Neuschwanstein
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Hohenschwangau Castle

Hohenschwangau Castle

Hohenschwangau Castle was Ludwig II's childhood summer home in Bavaria. A ticket for the castle buys a guided tour of about 45 minutes. Adult tickets cost €23.50 at the Ticket Center in the village, plus €2.50 online.

Updated 30 October 2026 Hours and tickets neuschwanstein.de and the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau, last read 29 October 2026; tour listings read 29 October 2026

Adult ticket €23.50 Children aged 7 to 17 pay €12. → Guided tour About 45 minutes About 180 steps inside; no lift. → Walk uphill 20 to 30 minutes Horse carriage uphill €5.50; no service in winter. →

The official ticket page asks you to arrive in Hohenschwangau village at least 1 hour before your guided castle tour. Your ticket time is the starting point for the day.

The place

What is Hohenschwangau Castle?

Hohenschwangau Castle was rebuilt from 1833 to 1837 as the Bavarian royal family's summer and hunting residence. Ludwig II spent weeks at the castle every summer, both as a child and as king.

Crown Prince Maximilian bought the ruined castle in 1832. Maximilian later became King Maximilian II. Domenico Quaglio directed the rebuilding. The castle has more than 90 wall paintings.

Hohenschwangau Castle has belonged to the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds since 1923. The Palace Administration's annual tickets page excludes the castle from annual passes and tickets valid for 14 days.

The tour

Can you go inside Hohenschwangau Castle?

You can go inside Hohenschwangau Castle only on a guided tour of about 45 minutes. The castle guides speak German or English. The Hohenschwangau Castle tours page offers audio guides in 12 languages.

The Ticket Center's accessibility page describes about 180 steps inside Hohenschwangau Castle. There is no lift. The route goes about 90 steps up and 90 down. You cannot tour the castle in a wheelchair.

Tell your castle tour guide before the tour if you are deaf or hard of hearing. Your guide can give you the written tour text. You cannot take photos or film inside the castle.

Your guided castle tour begins at the time on your ticket. Be in the castle courtyard before your tour time. The monitor beside the turnstiles displays your tour number.

The ticket

Hohenschwangau Castle tickets

Museum of the Bavarian Kings The Museum of the Bavarian Kings costs €14.50 per adult with an audio guide. Reduced Museum of the Bavarian Kings admission costs €13.50. Children under 18 enter the Museum of the Bavarian Kings free with an adult.

€14.50 €17

Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwanstein Castle costs €21 per adult for about 30 minutes with a guide. Reduced Neuschwanstein Castle admission costs €20. Children under 18 need a free Neuschwanstein Castle ticket.

€21 €23.50

Hohenschwangau Castle Hohenschwangau Castle costs €23.50 per adult for about 45 minutes with a guide. Reduced Hohenschwangau Castle admission costs €19.50. Children aged 7 to 17 pay €12 at Hohenschwangau Castle; under 7s enter free.

€23.50 €26

Prince-Ticket The Prince-Ticket covers Neuschwanstein Castle and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings for €33.50 per adult. A reduced Prince-Ticket costs €31.50. Children under 18 get a free Prince-Ticket with an adult.

€33.50 €38.50

Wittelsbach-Ticket The Wittelsbach-Ticket covers Hohenschwangau Castle and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings for €36 per adult. A reduced Wittelsbach-Ticket costs €31. A Wittelsbach-Ticket costs €12 for children aged 7 to 17; under 7s enter free.

€36 €41

Kings-Ticket The Kings-Ticket covers Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle for €43.50 per adult. A reduced Kings-Ticket costs €38.50. A Kings-Ticket costs €12 for children aged 7 to 17; under 7s enter free.

€43.50 €48.50

Swan-Ticket The Swan-Ticket covers Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Castle and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings for €56 per adult. A reduced Swan-Ticket costs €50. A Swan-Ticket costs €12 for children aged 7 to 17; under 7s enter free.

€56 €63.50

adult price at the Ticket Center what the online fee adds

The official price list adds €2.50 per ticket online, including free tickets, as read on 29 October 2026. The combination tickets page adds €5 per ticket online for two sights or €7.50 for three, also on free tickets. Use your combination ticket on one visit date.

An adult Hohenschwangau Castle ticket costs €23.50 on the official price list. A ticket at the reduced rate costs €19.50. Students and visitors aged 65 or over qualify for reduced admission tickets with proof. Admission to the castle costs €12 for children aged 7 to 17.

Buying your ticket for the castle in the official online ticket shop adds €2.50 per person. The booking fee also applies to free tickets for children under 7. Add every child when you book. The Ticket Center in the village sells tickets only for the current day.

The Wittelsbach-Ticket pairs Hohenschwangau Castle with the Museum of the Bavarian Kings for €36 per adult. The combination tickets page adds a €5 fee per Wittelsbach-Ticket online. The Swan-Ticket covers both castles and a visit to the museum for €56 per adult. The online fee is €7.50 per Swan-Ticket.

