Castle visit on Tuesday, December 5, 2017. Tour with Radius Tours, guide was Aiden. Tour company is located inside München Hauptbahnhof train station.
Tour starts at the tour office inside München Hauptbahnhofat at 930 am from there you boarded the train to the castle. The train is 2 hours from Munich. The guide will explain the itinerary for the day when you board the train. Also he provided the history of Ludwig II, his life and death. When you arrive at the Fussen train stop the tour company provides a bus to the base of the castle.
Otherwise you have to wait for public transportation and you have to wait in a queue. Buses run regularly, and it takes less than 10 minutes to reach Hohenschwangau from Füssen. The buses are generally timed so that they arrive at the same time as trains. Be aware that in summer months they can be really busy. I am not sure what that cost is.
The bus drop off is at the base of the castle walk. You have a short time to get some food before you walk up to the castle.
We had 20 min to grab some food. Really just a hot dog at the local stand. Not very expensive. Be aware bottles water is expense. You can take a water containers and fill from the tap water. Pretty much through out Munich.
Then you have a ~30 minute walk up to the castle.
In the winter, there is a horse draw
n carriage, that will take you up the road, but not to the top. In the summer there is a tram. Cost is ???
The tour company provide the castle tour tickets. If you go on your own, make sure you have a tour reservation. Make them on-line. You pick up your tickets at the base, before you head up to the castle. During peak season, allow up to one hour to pick up tickets at 30-45 minutes to walk up to the castle.
When walking up, almost at the top, there is a German sweet you need to try. It's like a donut. Its located on a cart, on your way up to the castle. They are 3 for $2.50 E.
At your tour time, you enter for your tour. No pictures inside the castle. Much of the castle is not finished, but what is complete is magnificent. The tour last between 20-25 min. When you exit, there are a few gift shops and a food location.
Don't miss the look out. You can take some good pictures.
In the summer, you can walk to the bridge and take some wonderful pictures. In the winter, the walkway is closed, but some people will walk past the barricades and climb over other barricades to get to the bridges. Be aware, it is slippery.
When your tour is complete. Stop by the lake and take some pictures.
The tour company provides a bus back to the Fussen train station. Otherwise you have to wait in a queue to get to the train station. Overall it was a great experience, but a lot of effort for such a short castle tour.