After 3 days in Münich for Oktoberfest 2019, my husband and I spent 2 days in Füssen. This itinerary is based on that experience. Want more visual inspiration? Check out the video of the trip! Also, check out the rest of our week-long trip in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck.
Transportation and Accommodation: From Münich Central Station, take the two hour train ride to Füssen; buy your tickets online. As there were four of us, we needed a larger hotel option. We found an amazing place that has unique apartment style suites; Mein lieber Schwan. Send an email to check availability. It is a very walkable town; however, if you are looking to go to Neuschwanstein Castle, you can take the 73/78 bus (30 min, buy a ticket from the bus driver) or there are taxis in front of the station.
Day 1: Explore the Town
After breakfast at our hotel in Münich, we took a morning train, landing us in Füssen around mid-day. After checking in, we explored the town on foot; with the mountains, river and picturesque buildings, it is no wonder this town is on the Romantic Road. A few buildings you may notice include the Benedictine monastery of St. Mang; from the 9th century, which is now the Museum of Füssen (6€) and the High Castle of Füssen; which has a viewing clock tower (6€). There are also two churches; the Basilika St. Mang and the Heilig-Geist-Spitalkirche. We simply admired these buildings from the outside, and continued on across the Lechhalde bridge, took a left, and soon were at Lechfall/Maxsteg.
If you cross the bridge, you will see a hiking path to your left; we walked about 5-10 minutes until we found a path down to the water’s edge. After soaking up some sunshine and skipping rocks, we headed back into town to admire the beautiful buildings and shops. We passed by a schneeball shop (fried ball of strips of pie dough); a common treat in the area, which sounded and looked delightful. After two bites, I promptly threw it away; don't waste your money. We had dinner at Beim Olivenbauer; they have their own beer as well some vegan items. To end the night, we went to the grocery store for snacks, and watched the sun go down over the mountains from our hotel balcony.
Day 2: Neuschwanstein Castle
Ticket-Center Hohenschwanga; you can get tickets online or in person (15.50€). We had gotten our tickets online for a morning slot, and went to Ludwig’s Parlor for coffee and a pasty while we waited for our scheduled time. Unfortunately, we had to leave due to a medical concern in our group, so we spent a large portion of the day at the hospital. I went to the ticket shop to get a different time slot for the castle, and they were very kind and gave us new tickets for the afternoon. Luckily, things were okay, so we had a calm afternoon back in town, and for lunch had sandwiches from Landbäckerei Sinz.
Once we got back to the visitor center, it took about 20 minutes to walk up the hill to get to the actual castle (there is also a shuttle). We took some photos outside of the castle while we waited for our entrance time. My favorite part was definitely the walk after we toured the inside of the castle. Following the path south, we passed by a viewing point; the panoramablick Schwangau. Continuing on, we eventually took a left to go up another hill and reached the Marienbrücke; viewpoint bridge. If you are afraid of heights, this may not be the bridge for you, but it has AMAZING views. It takes 15-20 minutes to get to the bridge, but there are hiking trails that you can continue onto; one could easily spend the whole day touring the castle, the grounds and hiking in the area. After heading back into town, we had dinner at Ritterstubben and spent some time wandering the town, taking in all the views, before having to leave the next day.
Bavarian Foods to Try: Weisswurst, schnitzel, spätzle, breze (large soft pretzels), knödel, knieküchle, steckerlfisch, sauerkraut, apfelstrudel and kaiserschmarrn.
Something to Note: Germany is known for dealing with cash almost exclusively. A lot of restaurants and grocery stores will have a card machine but make sure you have cash on hand.
Things I would change:
I did not realize the High Castle of Füssen had a lookout tower, it would have been great to get a bird’s eye view of the gorgeous town.
Unfortunately our time was cut short due to our hospital visit, but I would have loved to do some hiking in the area. Either hiking 5 km to Alatsee (lake) or around the Neuschwanstein area, here is a map to get you started.
General Travel Tips:
Figure out an idea of sites you want to see; this will determine a centralized area for where you should stay.
Utilize Google reviews when looking for something to eat. General rule, stay away from streets with lots of neon signs.
Mark everything on your google maps. Google is also (in my opinion) the best pedestrian and bike navigation app.
Other: Planning for a trip, especially overseas, can be stressful and overwhelming. Hopefully this gave you an idea of things to do in Füssen, and convinced you to take a trip from Münich! Planning on exploring more of area? Check out my blogs on Münich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Berlin. I try to do as many quick links as possible, to send you directly to the website so you can get the most accurate and up-to-date information possible (fees and timetables).
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Safe and Happy Wandering.
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