The Kings-Ticket covers both castle tours for €43.50 per adult, plus €5 online. Use your combination ticket for all visits on the same day. Your visit to the museum has no fixed entry time. The Museum of the Bavarian Kings is closed for works from 9 to 11 November 2026.

Your ticket: €23.50 per adult at the Ticket Center in the village, plus €2.50 per ticket online, for a guided castle tour of about 45 minutes.

With the castle

Can you visit Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles in one day?

The Kings-Ticket covers Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle on one day for €43.50 per adult. The online fee is €5 per Kings-Ticket. Your castle tour times set the order. Allow for both hill routes between your tours.

Choose the childhood castle first for Ludwig II's early life, then Neuschwanstein Castle for his own building plans. The times printed on your tickets come first. Hohenschwangau Castle needs you in the village at least 1 hour before your tour. For the other castle, you need to reach the village at least 1.5 to 2 hours before your tour.

The castle's directions page gives 30 to 40 minutes from the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau to Neuschwanstein Castle on foot. The shuttle bus from car park P4 costs €3.50 uphill or €5 return. The bus ride takes about 15 minutes. From the bus stop, a steep path goes down to the castle in about 15 minutes.

The Neuschwanstein Castle horse carriage takes about 20 minutes from opposite Hotel Müller for €8 uphill or €4 downhill. The walk from the carriage stop to the castle takes 10 to 15 minutes uphill. The shuttle bus and horse carriage have no timetable or reservations. Snow or ice can stop the shuttle bus and close Marienbrücke in winter.

Count back: Hohenschwangau Castle needs you in the village at least 1 hour before entry; Neuschwanstein Castle needs 1.5 to 2 hours. The Kings-Ticket costs €43.50 at the Ticket Center in the village; €138 buys the Munich coach tour with both castle tickets included. The Hohenschwangau combinations compare tours visiting both castles.

Neuschwanstein Castle Your ticket: Neuschwanstein Castle costs €21 per adult at the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau or €23.50 online for a guided tour of about 30 minutes. Be in Neuschwanstein Castle's courtyard before your tour time. Compare tickets → Hohenschwangau Castle Hohenschwangau Castle costs €23.50 per adult at the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau for a guided tour of about 45 minutes. Your online ticket adds €2.50. Reach Hohenschwangau Castle before your tour time. Compare tours →

Count back: for your Kings-Ticket, reach Hohenschwangau 1.5 to 2 hours before Neuschwanstein Castle admission or 1 hour before Hohenschwangau Castle admission, per the official ticket page, 29 October 2026.

Up the hill

How do you get to Hohenschwangau Castle?

The walk from the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau to Hohenschwangau Castle takes 20 to 30 minutes on the Ticket Center's transport page. The path near the Alpsee has no steps. The slope is moderate.

The Hohenschwangau Castle horse carriage costs €5.50 uphill and €3 downhill. The ride from in front of the Ticket Center in the village takes about 10 minutes. The horse carriage stops directly below the castle.

The castle has no shuttle bus. The horse carriage up to the castle has no timetable, and you cannot reserve a seat. In winter, the horse carriage to the castle does not run. Your winter route up the hill is on foot.

Hohenschwangau Castle opens 10:00–16:00 from 16 October to 27 March on the Ticket Center's opening times page. The castle closes on 1 January and on 24, 25 and 31 December. Private cars cannot reach the castle.

Count back: reach Hohenschwangau village at least 1 hour before your guided castle tour, with 20 to 30 minutes for the climb. Buy tickets before you walk up. The Ticket Center in the village starts sales at 8:00 for the current day, subject to availability.

Alpseestraße, departure point for carriages to Neuschwanstein Castle

The courtyard

Can you visit Hohenschwangau Castle courtyard for free?

Hohenschwangau Castle courtyard is free to visit after walking 20 to 30 minutes from the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau. The castle courtyard needs no ticket, as the Ticket Center's FAQ explains. The castle garden is also free. The castle garden looks over the Alpsee towards the surrounding forests and mountains.

You can also take photos of the castle from the village. For a view from above, the Jugend viewpoint shows the castle with the Alpsee and Schwansee. The walk from the shuttle bus stop to the Jugend viewpoint takes 5 minutes.

History

Hohenschwangau Castle history

Hohenschwangau Castle first appears in records from the 12th century. The knights of Schwangau held the castle until the 16th century. Wars later left the castle in ruins.

Maximilian married Marie of Prussia in 1842. The royal family spent weeks at the castle each year. Maximilian hunted in the area around the castle. Marie favoured mountain walks and fishing.

Ludwig II grew up with medieval legends on the walls of the castle. The wall paintings showed the swan knight Lohengrin. Neuschwanstein Castle's foundation stone was laid on 5 September 1869, as the castle's building history page records.