25 Apr 2023
This is worth it if you can manage it - and want to see more than one palace in a day.
The company recommends you arrive 20 minutes before tour departure, which would be 8.10 AM local time. We arrived then and found almost everyone was already seated on board the bus and ready to go. The only seats available were in the second to last row of the bus, which made hearing the tour guide over the bus engine difficult. The bus was full and departed early at 8.12 AM as everyone was on board.
The bus is spacious and comfortable, with big windows to view the German countryside. The guide and our bus driver worked very hard to provide top notch service, offering snacks and drinks throughout the day.
The best part of this trip is the smaller group. Managing a visit with only 24 or 25 guests is very different than visiting with the almost 100 people you would have with most tour groups. We were taken through the day efficiently step by step which maximized everyone's experience. We visited the busier palace early in the day which is very good, really beat the crowds. We had plenty of time to explore the palace surroundings and attend the tour. This is not a reflection on the tour operator, but the tours of the palaces are quick, and the Neuschwanstein tour is via an audio guide that starts automatically without instructions.
We did not stop at Oberammergau at all, just drove through. The guide did not mention why we did not stop, and it was a disappointment to many on the bus. The village seemed interesting and the paintings on the buildings looked beautiful from the bus