Best Castles you can visit from Munich

Among the best things to see and do in Munich are undoubtedly the iconic and mysterious castles that surround the city. Just a few kilometres away from the Bavarian capital and surrounded by mountains, many of these buildings have been marvelling visitors for centuries.

From Linderhof to Neuschwanstein and from Blutenburg to Rothenburg, the area around Munich is dotted with must-see castles that crown magical villages and are easily accessible on guided tours or on your own.

Neuschwanstein Castle is Germany's most famous castle and also one of the most beautiful. Situated on the heights of Bavaria, this palace built by Ludwig II is known as the Mad King's Castle. Its architecture is reminiscent of a medieval building, but it actually dates back to the 19th century.

The beauty of this castle lies in the fact that it was built with a mixture of architectural styles and also with the aesthetic freedom of a palace that was not built as a fortress, but as a romantic fantasy of King Ludwig II.

It is therefore not surprising that this castle has become an inspiration for fairy tales and Disney stories.

The most convenient way to visit Neuschwanstein Castle is to book an organised bus tour from Munich and back with the assistance of an expert local guide.

It's also an attraction to include on your activity list if you're travelling to Munich in winter to enjoy the peak of its snow-capped towers and the surrounding mountains.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to the castle starts at 28 euros for adults and five euros for children. If you prefer an excursion from Munich, it will cost around €50.
• Location... The castle is located at Neuschwansteinstraße 20, Schwangau, 109 kilometres from Munich.
• How to get there by train... By services RB74 and BRB RB77 to Fussen and then combining with lines 73 and 78 to the castle.
• Bybus... By FlixBus service to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then bus 9606.

The oldest building in Rothenburg, the medieval town that crowns the Bavarian Romantic Road and one of the most visited attractions from Munich, is the remains of the main room of Grafenburg Castle, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1356.

This castle was the emblem of Rothenburg and one of the largest in Germany at the time.

Although part of it has been renovated, the room, which adjoined the castle gardens, still retains traces of original painting from the period and is one of Rothenburg's main attractions. It also retains the remains of the flights of stairs that did not collapse during the earthquake and the entrance gate to the gardens.

As a tribute, one of the walls of the room also bears the names of people from the town who lost their lives during the Second World War. Today it is possible to visit what remains of Grafenburg Castle on any of the excursions from Munich to Rothenburg.

Interesting details

• Price... The entrance to visit the gate and the room of the old castle is free of charge. The excursion from Munich costs around 56 €.
• Location... The room is located in the gardens to the left of the Siebersturm at Plonlein 14, Rothenburg.
• How to get there by train... Take service 41 to Nuremberg, then take service 61 to Ansbach and from there train RB80 to Steinach. The last part of the journey is on the RB82 to Rothenburg.
• How to get there by bus... Take the FlixBus service from Munich Central Station to Nuremberg and then take the train to Ansbach, where you take bus 732 to Rothenburg.

Located in a mountain cone in Hechingen, this castle was rebuilt three times and during the Middle Ages was the home of the Hohenzollern Dynasty that ruled Prussia and Brandenburg.

It is one of the largest castles in Germany and nowadays receives a large number of visitors from Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

Hohenzollern Castle also has a museum which houses the crown of Wilhelm II, personal items of Frederick II of Prussia and a letter from George Washington thanking the family of Baron von Steuben for their support in the American War of Independence.

During the summer, the castle is used as a summer camp and has a structure set up for this purpose, making it one of the main attractions to visit with children.

Due to its strategic location, this castle was not damaged during World War II, so it remains intact after its last reconstruction, although the only original part of the building is St. Michael's Chapel.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to visit the castle starts at five euros.
• Location... Burg Hohenzollern, Hechingen.
• How to get there by train... Take services 11, 32, 42, 60, 62, 83 and 90 from Munich to Stuttgart and then line 6 to Hechingen.
• How to get there by bus... By FlixBus service to Tübingen Hauptbahnhof combined with line 6 train to Hechingen.

Harburg is one of the main towns on Germany's Romantic Road,especially on the stretch from Munich to Rothenburg.

It is also one of the best preserved medieval towns and has one of the largest and most well-kept castles in the country.

The castle stands atop Harburg and its design is a testament to life in the Middle Ages. Surrounded by lakes and ramparts, with numerous rooms and ballrooms, it also has prisons and torture chambers.

During the 1980s the castle gained worldwide fame because Michael Jackson, who was obsessed with the castle, came very close to buying it.

The castle is now open to the public and tours are often included in organised excursions from Munich to Rothenburg.

Interesting details

• Price... The entrance fee to visit the castle is approximately 10 euros and is usually included in the price of organised tours.
• Location... The castle is located at Burgstraße 1, Harburg.
• How to get there by train... From Munich direct on the RB87 service.
• How to get there by bus... There are direct FlixBus services from Munich.

Blutenburg Castle is different from all the other castles in and around Munich because it is the smallest, but also because its main function was not as a fortress, but as a rest house for Albert III, the Duke of Bavaria.

