Neuschwanstein Castle tickets sold out? What to do in 2026-27

You can only see inside Neuschwanstein Castle on a guided tour of about 30 minutes, and every ticket is for one tour at a fixed time. Online tickets often run out on busy dates. This guide explains how the official tickets work, what the Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau sells on the day, and what to do when the online shop shows nothing left.

Planning a trip? Start with our Germany country guide.

The short answer

1. Check the official online shop first. An adult ticket costs EUR 21 plus a EUR 2.50 booking fee, so EUR 23.50 online. Under-18s go free but still need a ticket, which also carries the EUR 2.50 fee. The only official online shop is shop.ticket-center-hohenschwangau.de.
2. If your date is gone, try other days, then the Ticket Center at 08:00. A limited number of same-day tickets go on sale each morning at the Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau. The Ticket Center says that on most days they are gone by late morning.
3. If that fails, a tour that includes a ticket is the realistic way in. On 9 November 2026, Tiqets' Neuschwanstein page (opens Tiqets in a new tab) listed options from USD 49.10, about EUR 44. Check what you are buying: some day trips from Munich do not include castle entry.

How official tickets work

The castle is run by the Bavarian Palace Administration, and its terms allow only two places to buy: the Ticket Center Hohenschwangau, or "the authorised online ticket shop of the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds", the foundation that runs nearby Hohenschwangau Castle (ticket terms, July 2025). The Ticket Center warns that "unauthorized websites" use its name and logo (official tickets page).

Every visit is a timed tour. Castle staff guide tours in German or English; 17 other languages get audio-guided tours, and devices are only handed out on tours marked "audio-guided", so book that type. Tours "start punctually", and latecomers cannot join (opening hours and tours).

Small tours. Each tour holds at most 35 people. Enter your whole group's size first and the shop shows only tours with room for everyone (FAQ).

Children need tickets. Even babies need one, for evacuation safety, and children must be booked in the same order as adults: they cannot be added later.

No changes, no refunds. Tickets "cannot be exchanged or cancelled", for a new date, time or language. You are refunded only if the castle cancels, for example if it closes for safety reasons; the "travel risk" of arriving late is yours.

Resale. The castle's terms ban "the commercial resale of purchased tickets", except for group bookings, and selling through auction sites or ticket exchanges. Resold tickets can be blocked. We found no rule that tickets carry a name, but bring proof for any free or reduced ticket.

How far ahead? No official page we read says how far ahead tickets go on sale, and we did not open the booking calendar, so book once your dates are fixed. Payment is by credit card or PayPal, and a QR code on your phone is fine.

Official prices and what the ticket covers

Prices as of 9 November 2026, valid from 1 January 2026, from the Ticket Center's admission fees and combination tickets pages. Online prices include the booking fee, which is EUR 2.50 per ticket for single tickets and EUR 5 or EUR 7.50 for combination tickets.

Reduced and free. The reduced price is for people 65 and over, students, disabled visitors (a registered helper goes free), and holders of a local guest card or the Königscard, "on showing an appropriate identity document". Holders of the Palace Administration's annual or 14-day passes still need a timed ticket: online they book a free pass-holder ticket and pay only the EUR 2.50 fee. The passes do not cover Hohenschwangau Castle, which is privately owned.

Combination tickets are for one date only. For both castles, the shop advises at least 2.5 hours between tour start times. The museum is untimed.

Winter opening hours. From 16 October 2026, tours run daily 10:00–16:00, and the Ticket Center sells tickets 08:00–15:30. The castle and the Ticket Center are closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January (Ticket Center opening times). Unlike most Bavarian palaces, Neuschwanstein opens on Shrove Tuesday (general information). Summer hours, 09:00–18:00, are listed from 28 March. We found no 2027 price list yet.

Works and closures. The restoration of the state rooms finished in July 2025 (press release, 7 July 2025), and we found no notice of closed rooms. The Museum of the Bavarian Kings is closed 9–11 November 2026, so Prince and Swan tickets are off sale those days. The main road through Schwangau is closed until about mid-December 2026, with a detour, so allow extra time if you drive (visitor information).

Sold out: the options, in order

1. Try other dates and times. Tours are small, so a party of two finds places more easily than a party of six. There is no waiting list and no booking by phone or email.
2. The Ticket Center on the day. Tickets sold there are for the same day only, "first come first serve". The Palace Administration says they "are often sold out very early" and advises arriving for the 08:00 opening "or a little earlier". It warns that if they are gone, "it will unfortunately not be possible to visit the castle on that day" (admission and tickets). Neither office says how many tickets are held back. Park in P1–P4 (EUR 12 for up to 6 hours); stopping outside the Ticket Center is banned.
3. Check the online shop again. The Ticket Center says the shop "is updated daily" for available tickets.
4. See Hohenschwangau Castle and the museum instead, and walk up to Neuschwanstein's main gate and outer grounds, which need no ticket (the courtyard does).
5. A reseller or tour. See below.

Tickets and tours from resellers: what they cost and include

Tiqets is not an official seller. Its Neuschwanstein products are run by other companies, named on each page, and several hand out tickets at a local office before the tour. We found no official list of authorised partners, and the official terms ban commercial resale except for group bookings.

