Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own and these products/services have been found useful during our travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!
Tourists flock to visit this magical castle, perched on a rocky cliff in the Alpine mountains which overlooks the small village of Schwangau. Upon arrival, many are amazed to find that just across the village is another castle. Schloss Hohenschwangau is easily over shadowed by the glory of Schloss Neuschwanstein and few make the time to visit both castles.
When you think of romantic castles, fairy tale love stories and majestic scenery in Germany, your first thought is instinctively the Neuschwanstein Castle. Walt Disney immortalized this dreamy castle in all opening scenes of his movies and can be found at every single Disney amusement park.
Schwangau is also located just off of Germany’s Romantic Road which stretches from Würzburg to Füssen, through some of the most beautiful landscape in Bavaria as well as some of the best small towns in Germany and visiting the area is honestly one of the best day trips from Munich!
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So why should you bother visiting this castle which hardly rivals the castle that fairy tales are made of?
It’s quick and easy to access
You can either walk up to the castle from two different paths, both of which take between 20-30 minutes walking or you can take a horse-drawn carriage ride up to the castle, when they are running. One path is wheel chair friendly, one is for those interested in walking up the stairs.
If you choose to take the longer route, (it took more like 15 up with pictures) head towards Alpsee where you will have a stunning view of the lake and enjoy the pleasantries of swans majestically gliding to and fro. From here head up the path.
It’s free to walk around the castle if you don’t want to do a tour
If you’re on a tight budget or tight on time, you don’t need to buy a ticket to go up to the castle and have a look around. No place is off limits! Now, if you have more time, buy a combination pack which is good for both castles which is 23 €.
It’s older than Schloss Neuschwanstein
The castle that is currently perched upon a small hill dates back all the way to the 12th Century and eventually fell almost to ruins by the 19th Century. It became the official summer residence of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the father of Ludwig II who would later become King Ludwig II of Bavaria. His family spent a lot of time here, using the castle as a hunting lodge. Once he became king, he lived here with his mother while his masterpiece, Schloss Neuschwanstein was being constructed just across the way. 
You need less than an hour to visit the castle while you’re waiting for your tour to start at Schloss Neuschwanstein
If you are looking to kill some time, as you wait for your tour to begin you can manage a quick peek up at the castle. Make sure to leave enough time between both castles if you are looking to do both in one day, and include the time it will take you to get up & down from both castle.
There are less tourists here
Which gives you the peace and quiet you need to soak in the surreal experience of being somewhere where dreams flourish!
Most importantly, it offers …
a pretty amazing view of the Neuschwanstein Castle and a view over the village of Schwangau!
Unfortunately, you can not take pictures inside so you’ll have to check out the website here for an inside look.
And once you do make it up to Schloss Neuschwanstein, head back behind the castle and visit the Marienbrücke. On your way up, there is a viewing section which offers the most amazing view over Alpsee, Schwangau, Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schwansee.
Overall, Schloss Hohenschwaungau is one of the best castles in Germany to visit and the views are unparalleled and the history of the Wittelsbach family is interesting to learn more about! After all, they ruled Bavaria for over 800 years! That’s a lot of history and the Bavarian Alps is one of the most picturesque regions of Germany! It’s what dreams are made of and no visit to Germany would be complete without visiting Schwangau!
If you’re looking for a comfortable and easy place to stay with that authentic Bavarian hospitality, consider staying at Hotel Alpenstube, right in the heart of Hohenschwangau, at the foot of the castle!
If you’re interested in visiting Germany and are looking for more information, I highly recommend using the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide! Without these guides, I would be lost! This is my travel Bible!
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own and these products/services have been found useful during our travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!
The Bavarian King Ludwig II’s Castles:
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I definitely preferred Schloss Hohenschwangau of the two castles. The tour was better and it has much more history and more furnishings than Neuschwanstein. I would definitely recommend doing both though to anyone taking the time to visit!
