Bavarian Germany Part 2 - Visiting Füssen, Neuschwanstein and the Alps

Neuschwanstein Castle

Schneeballs galore!

Just a two-hour train ride from Munich, Füssen is a small town nestled in the Alps that maintains a lot of its original charm while being bombarded with a huge amount of tourists.  You won't need more than a day to see it from end to end, but take your time strolling through the streets and be sure to grab some schneeballs (giant cookie balls with assorted flavors and fillings--yum!).  The weather during our two-day visit was a little chilly with some light rain on the first day, while the second day was sunny and warm. 

Beautiful lake Hopfensee, a short walk from our hotel

Because it has the closest train station to the Hohenschwangau village and castles, there are many hotels and rentals available to tourists in Fussen and the surrounding towns.  You can easily take a train to Füssen from Munich, but once you arrive it's good to know what bus line you are looking for AND what stop is closest to your lodging.  We stayed in a lovely and affordable place called Hotel Alpengluehn, which gave us the Alpine feel we were looking for, and had a nice 10euro breakfast buffet.  This hotel is in a small town called Hopfen am See, which is accessible only by bus or car (about 20 minutes from Fussen), as are the other villages in the area.  There are also a few hotels in the village of Hohenschwangen itself, where you could be just a short walk from the entrance to the castles--for us, the quiet and privacy of our hotel was more to our liking.

Thankfully the lines and upcoming stops are generally listed out at all of the bus-stops around the Füssen area, but we found that the actual (accurate) info posted was slightly different than what was indicated on the German bus-line website, so be ready to ask the locals for assistance!  Tip:  The Bayern Train Ticket that will take you from Munich to Füssen will also cover your bus fares around Füssen and the castles for the same day.  However, we purchased and printed our tickets in advance online, and some of the bus drivers were confused by the printed ticket--hopefully they've all been trained on these tickets since then. 😊  You can also just pay cash for an individual fare, assuming you can communicate to the driver where your stop is. 

Lechfall bridge - about 15 minute walk from Fussen

Getting from the Füssen hauptbahnhof to the castles isn't too tricky (official German info here), but before you embark, you should consider what you'll be bringing with you on the tour inside the castle(s)--large backpacks are strictly prohibited, so either leave them in your hotel room, or (like us) rent one of the lockers in the train station for a few euros.  Luckily there was a bus stop about 5 minutes walk from our hotel, and that is definitely something worth researching in advance, so you aren't hauling your luggage around for long distances.  From Fussen, take the RVO-line 73 (direction Steingaden / Garmisch-Partenkirchen) or the RVO-line 78 (direction Schwangau), to the stop Hohenschwangau / Alpseestraße--when in doubt, just check with the bus driver if he will be stopping at Hohenschwangau!  Unless it's a Sunday or a holiday, buses from these lines should arrive at the Hauptbahnhof at least every 30 minutes, if not more often--check the calendar in advance so you don't miss the last bus of the day.

Another view of Hopfen am See

For seeing the actual castle(s), we highly recommend reserving your tickets in advance--when we arrived there was a massive line for people who hadn't pre-paid, and after some searching we finally found the shorter line for those who did pre-pay (you still have to check-in and get a printed admission ticket).  It was pretty confusing and not clearly indicated where the lines were forming, so if you're confused just go up to the counter, find the pre-paid line and follow it back to the start.  Once you've got your admission ticket, there's more confusion from following the road signs to the correct castle (this even confused some folks on The Amazing Race TV show!)--Schloss Hohenschwangau is the more tan/yellow colored castle (which you can see from the lower street), while Schloss Neuschwanstein is white and is harder to spot from the lower street.  We don't enjoy waiting in lines, so we walked up the steep uphill paved path to the castle, which is a tiring 30+ minutes.  Alternatively, you can take a horse-drawn carriage, or a shuttle bus (the bus gets very crowded and people fight for seats), and each has a different price for the uphill/downhill journey.  Once you arrive at the castle, you'll have to do some more waiting until your assigned tour time begins, but don't fret as there are bathrooms, snack vendors, and plenty of great spots to snap photos of the castle exterior. 

Map Courtesy of https://www.hohenschwangau.de

Line for Mariensbrucke

Speaking of great photo ops, you may be disappointed to learn that photos are NOT allowed during the castle tour!  The tour itself is very informative, albeit relatively short (in comparison to the amount of time spent waiting to get inside).  But, the exterior of the castles are absolutely breathtaking, and you can get some amazing photos (like the one at the top of this post) on Mary's Bridge (Mariensbrucke), which is about 10 minutes walking around the backside of the castle--here again, you'll likely have to wait in line to stand on the bridge and snap some photos.  It was VERY crowded on the bridge when we went, so be careful taking photos in case somebody bumps into your camera/phone.  And finally, you now have the option of walking or taking the shuttle back down to the entrance.


So We Visited the Castles, Now What??

Stunning view on the Tegelbergbahn

There are some charming corners of Fussen worth exploring, including the Lechfall Bridge (pictured above), and the Museum der Stadt--both of which are just fun to walk around and snap photos.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the Tegelbergbahn cable car and toboggan after seeing the castles--you'll have to drive or utilize the bus system to get there, and it is about 20euro per person to ride, but it is so worth it!  Atop the Tegelberg mountain there are some lovely hiking trails, a restaurant, and you can even paraglide or hanglide back down.  If that's not to your liking, the toboggan ride is fun for all ages, and is only a few euros per ticket. The Tegelbergbahn isn't far from Hohenschwangau, and you can take the RVO-78 bus between the two.

Salad, fries and currywurst

And lastly, if you decide to stay around or visit the Hopfen am See village, be sure to dine at Cafe Bistro Seaside--the food and service are wonderful, and you can't beat the scenery!  Their 'Amazing Fries' with truffle oil are, well, amazing.  There's also a lovely cheese shop called Schonegger Kase Alm, or back in Fussen a grocery store called REWE if you want some fresh produce.

Seeing the castles in the Schwangau region is a once in a lifetime experience that you won't regret, and you should make the most of your time in this beautiful part of Germany!  Feel free to share your tips and favorite places to eat in the comments, for others to enjoy.  Thank you for reading, keep traveling!