🇩🇪 Munich | 2-Day Guide to Neuschwanstein Castle & Old Town

Tipps❗️: First, everyone is recommended to download an app called DB—you can buy German train tickets online and check real-time train arrival times! (🇩🇪 Trains are often delayed. We had to transfer 5 times to get to Neuschwanstein Castle, and we missed the next train 3 times because of delays! But you can just take the next one—most ticket inspectors will understand. If you’re really worried about issues, you can go to the ticket office for help.) 1⃣ Neuschwanstein Castle ① Itinerary Most people travel to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich—just search for the route on Google Maps or DB. Fun fact: We departed from Stuttgart. The difference between taking the slow RE train and the fast ICE train to the castle was less than 30 minutes, so we took the slow train with our monthly pass and wandered over 🚂. ② Attractions On the map, the one at the bottom left is Neuschwanstein Castle. The red line: You can take a horse-drawn carriage (around 8€ one-way 💶) or walk (it’s not far—takes about 20-30 minutes to reach the top 🐎👟). The two green markers are bus stops (around 2€ one-way 💶). Important: If you want to enter Neuschwanstein Castle, book tickets at least 1 month in advance! Tickets are usually sold out if you book only 1 week ahead 🎫. ③ Photography I walked up the mountain, then took the purple path to Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge) to take photos. It’s recommended to go around noon. In the afternoon, I took photos of the castle’s front face at the turn of the red line—but it was severely backlit. Unless you use a professional camera 📷, it’s really hard to fix the lighting. However, all spots along the purple path are great! There’s also an observation deck on the purple path where you can see Alpsee Lake and Hohenschwangau Castle—but it really requires a telephoto lens 📸. Also, about the viral color-changing fridge magnet on Xiaohongshu: I checked every souvenir shop, but they all said it was out of stock. It’s probably being resold by scalpers 🧲. 2⃣ Munich Old Town ① Route Most famous spots are marked—basically, it’s a loop around Marienplatz (Marien Square). Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall): There’s a glockenspiel (puppet clock) show on the tower at 11:00, 12:00, and 17:00. It’s just puppets spinning around—check it out if you like this kind of thing ⏰. Churches: Climbing to the top of the church towers costs a few euros, but the interiors are all beautiful. Especially Asamkirche (Asam Church)—it’s small but the most stunning 🕌. Residenz München (Munich Residenz): We didn’t go, but if you’ve never been to Germany, it’s worth a visit. The interior is magnificent and quite interesting. We also met a young lady playing the violin in the Hofgarten (Royal Garden)—a unique experience 🎻. Hofbräuhaus München (Royal Court Brewery) ❗️: Highly recommended! I estimated there were almost 1,000 people drinking together—it had an amazing atmosphere. We even met a couple from the US sitting next to us. A small band performs every hour, and the mood peaks when everyone raises their glasses together at the end of the music 🎶🍻! Accommodation Recommendation Euro Youth Hotel: It’s very affordable, just across the road from Munich Main Station. Double or triple rooms are private, but the toilets and showers are shared (but 100 times cleaner than train toilets 🚻). However, since it’s a hostel, if you’re traveling alone, you’ll have to share a room with strangers. This was my first impromptu trip, so I wanted to document it—especially since today is the opening day of Oktoberfest! Hope this helps anyone planning to visit Munich 🎉. #Germany #Munich #Travel #NeuschwansteinCastle #Church #Beer #MunichOktoberfest