You can reach Baroque staterooms, a medieval hilltop castle or Ludwig II’s royal buildings on a day trip from Munich. Choose Schleißheim for a half-day outing, but allow a full day for Linderhof, Trausnitz, Herrenchiemsee or Neuschwanstein. The choice is as much about what you want to see as how much of the day you want to spend travelling.
Castles and palaces at a glance
| Criterion | Schleißheim | Linderhof | Trausnitz | Herrenchiemsee | Neuschwanstein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main interest | Baroque staterooms | Small royal palace and gardens | Medieval fabric | Versailles-inspired interiors | Fantasy castle |
| Outward journey from Munich Central Station | about 42 minutes | about an hour and a quarter | about an hour and a half | — | about 3 and a half hours |
| Journey | S1; walk | Car; walk | RE25; hill walk | RE5; harbour walk; boat; island walk | ICE via Augsburg; RB77; bus 78; uphill walk |
| Adult connecting fare, one way | — | — | — | Boat €8.60 | Bus 78 €1 |
| Last rail departure towards Munich | Oberschleißheim 23:15; daily, year-round | — | Landshut Central Station 23:34; daily, year-round | — | Füssen 23:27; daily, 7 February–31 October 2026; connections |
| Last connecting departure | — | — | — | Herreninsel 18:15; daily, 21 September 2026–14 May 2027, except 24 December 2026 | Hohenschwangau 19:13; daily regular bus 78; extra evenings July–September |
| Time to allow | Half day | Full day | Full day with Landshut | Full day | Full day |
| Standard adult admission | €7 New Palace | €11 palace | €6 castle and Museum of Renaissance Art | €14 combination ticket, including New Palace tour | €21 castle; online fee €2.50 |
Schleißheim leaves the most room for other plans in Munich. Trausnitz adds Landshut’s old town, and Linderhof suits a car-based outing. Herrenchiemsee includes a lake crossing, while Neuschwanstein asks for the longest journey. Final walks and connections take time away from the interiors.
Schleißheim Palace
Schleißheim New Palace rewards a visit with grand Baroque staterooms and the formal garden beyond them. Make the New Palace and gardens your half-day visit. The Old Palace adds an earlier chapter of the estate’s history, while Lustheim Palace, at the far end of the garden, extends the outing with its porcelain collection.
Felix Mittermeier · Pexels License · Edited
From Munich Central Station, take the S1 to Oberschleißheim, about 24 minutes, then walk to the New Palace, about 18 minutes. Daytime S1 services generally run every 20 minutes, with some early and late gaps of 40 minutes. Return to the same station for the journey back to Munich.
Individual visitors do not need an advance reservation. Buy your ticket at an on-site museum ticket office. The New Palace opens 09:00–18:00 in April–September and 10:00–16:00 in October–March. In winter, visit the rooms first, then take your time in the gardens.
- Name
- Schleißheim Palace
- Location
- Oberschleißheim, north of Munich Maps
- Site
- schloesser-schleissheim.de
- Hours
- Mon Closed
- Tue–Sun 09:00–18:00
- Essential fact
- The Baroque New Palace is part of the Schleißheim palace ensemble in Oberschleißheim, north of Munich.
- Price
- €7
- €6 reduced
- Free under 18
Linderhof Palace
Linderhof Palace offers Ludwig II’s royal taste on a smaller scale than Herrenchiemsee or Neuschwanstein. Its richly decorated rooms belong to the palace he completed, rather than an unfinished grand project. Allow a full day for the palace and grounds, where the garden layout, Moorish Pavilion and artificial Venus Grotto broaden the visit beyond the interior tour.
Cayambe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
From the area around Munich Central Station, the drive to Linderhof’s visitor car park takes about an hour and a quarter. The final walk to the palace takes about 6 minutes. Keep the estate as the main outing rather than adding another castle, and return to Munich by car afterwards. An organised excursion is an alternative if you prefer not to drive. Thinking ahead about parking in Munich helps you decide where to leave the car on your return.
