Munich Travel Forum

Hello,

My wife and I will be visiting Munich from May 12 - May 14. We intend to do a city tour with Mike's Bike Tours on May 12 and then plan to visit the Neuschwanstein Palace on May 13. Does this sound like too much? Would you recommend Schloss Nymphenburg over Neuschwanstein?

While looking for tickets to Fussen on the bahn.de site, I noticed that there are no trains to Fussen from Kaufbeuren, but only bus service for May 13. Is there another way to get to Fussen by train?

I also looked at the palace's website, www.neuschwanstein.de. The site mentions that the castle can be visited only as part of a guided tour. I'm assuming they mean only the entry into the castle, and not the entire trip to the castle?
The website also states:
You can book the ticket for your guided tour in advance (one day before the desired castle visit at the latest) at the external link Ticketcenter Hohenschwangau.

Is this necessary or can I buy tickets at the castle itself on the day of and be assigned to a guided tour for entry?

My last question is about the Vi Vadi hotel - reviews and proximity to the Hbf? Is air-conditioning required in mid-May?

Thank you very much.

We loved Neuschwanstein Castle and the little village at the bottom. I don't think you would be disappointed. I think the tour around Munich sounds really good and although you will be busy I don't think it will be too much really. Can't help you with the transport questions. Sorry. Have a great trip.

We did Mike's bike tours and loved it - both the 1/2 day Munich tour, and the tour to Newschwantein - which also included riding bikes in the countryside.

Of course, it's great to have the autonomy of going without the tour, but there are so many people, it's nice not to have to spend the time and worry getting the tickets.

Word of caution during the bike tour - be careful if you choose to jump in the river mid-tour. The current is really fast. My husband had a slight impairment that kept him from raising his arms fast, and my son had to jump and get him out of the river, because the way it was (2003) - you need to reach up and grab a bar or bridge above you to get out of the water. It's *great* fun - but if you have any impairment at all think twice. One person also got his foot cut in the rocks - but all 25+ others were fine.

Take a look at: www.hohenschwangau.de. It's a bit more thorough. The ticket is for the guided tour only. I would purchase your tickets before you travel there. There can be very long lines at the ticket center at times. The ticket center is not located at the castle. Gary

You can visit the Hohenschawngau Castle as well. Gary

the castles are far more famous and a far bigger attraction, but Schloss Nymphenburg is not a slouch and a heck of a lot easier to get to and gain entrance, just two long pretty blocks off a tram which departs from the main railway station. i have a few pictures and tips on my page to give you an idea.

Hi - I really loved Schloss Nymphenburg. The grounds were especially nice. It may be long day for you to make the trip to Neuschwanstein after your bike tour and if you can't, I don't think you will de disappointed at all. You can see Schloss Nymphenburg and the Residenz in the same day. (I recommend getting the audioguide in each place.)

That being said, Neuschwanstein is very, very nice. Be sure to make the walk to Marienbruecke for beautiful view of the castle. The entire tour is by guide only - you are not allowed to walk around inside on your own (unlike Nymphenburg & the Residenz). Your ticket will allow for a timed entry. We were there about the same time of year as you will be and we bought our tickets the morning of our visit - probably not necessary to book in advance. Happy Travels!

After thinking it over a bit, Nymphenburg might be a more confortable destination for you. As Donna mentioned, you can explore the buildings and gardens at pretty much your own pace. The tour at Neuschwanstein is something like 40 minutes. You don't get "personal" time at the castle itself. They aren't trying to be rude about your visit, there is just no place to put any great number of people. Ludwig II was a very insightful introvert. Gary

Hello
Munich is a gr8 city btw. I haven't yet tried biking there but it definitely is a gr8 idea.

about Vi Vadi Hotel, i havent stayed over there but have heard its fine. But u could also try these Ghotel Hotel & Living München Zentrum, it shd be around the same price or maybe a bit more. There is another one real value for money and that is Meininger City Hostel & Hotel Munich. It shd cost less than $28 a day. U could check out some of the reviews of Vi Vadi and Munich hotels here.

http://ooaha.com/SearchResults.aspx?fileName=Munich&languageCode=EN&checkin=2009-04-29&checkout=2009-04-30&sort=Popularity-desc&locationId=-1353&currencyCode=USD&Adults=1&Rooms=1&lowRate=20&highRate=390&pageSize=15&scroll=57


Wish u best. I hope to be visiting munich soon too. I hope that helps. also Munich is a gr8 city. U r bound to fall in love with it

Two more options for you: (1) A visit to the Kunstareal, Munich's museum quarter. There are several art museums,and a large museum that specializes in Egyptian artifacts. (2) Ludwig II built another castle, Herrenchiemsee, to the east of Munich. The castle sits in the middle of a large lake. It was built as a "tribute" to the French "Sun Kings", as it is modelled after the Versailles Palace. It is quite impressive as well. You may wish to visit their web site to ascertain the best way to reach the island. It's been a bit since I visited, and we had private transport. Gary

They are installing new rails somewhere between Kaufbeuren and Füssen, starting on May 3rd, that is why the train is replaced by bus.

See here:
http://bauarbeiten.bahn.de/docs/2009/baden-w/infos/974_0405-1705_fahrplan.pdf

Although Nymphenburg is a beautiful castle with beautiful gardens - Neuschwanstein is Neuschwanstein... And Füssen is a beautiful little town which would even be worth a visit without Neuschwanstein. The question is just if you want to spend 5 hours travelling.

The train/bus trip would be a cheap one as you can travel on one Bayern-Ticket (28 Euro), it is for travel on regional trains and valid for up to five people. The ticket is for the whole day, so includes your return trip. Only exclusion: You cannot travel before 9am - but until 3am of the following day... ;-)

If you opt for Neuschwanstein, perhaps you have some time left on May 14th for visiting Nymphenburg. As it is located in the city and can easily be reached by tramway, a few hours would be good enough for a visit.

Hi, nice u r interested in Munich, it's a good idea to visit it ;-)
I'd recommend you to visit TalkMunich (dot) com to get some tips on travelling there, and to choose best places for sightseeing in Munich
Good luck!