The castle is something to behold and experience, beautiful architecture and awesome mountains and surroundings. The interiors are amazing, with wood carvings and constructions you wouldn't think to see outside of a church. Guided tours are pricey but worth it. Albeit a bit too fast paced. The guide really races through the castle rooms quickly, leaving you little time to take it all in. That said, the rooms are really something, there is even a fake cave! Yes King Ludwig crazy or otherwise even had built a make shift cave in the style of a grotto. Really something.

It is a very touristy landmark though so you will find yourself surrounded by hundreds of others in winter and thousands in summer. Personally I would go in winter not just because there are fewer people, but because the snow really adds to the idea of fairy tales that King Ludwig was inspired by when building this castle.

We had an amazing visit and tour of this castle. It is absolutely incredible. Tour guides are knowledgable and the facility is well maintained. The horse drawn carriage ride up is definitely worth it.

So this was the third time that I have visited both Hohenschwangau and then Neuschwanstein castles. The last time I visited was two years ago, and my parents accompanied me. On this visit, I was escorting my daughter and grandson; my daughter uses an oxgen tank to assist her with breathing. While the website stated that some of the bridges on the road up to Neuschwanstein were being repaird, nothing was mentioned about there being no shuttle bus service at all to the castle. One has the option to get in line and pay to have the vendors with the horse and carriages to you up to both castles. That is exactly what we did. We purchased tickets for entrance to both castles at the ticketing office. You are given exact entry times. We asked to have the greatest separation between the entrance times, and were granted times that were three hours apart. The horse coaches that take you to Hohenschwangau drop you off right at the base of the castle entrance. Following that excellent tour, we had one in our group race down (on foot) to then get in the separate line for the horse carriages to Neuschwanstein. The rest of us, including my daughter, would ride the horse carriages back down the hill from Hohenschwangau, then join in the line for the other coach. We ended up waiting one and a half hours in line for the horse coach to Neuschwanstein - many others, with their tour times rapidly approaching, decided to get out of line and hike up the hill if they could. When waiting in line outside, be prepared for the weather and the inevitable smokers in line that simply have to light up regardless of those around them (pretty standard). The horse carriages drop you off below the castle, so you have a steep, winding hike awaiting you, before you reach the entry "gates" for you tour. Steady, leisurely walking - it takes you about 15 minutes. There are great differences in the tours between the two castles. Hohenschwangau is smaller, finished, and a more intimate tour of what was a castle used by royal family members. It is easy to hear the tour guide, spend time looking at the paintings, murals, and other artifacts, and to have your questions answered. Neuschwanstein, on the other hand, is an unfinished castle, with far more visitors, and tour guides that are on a strict schedule to move you quickly through the few portions of the dwelling that you are allowed to see. The acoustics are simply terrible. Different experience altogether. Enjoyable, but very different and somewhat (maybe even purposefully) cold.