I have a knee injury that doesn%26#39;t do too well with walking UP...so if I take the bus or horse carriage...will it take me right to the entrance, or will there still be uphill walking involved? The same goes for Hohenschwangau...any alternative to uphill walking?
Thanks!!!!!
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You will have to walk the last bit up to Neuschwanstein no matter how you arrive. It%26#39;s not that steep but a fair ways up. The bus is probably worse as you will have to walk down from where it stops and then up, the same as if you took a horse carriage, but then with the bus you would be by the Marienbruecke (bridge) for some nice views down on Neuschwanstein. Be aware that you will be climbing quite a few stairs inside the palace.
I believe the only way up to Hohenschwangau Palace is also to walk up.
With a knee injury I would be more concerned with walking down. You can take a carriage back down to avoid the steepest places.
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As Marcopolko wrote, there is uphill walking involved no matter how you try to get to the castle. Even the bus, that stops above the castle, requires a significant walk downhill and then back up to the entrance. From the entrance to the castle, the tour has 165 steps up and 180 steps down, and some of the steps are in spiral staircases which require a step and pivot.
No matter how you slice it, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau require considerable up hill walking.
You may wish to consider Schloss Linderhof, about 45 minutes away. It has gentler grades, and has basically 2 broad uphill flights of steps and a similar down inside the schloss. Rather less going up to the plazas at the entrance. Trip to the grotto and the top of the fountains there would probably be too much uphill but, if you can stand some uphill walking, you might enjoy the schloss, the surrounding gardens and the fountains.
Go to http://www.schlosslinderhof.de/index.htm and click on the bottom of the page (%26quot;Please click for another picture%26quot;) to get an idea of the layout and difficulty.
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WOW!!!!! Thank you both for this info. I had no idea there would be this much walking/climbing. Maybe this is a castle I need to see once I%26#39;m totally healed!!!
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Babe, as Marco pointed out, the bus route ends near the Marienbruecke (bridge) which really isn%26#39;t too bad of a walk to the bridge. One of the greatest views of the castle is from this bridge. This view alone, is worth the trip. You can then get the bus from the same area to go back down.
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Thanks Puck...I was wondering how to get to that famous view. Now I know!!
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hi Babe, great advise so far. We went in January and because there was so much ice and snow the bus was not running and there was not enough horse carriages for everyone. We ended up walking and it took about 50 minutes. The small walk from the bus/carriage drop off isn%26#39;t too bad at all. There are however alot of steps you have to climb in the castle. I think it was about 3 or 4 levels and there were a good few hundred steps.
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All those steps do NOT sound good!! Hmmm...I%26#39;m beginning to rethink this part of my trip. Would I hate myself for missing it????? I almost didn%26#39;t go to Versaille when in Paris and I am so thankful I did....I would have hated to miss it!!
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The trouble with visiting most castles, if you cannot walk uphill, is that they were built for defensive capabilities on top of hills, so unless you are visiting a castle in a lowland area where they used moats, you are almost guaranteed of an uphill walk. Although Neuschwanstein is not a true castle but a palace, it is built in the style of a castle on a hilltop. Some castles can be driven up to, but only because they are not visited that much and then there can be room to park a few cars.
Germany has thousands of palaces which typically are not built on top of hills, unless they are a modification of a pre-existing castle. Therefore, you can visit a %26quot;Versailles look alike%26quot; in many areas of the country, and they may be called something like the Swabian Versailles, etc., depending on where they are. Ludwig II%26#39;s copy of Versailles, Herrenchiemsee on an island in the Chiemsee is between Munich and Salzburg. There%26#39;s a fair walk after leaving the boat and some steps will have to be climbed in the palace. This was too much for my 80 year old mother with heart problems, so my German wife was able to get us a private tour of the palace using elevators. For visiting places with steps, you might like to contact them before visiting by e-mail, and see if they can provide a solution so that you can visit. In Neuschwanstein, however, this will be impossible.
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Tsutt, just a slight clarification, if I may.
%26quot;The small walk from the bus/carriage drop off isn%26#39;t too bad at all.%26quot;
The horse carriages take the same route as the pedestrians whereas the bus takes a seperate, much steeper route up, dropping off at a different location.
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We will be there the first week in May...hopefully my knee will be sufficiently better and all will be well. I do hate to miss it...I love castles and palaces! Been to a lot in other countries, but this will be my first in Germany!
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