That is why it is surrounded by a lush forest and located in a site close to the old town, just a few streets away from the Nymphenburg Palace, which conveys peace and tranquillity.

Blutenburg is also a reference for children's literature, as it houses the world's largest international children's library, as well as a beer garden with a restaurant in one of the inner courtyards.

This beer garden is one of the best in the city and is usually included among the best beer and food tours in Munich.

This castle is an attraction very close to the historic centre of Munich, which makes it accessible by public transport or even by bicycle.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the castle is free of charge.
• Location... Seldweg 15, Munich.
• How to get there... From Karlsplatz on lines S2, S3, S4, S6, S7 and S8 to the Pasing stop and then bus 56.

Linderhof Palace was Ludwig II's baroque retreat in the Bavarian Alps and the only castle the king saw completed before his death. It is also one of the most beautiful in Germany with lush gardens, artificial grottoes, a Moorish kiosk and a Moroccan house.

Nestled in the mountains, it was originally a hunting ground, but later became the permanent residence of Ludwig II. The Venus Grotto is one of its most striking attractions and is inspired by Richard Wagner's opera Tannhauser.

Linderhof is open to the public and is often included in tours from Munich visiting Neuschwanstein, as both buildings are located close to the Bavarian Alps.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the palace costs approximately nine euros.
• Location... Linderhof 12, Ettal.
• How to get there by train... Take the RB6 from Munich to Murmau and combine with buses SEV and 9622.
• How toget there by bus... By FlixBus service to Garmisch-Partenkirchen combined with bus 9606 and 9622.

On the border with Austria, on the banks of the Salzach River, George the Rich built the most secure fortress in the country at the end of the Middle Ages to resist invaders.

Burghausen Castle is the longest castle in the world. With a total length of more than 1,000 metres, it has six courtyards and a wall that is still considered impassable today.

Today, the castle is also home to a museum of artefacts including weapons, battle tanks and the camera used in the first flight of a manned spacecraft. Some of the rooms can also be rented for private events.

The castle offers one of its most beautiful views at night, when it lights up the town of Burghausen from the top of the mountain.

Although it is not included in the main circuit of castles visited from Munich, it is well worth a visit, as is the medieval village at its foot. Due to its proximity to Salzburg, it receives many Austrian visitors.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the castle costs approximately 20 euros.
• Location... Burg 48, Burghausen.
• How to get there by train... From Munich you can reach the castle by services RB54, RB44 and RB42.
• Bybus... FlixBus services to Braunau and then bus 884 and 885 to Duttendorf Ort.

NymphenburgPalace is the most spectacular palace in Munich. The size of its gardens and the importance of the building as the summer residence of the kings have made it one of Munich's favourite places to visit.

Today it is one of the most visited palaces in Germany and during the summer locals and visitors alike spend the day in its gardens.

However, Nymphenburg's best side comes in winter and during the Christmas season, when its 500-metre-long main water channel freezes over and turns into a natural ice-skating rink.

Located close to the historic city centre and easily accessible by public transport or bicycle, visiting Nymphenburg is one of the top things to do in Munich at Christmas time.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the palace costs approximately 8 euros.
• Location... Schloß Nymphenburg 1, Munich.
• How to get there... By tram 17 from Central Station, by taxi or private car or by hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus.

Schleißheim Palace is not usually among the top attractions to visit in Munich, but it is one of the city's most distinguished sites.

The complex of three palaces and the large central baroque garden is a hidden treasure in the Bavarian capital.

The palace was built as the retirement home of Duke Wilhelm V and, given his frail health, was built a few kilometres from the city centre.

Today, as well as being open to the public to visit, it is home to several porcelain museums and a site reserved for cultural activities.

Schleißheim's main attractions include the Clock Tower of the Old Palace and the large canal in the central park, which is frozen over in winter and used for curling, similar to Nymphenburg with its quadrangular canal converted into Munich's largest ice-skating rink.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the three palaces and the central garden costs approximately ten euros.
• Location... Oberschleißheim, Munich.
• How to get there... Take the S1 underground line to Oberschleissheim station.

Alongside Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee Palace was one of Ludwig II's great follies. Keen to surpass the beauty of Paris, the King bought the island of Herrenworth in Lake Chiemsee and ordered a palace to be built there in the image of Versailles, but more luxurious and larger.

Ludwig II died before it was completed, and in fact the work was never finished, as only the main wing was built, but it was enough to give a glimpse that the King's ideas were on the right track.

The luxurious furnishings in the central nave and the main garden attest to the beauty of the palace, which was not intended to be open to the public but merely a private retreat for royalty.

Today it is possible to visit the island and the building with excursions from Munich. If you want to get to know the Bavarian Versailles, you can take the train to Prien am Chiemsee and then a boat from the quay to the island.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the palace costs approximately eleven euros.
• Location... Herrenchiemsee, Lake Chiemsee.
• How to get there... By train taking the BRB RE5 service to the Chiemsee pier to take a boat to the island.