienbrücke viewpoint is often closed in snow and ice, the horse carriages and buses up the hill may not run, and the path is slippery: wear boots.

Getting there

Fly into Munich (MUC), 90 km away

Then: Train · 2h 36m (Regional train to Füssen + bus to Hohenschwangau)

Search flights to MUC from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹23,000
From Mumbaifrom ₹22,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹27,000
From Bengalurufrom ₹25,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000

Fly into Frankfurt (FRA), 321 km away

Then: Train · 6h (ICE to Augsburg or Munich + regional train to Füssen + bus)

Search flights to FRA from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹22,000
From Mumbaifrom ₹21,000
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹26,000
From Kochi (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Bengalurufrom ₹24,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹12,100

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at any VFS Global Germany centre in India (New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and others), 4-8 weeks before you fly and about 8 weeks ahead for May to September, when appointments are scarce (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Germany if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (charged in rupees at the mission's rate, about ₹10,100; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge of about ₹2,000, and none of it is refunded if the visa is refused.
At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). Processing takes up to 15 working days after the day you submit, and longer in summer and over Christmas.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Frankfurt and Munich.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form (VIDEX) and two recent biometric photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary; Hotel bookings for every night, or an invitation from your host (a formal letter of obligation if they are paying); Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Germany and every other Schengen country (France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and more) for up to 90 days in any 180. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Sources disagree on which German mission decides applications from your state, but VFS takes them at any of its Germany centres: check visa.vfsglobal.com for appointments and the current charges before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Munich & the Bavarian Alps

🍺 Munich · Beer Halls, Baroque Palaces and the Gateway to the Alps
🏔️ Garmisch-Partenkirchen & the Zugspitze · Germany's Highest Peak and an Alpine Resort Town
🛶 Berchtesgaden & Königssee · An Emerald Fjord-like Lake under the Watzmann

Plan a trip to Neuschwanstein & Füssen

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Munich (MUC)