On 9 November 2026, Tiqets' Neuschwanstein page (opens Tiqets in a new tab) listed 11 options from USD 49.10. It showed nothing for that day and 3 to 7 options a day from 10 to 17 November. Prices are as shown that day in USD; your currency may differ.

Things to know before you pay:

• The cheapest ticket costs nearly twice the official price. USD 49.10 was about EUR 44 at the ECB rate on 9 November 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1193), against EUR 23.50 official online. Its first available date was 2 April 2027; the audio-guide ticket (about EUR 45) had dates from 23 November.
• The guided tour is the official tour plus transport. Like for like, the ticket, bus up and carriage down cost EUR 31 officially (23.50 + 3.50 + 4), against about EUR 60. The extra buys a date the official shop may not have, and a guide outside.
• Some day trips exclude entry. The Munich day trip says "Entrance fees to the castles are not included", and gives both EUR 37 and EUR 42 for the two castles, paid on the bus. Another day trip (USD 88.15) adds EUR 26 for the Neuschwanstein ticket.
• Two castles cost more than the King's Ticket. A two-castle product was USD 88.15 (about EUR 79, temporarily unavailable), against EUR 48.50 official.
• Pickups are early. Füssen pickups are about two hours before your tour, at offices about 5 km from the castle.

On the day

Arrive early. Be in Hohenschwangau 1.5–2 hours before your tour, and allow for security checks. Your tour number appears on a monitor by the courtyard turnstiles.

Getting up the hill. It is about 1.5 km up a steep road from the Ticket Center, 30–40 minutes on foot, and you cannot drive (how to get there). The bus and carriages are run by independent companies, with no timetable and no reservations (how to reach the castles).

• Shuttle bus: P4 to the Marienbrücke stop, EUR 3.50 each way or EUR 5 return, about every 20 minutes; no cards on board. In winter it runs uphill 09:00–15:30, never in snow or ice. Then a steep 15-minute walk down.
• Horse carriage: from opposite Hotel Müller, EUR 8 up, EUR 4 down, all year, then about 15 minutes' walk up.

Marienbrücke. The bridge can close in ice and snow; tours are not affected. On 9 November 2026 the Ticket Center's home page showed the bridge, bus and Neuschwanstein carriages running and the Pöllat Gorge trail closed. Buy castle tickets before taking the bus up.

Bags. The official sites differ: the Palace Administration bans rucksacks in the castle, while the Ticket Center allows regular-size backpacks and bans large ones. Travel light; bags may be checked, and there is no bag storage at the Ticket Center. Pushchairs can wait in a room at the castle.

Photos and pets. No photos or filming inside; outside is fine, but no drones (tourist information). No pets in the castle, bus or carriages.

Mobility. The tour has about 350 steps. A lift takes one wheelchair user per tour; book it ahead through the Ticket Center.

Getting there. Take the train to Füssen, then the bus to "Hohenschwangau Neuschwanstein Castles, Schwangau". Combining the trip with Salzburg or Tyrol? See our Austria country guide and the Salzburg section of our Austria eSIM guide. An Austria-only eSIM plan will not cover Germany.

Quick answers

Can I visit without a guided tour? No. Inside, it is tours only. You can walk to the main gate and around the outside grounds for free.

Can I change or cancel my ticket? No, unless the castle cancels the visit itself.

Do children need a ticket? Yes, every child needs one, even a baby. It is free, but online it carries the EUR 2.50 fee.

Is the King's Ticket worth it? Only slightly, on price. Online it costs EUR 48.50 against EUR 49.50 for two single tickets, and at the Ticket Center EUR 43.50 against EUR 44.50. Either way, leave at least 2.5 hours between the two tours.

Sources

Checked on 9 November 2026.

• Bavarian Palace Administration, Neuschwanstein tourist information, admission fees, opening hours, how to get there, information for people with a handicap: https://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm (and admiss.htm, opening.htm, howtoget.htm, mobility.htm)
• Bavarian Palace Administration, Neuschwanstein current information (German): https://www.neuschwanstein.de/index.htm
• Bavarian Palace Administration, General information and tariff regulations: https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/all_tarif.htm
• Bavarian Palace Administration, Neuschwanstein site regulations (3 March 2026): https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/deutsch/garten/objekte/anlagenvorschriften/neuschwanstein_avo-engl.pdf
• Bavarian Palace Administration, press release on completed restoration (7 July 2025): https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/deutsch/presse/archiv25/neuschwan/restaurierung07-07-25_fm.htm
• Ticket Center Hohenschwangau, home, official tickets, opening times, admission fees, combination tickets, FAQ, visitor information, how to reach the castles, Mary's Bridge, Neuschwanstein castle: https://www.hohenschwangau.de/en/
• Terms and conditions for Neuschwanstein tickets (Bavarian Palace Administration, July 2025), the web shop and the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds: https://www.hohenschwangau.de/fileadmin/PDF/AGB-Impressum-Datenschutz/
• Official online ticket shop: https://shop.ticket-center-hohenschwangau.de/
• European Central Bank, euro reference rates (9 November 2026): https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/eurofxref/eurofxref-daily.xml
• Tiqets, Neuschwanstein Castle: tiqets.com/en/neuschwanstein-castle-tickets-l146895/
• Tiqets product pages: p1111186, p1107188, p1010620, p976040, p1099800, p1107344 (tiqets.com)