The palace interior is accessible only on a guided tour. Individual visitors do not need advance reservations. The reservation service is for groups of 15 or more. Palace hours are 09:00–18:00 from 15 April to 15 October and 10:00–16:30 from 16 October to 14 April. Give the rooms priority on a winter outing, then enjoy the grounds around that visit.
- Name
- Linderhof Palace
- Location
- Near Ettal, south-west of Munich Maps
- Site
- schlosslinderhof.de
- Essential fact
- Linderhof is Ludwig II’s palace and garden estate near Ettal.
- Price
- €11
- €10 reduced admission
- Free children under 18
Trausnitz Castle
Trausnitz Castle is the choice for medieval history rather than Ludwig II’s royal fantasies. Surviving early fabric, including its chapel, sits alongside later Renaissance decoration. Combine the castle with Landshut’s old town for a full day: the hilltop visit gives you the fortified residence, while the streets below make the town more than a stop on the way.
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Take the RE25 from Munich Central Station to Landshut Central Station, about three quarters of an hour. This service runs every two hours. The walk from the station to the castle takes about 37 minutes and includes the uphill approach. Go to the castle first, then descend into the old town for a meal and a look at its long, gabled streets before returning to the station for Munich.
A castle-only outing is a shorter alternative, but you still need to allow for the station walk and climb in both directions. The admission includes the Museum of Renaissance Art, so leave room for it rather than treating the exterior as the whole visit. Castle hours are 09:00–18:00 from 28 March to September and 10:00–16:00 from October to 27 March.
- Name
- Trausnitz Castle
- Location
- Above the old town of Landshut Maps
- Site
- burg-trausnitz.de
- Hours
- 09:00–18:00
- Essential fact
- Trausnitz is a medieval castle on the hill above Landshut’s old town.
- Price
- €6
- €5 reduced admission
- Free under 18
Herrenchiemsee Palace
Herrenchiemsee New Palace is the outing for Versailles-inspired state rooms on an island. Ludwig II’s unfinished project includes a vast Hall of Mirrors, making the interior the main reason to cross Lake Chiemsee. Allow a full day for the palace and Herreninsel, with time to walk through the grounds rather than rushing straight back to the landing.
Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung – www.geodaten.bayern.de · CC BY 3.0 de · Edited
Take the RE5 from Munich Central Station to Prien am Chiemsee, about an hour and a quarter. Walk to Prien Stock harbour, about 24 minutes, then take the boat to Herreninsel. From the island landing, the palace walk takes about 18 minutes. Reverse these stages for Munich, leaving time to reach the boat before your intended sailing.
- From 21 September 2026 to 14 May 2027, Prien Stock has 17 listed departures to Herreninsel, with daytime sailings between 08:00 and 17:30 and an 18:30 sailing except on 24 December. Early sailings have day-of-week restrictions.
- The 06:40 sailing runs Monday–Friday, excluding public holidays. The 07:15 sailing runs daily through 11 October 2026, then Monday–Saturday, excluding public holidays, from 12 October 2026 to 3 April 2027.
- From 14 May to 20 September 2026, the summer Inseltour West lists 17 departures between 06:40 and 19:30, plus four additional Große Chiemseetour (grand lake tour) departures.
State rooms are accessible only on a guided tour, and the combination admission includes that tour. Palace opening is 09:00–18:00 from April to 24 October and 10:00–16:45 from 25 October to March. Visit the rooms before spending your remaining time on the island.
- Name
- Herrenchiemsee Palace
- Location
- Herreninsel, Lake Chiemsee Maps
- Site
- herrenchiemsee.de
- Hours
- 09:00–18:00
- Essential fact
- The New Palace at Herrenchiemsee stands on Herreninsel in Lake Chiemsee.
- Price
- €14 · regular adult
Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein is the famous castle near Munich, with towers and theatrical interiors that make it Ludwig II’s best-known royal building. Its medieval-looking silhouette belongs to a nineteenth-century fantasy, not a surviving medieval fortress. It is worth the full-day outing if this particular castle and its interior are your priority, but choose Schleißheim instead if you want palace rooms with much less travelling.
Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Edited
From Munich Central Station, the approach uses an ICE to Augsburg and the RB77 onwards to Füssen, taking about 3 hours. Bus 78 from Füssen station to Hohenschwangau takes about 9 minutes. The uphill walk from the bus stop to Neuschwanstein takes about 27 minutes. Keep the climb separate from your time in the castle, and allow extra breathing room before the tour rather than aiming to arrive at its starting moment.
Bus 78 departures vary between weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, with school-day differences too. Additional evening services operate in July, August and September. On the way back, descend to Hohenschwangau for the bus to Füssen, then take the rail connection towards Munich. The late train does not mean a late regular bus is available.
The interior can be visited only on a guided tour. Buy a timed ticket online in advance. Remaining same-day tickets are sold at the Hohenschwangau Ticket Center, subject to availability. Reservations are not possible. Castle hours are 09:00–18:00 from 28 March to 15 October and 10:00–16:00 from 16 October to 27 March.
- Name
- Neuschwanstein Castle
- Location
- Above Hohenschwangau, Schwangau, near Füssen Maps
- Site
- neuschwanstein.de
- Hours
- 09:00–18:00
- Essential fact
- Neuschwanstein is Ludwig II’s nineteenth-century castle above Hohenschwangau, near Füssen.
- Price
- €21 standard adult
- €20 reduced
- Free under 18
Bayern-Ticket
- Count your party. The standard Bayern-Ticket costs €34 for one adult in second class, plus €10 per additional traveller, up to five people. First class costs €46.50 plus €22.50 per additional traveller. These prices apply online and at DB machines, but staffed DB outlets add €2.
- Match your departure to validity. On weekdays it runs from 09:00 to 03:00 the following day. On weekends, public holidays including Assumption Day, and 24 and 31 December, it starts at 00:00.
- Identify the train services. S1 to Oberschleißheim, RE25 to Landshut, RE5 to Prien and regional trains to Füssen are covered. ICE and IC trains are not: the Neuschwanstein approach via Augsburg includes an ICE, so the Bayern-Ticket alone does not cover that journey.
- Separate the connections. Bus 78 between Füssen and Hohenschwangau is covered, but the separate Neuschwanstein castle shuttle is not. The Herreninsel boat crossing is paid separately, with a 10% Bayern-Ticket discount.
Compare the cost for your whole party’s return journey, not just one outward ticket. For the shorter Schleißheim outing, Munich public transport tickets add local single-ticket and day-ticket choices to that comparison. For the longer trips, weigh the regional day ticket against the services you will actually use and the time you intend to leave Munich.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, opening hours, services, and closures.
- Admission fees
- Bavarian Palace Administration | Linderhof Palace and Park | Opening hours and guided tours
- Bavarian Palace Administration | Linderhof Palace and Park | Tourist information | Reservation
- Die Länderbahn (alex) — service
- Die Länderbahn GmbH DLB — service
- Bavarian Palace Administration — Trausnitz Castle: Admission fees / Tickets
- Opening hours and guided tours
- MVV GmbH — service
- S-Bahn München — service
- Bavarian Palace Administration; Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (MVV) — fares and charges
- Opening hours and guided tours — Bavarian Palace Administration
- Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung — closures
- Deutsche Bahn — fares and charges
- Deutsche Bahn (DB Regio) — service
- Deutsche Bahn (DB) — service
- Deutsche Bahn — service
- Chiemsee-Schifffahrt Ludwig Feßler KG — service
- Bavarian Palace Administration; Chiemsee-Schifffahrt Ludwig Feßler KG; Deutsche Bahn — fares and charges
- Chiemsee Schifffahrt Ludwig Feßler KG — service
- Opening hours and guided tours
- RB 77 – BRB
- Füssen → Buchloe → München RB 68 / Augsburg RB 77
- Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung; Schwangau municipal tourism authority (bus fare); Deutsche Bahn (rail fares) — fares and charges
- RVA-Betrieb Füssen — service
- allgäumobil — service
- Opening hours and guided tours
- Neuschwanstein Castle — Tourist information / General information
