Germany’s most famous castle, Neuschwanstein, is just an hour away from Garmisch. It’s the most famous for a reason and well worth the visit.

Make sure you buy tickets in advance as it does book up. The tickets are to see the inside of the castle. You don’t need a ticket to just see it from the outside.

You can either hike to the castle or pay to take a horse carriage or bus to the top. Strollers must be left outside the castle near the gift shop.

Mary’s Bridge provides the best view of the castle. Beware if you are afraid of heights! It also gets quite crowded in peak tourism times.

You can also continue past the bridge for a few more less crowded viewpoints.

Consider also touring the Hohenschwangau castle at the same site. This was Ludwig’s childhood home and the tour gives you more insight to his life.

Füssen is the nearby town and it is very charming. Enjoy walking through the quaint old town and seeing the Füssen castle.

Visit the Schlossbrauhaus brewery with an amazing castle view with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Don’t miss their giftshop with special Neuschwanstein beer!

You can also do some hiking near the Tegelberg Cable Car for some less crowded castle views.

Getting to Neuschwanstein

Driving here from Garmisch is easy and does NOT require a vignette for Austria, even though you will drive through Austria to get here. The trip should take just under an hour.

There are a few paid parking lots nearby the castle.