There are a few ways of getting Neuschwanstein Castle tickets when sold out. Known unofficially as the “Disney” Castle in Germany, tickets are well known to be difficult to get hold of. The official Neuschwanstein Castle website releases a limited number of tickets online, which get purchased quickly. There is a way of buying fast track entrance tickets as well as several tours that go to the Disney Castle from Munich and Fuessen. This is often the best way of getting tickets to the castle when the official website is sold out.
Option 1
The first place you should check is here. This site offers skip the line Neuschwanstein entrance tickets and often has tickets when the official website is sold out. This is the simplest solution to finding a ticket, but make sure to read the instruction on how the ticket works carefully.
Option 2
The next place to check for tickets is here. This site lists the main ways of getting tickets to Neuschwanstein Castle when sold out. The tour departs from a number of different locations starting at nearby towns and tickets include transportation to and from the departure point.
Option 3 – hotel package
The third place to look is here. Get tickets and 2 night stay in a hotel, starting from €75 per adult. Hotels are available in nearby Fussen, or further away. The package includes a buffet breakfast. You can choose to include an individual Neuschwanstein Ticket, or combine this with a visit to Hohenschwangau Castle and Museum of the Bavarian Kings.
Option 4: From Munich
The fourth place to check it here. This company offers a full day tour to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich, and is a great to way to get tickets when other places are sold out. You’ll depart from Munich and have a 2 hour train journey to the village of Hohenschwangau. From here you’ll get a picture postcard view from afar of the “Disney” Castle, and the guide will entertain will fun stories about its history. This is followed by time to explore the Bavarian Alps and a 35 minute tour of the Hohenschwangau castle, using a specialist guide. You have to purchase the tickets separately at a cost of 13 euros on the day, but this guarantees fast track entrance to the Castle.
Option 5: From Munich
The fifth place to look is here. This company also offers a full day tour to Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Royal Castle from Munich. You’ll travel by bus, with time to visit both of these iconic castles, as well as a stop at the village of Oberammergau. A good way of visiting the “Disney Castle” when other places are sold out and is available every day.
Tickets on the Day Versus in Advance
The advantage of buying your tickets on the day is that its cheaper than any of the tour options mentioned above. However, we should warn you that the process of buying a ticket on the day is long and frustrating.
You first have to queue up at the ticket centre in the village, and expect to wait in line from anywhere between 40 minutes to over 1 hour. But this is only the beginning of the process! Your ticket will then be allocated to the next available tour, which means that you might need to wait another 1, 2, 3 or 4 hours before actually getting into the site! Whilst there are things to do in the village, and plenty of beautiful walks you can do around the lake, this is a very frustrating process to go through.
Given the choice between trying your luck and waiting in line on the day, there is much to be said for just buying a fast track entrance as outlined in option 1. Yes, it will cost you about 10 euros more than buying direct, but you will more than make this up in terms of the hassle, time and stress you’ll save.
The alternative is to purchase a tour of the castle, either from Munich or Fuessen. These bus tours include transportation to the castle area, and tend to have availability when the standard ticket is sold out. They do not include the short bus ride to get up to the castle (which only costs a few euros.) You also have to purchase the entrance ticket to the Neuschwanstein Castle separately on the day, but this is very straightforward as you buy them from the tour representative at the cost of 13 euros, and you are guaranteed fast track entrance into the castle. No waiting around!