Hohenschwangau Castle

HOHENSCHWANGAU CASTLE: Most people come for Neuschwanstein, but the yellow castle on the other side of the valley is where the story starts.
Schloss Hohenschwangau was the summer home of the Bavarian royal family, and it’s where the young Ludwig II spent much of his childhood, gazing up at the hill where he would one day build his own dream castle.
If you’re making the trip down to Neuschwanstein anyway, it’s well worth adding on.

CASTLE TO CASTLE: The view across to Neuschwanstein from Hohenschwangau, the castle where Ludwig II grew up.

A bit of history

There’s been a castle on this spot since the Middle Ages, but by the early 1800s the old fortress, then known as Schwanstein, was a ruin.
Crown Prince Maximilian of Bavaria, Ludwig’s father, came across it while out hiking and bought it when he was just 18. Between 1833 and 1837 he had it rebuilt as a romantic summer castle, with turrets, battlements and painted walls full of knights and legends.
Swans pop up everywhere, a nod to the legend of the Swan Knight, and it’s easy to see how a dreamy young prince growing up here ended up building Neuschwanstein just up the hill.

Visiting Hohenschwangau Castle

• Tours only. Like Neuschwanstein, you can only go inside on a guided tour. It lasts about 45 minutes and runs in German and English, with audio-guides in a dozen other languages.
• Tickets. €23.50 for adults, €19.50 reduced, €12 for 7 to 17-year-olds and free for under-7s. Booking online adds €2.50 per person.
• Where to buy. The same Ticket Center in the village handles both castles, so you can book Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein together on the official website and plan your tour times around each other.
• Passes. Hohenschwangau is privately owned, so the Bavarian palace passes such as the 14-day ticket and the Königsschlösser ticket don’t cover it.
• Opening hours. Tours run from 9am to 4.30pm in summer (late March to 15 October) and from 10am to 4pm in winter. It’s closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Getting up there

It’s a much shorter climb than Neuschwanstein. Allow 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the Ticket Center, or take a horse-drawn carriage, which takes about ten minutes. There’s no bus up to Hohenschwangau.
Getting to the village from Munich is covered on our Munich to Neuschwanstein page.

While you’re there

The castle sits right above the Alpsee, a gorgeous mountain lake that’s perfect for a stroll after your tour. Down by the water you’ll also find the Museum of the Bavarian Kings, which tells the story of the Wittelsbach family who ruled Bavaria for centuries.
Then look up. That white castle on the hill is the one Ludwig built, and our Neuschwanstein Castle info page has everything you need to visit it.
Prices and times checked October 2026.

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