You’ve got a perfect day at Schloss Hohenschwangau. When I visited the castle it was raining. I loved the view from the garden even that it was raining.
Oh don’t worry we were playing cat and mouse with the rain on this day but we were pretty lucky. This was my 4th visit and the weather is always pretty tricky
I love castles and I want to visit them all! This one is really stunning especially with the fall colors. And it is so nice that it is not crowded. Great pictures, thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard!
Looks so beautiful! If I´m right you could see Schloss Hohenschwangau from the Neuschwanstein Castle, I think I saw it on the horizon when visiting the Neuschwanstein. Also looks so magical… these Bavarian castles are like nothing else #TheWeeklyPostcard
You certainly can see Hohenschwangau from Neuschwanstein! Ive got a great picture on my Neuschwanstein post! 🙂
Love the views from Hohenschwangau!
I think sometimes the ‘less touristy’ or known option is the best. This castle looks like a great place to visit.
I couldn’t agree more! Schloss Neuschwanstein can be overrated. Once is enough!
Fantastic detailed post as always! I love the autumn photos, so lovely! 🙂
By the way, I have nominated you for another award called Sunshine Blogger Award 😀
If you wish to accept it please refer to this post for the rules: https://lostinprettyeurope.wordpress.com/2016/11/08/sunshine-blogger-award/
I really enjoy reading your blogs and I think you have a great layout, brilliant photos and very informative posts. Have a great day!
Hey! Thank you so much for your very sweet comment and nomination! So glad to have you following along! I will check out the award in a bit! Thanks again!! 🙂
I love your posts on the Bavarian castles! I’d very much like to tour them and love this post eapeciall because of the views of the fairy tale castle! €23 is not bad at all for both castles.
It’s definitely worth doing both!:) hope you get to see them one day!
We were short on time before our tour of Neuschwanstein when we visited Hohenschwangau so we just walked around the grounds. They were so beautiful. I’d like to go back and tour the castle. I’ve been inside Neuschwanstein twice so I’d be okay with skipping it. I took almost that exact picture of Hohenschwangau and the valley except without the fall colors. It looks gorgeous in the fall. #weekendwanderlust
It’s definitely the best time of year to go!
A little embarrassed to say that I learnt about this castle from the Amazing Race, when contestants were looking for Neuschwanstein and accidentally went to Hohenschwangau by mistake. It’s a pity that it’s overshadowed by Neuschwanstein as it looks very impressive in your photos. The Alpsee is so pretty too, especially with the autumn colours. As an avid castle lover, I hope to see these one day. #WeekendWanderlust
Well if you’re ever in Bavaria give me a heads up! You won’t regret going to these castles one day but unfortunately most people onnnly know the Neuschwanstein Castle and not King Ludwig’s lesser known castles!
Love this! I’ve been to Neuschwanstein multiple times, but never over to Schloss Hohenschwangau. On our next trip down to Fussen we’ll have to make this stop. Thank you for sharing! #weekendwanderlust
We decided to skip Schloss Hohenschwangau and admired it from afar since we were so focused on Neuschwanstein and a visit to Linderhof afterwards. It’s always been one of my biggest regrets. So glad to have this virtual tour and inspiration to check it out for sure during our next visit.
Love this post. I’d heard so much about Newschwanstein, but never Hohenschwangau. Both look beautiful, and I’m always game for less crowds.
How amazing looking are these castles! I had no idea about Disney making one of them famous, let alone they even existed. Your photos are great! Love the autumn colours! Thanks for sharing, I feel a lot smarter now and can add another place to my must-visits in Europe!
We’re sold! Actually, had watched a show (Rick Steves, maybe?) on Hohenschwangau, but never realized it was so close to Neuschwanstein. But what really sold us are those autumn colors! The village is gorgeous! Yep…adding to our fall travel bucket list. 🙂
Then the best time to go is the between Oct 20 and probably not later than the first week of Nov