Fussen: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Ludwig II became king of Bavaria at 18 and spent his life, and much of his country's money, building dream palaces. He grew up in one castle at Hohenschwangau and built the other on the rock opposite, in sight of his childhood windows. This route links the two by the lake and the gorge, with the museum that tells his story in between. Half a day at least; the walk up to Neuschwanstein takes about 40 minutes, or there are buses and horse carts for part of the way.

A short history of Fussen

Füssen lies at the foot of the Alps, on the River Lech, where the Roman road from Italy to Augsburg passed. The bishops of Augsburg built the High Castle above the town. In 1562 the first lute makers' guild in Europe was formed here, and for two hundred years Füssen was a centre for making stringed instruments. In 1869 King Ludwig II of Bavaria began building Neuschwanstein Castle on a nearby crag, close to Hohenschwangau Castle, where he grew up. The castle was never finished, and it opened to the public in 1886, a few weeks after the king's mysterious death. Today about 1.4 million people visit it each year.

The ten best sights in Fussen

1
Neuschwanstein Castle
Tickets are timed and sell out; book online days ahead and arrive an hour early
2
Hohenschwangau Castle
The yellow castle where Ludwig grew up; less crowded, and lived-in rather than staged
3
Hohenschwangau Ticket Centre
Collect booked tickets here before walking up; the queue is long by mid-morning
4
Marienbrücke
The famous view of Neuschwanstein; closed in snow and ice, check before you go
5
Museum of the Bavarian Kings
On the Alpsee shore; an hour here makes both castles easier to understand
6
Alpsee
A flat path round the lake, about 1.5 hours; rowing boats for hire in summer
7
Tegelberg cable car
Up to about 1,700 m; watch the paragliders launch, and look down on the castle
8
Hohes Schloss
Look at the courtyard walls closely: the windows and oriels are painted on
9
Füssen Museum (St Mang Abbey)
Baroque abbey halls and a room of old lutes and violins; small and good
10
Hospital Church
The painted facade by the river is the most photographed in the old town

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Fussen →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Fussen:

Free walking tours in Fussen

The fairy-tale king

Hohenschwangau Ticket Centre · Entry to both castles is only by guided tour at a fixed time printed on the ticket, and the tours of Neuschwanstein run in many languages. The castle sees well over a million visitors a year, which is why the tickets go so early.
Hohenschwangau Castle · Ludwig's father, Crown Prince Maximilian, rebuilt this castle from a ruin in the 1830s. The boy Ludwig spent his summers here, and later, as king, he could follow the building of Neuschwanstein across the valley through a telescope.
Museum of the Bavarian Kings · The museum fills a former grand hotel on the Alpsee and tells the story of the Wittelsbach family, who ruled Bavaria for more than 700 years. Among its treasures are clothes and personal belongings of Ludwig II himself.
Alpsee · The mountain lake below Hohenschwangau is one of the cleanest in Bavaria, and a path circles it in about an hour and a half. The castle stands on a hill between this lake and the smaller Schwansee.
Marienbrücke · The bridge spans the Pöllat gorge about 90 metres above the waterfall, and was named after Ludwig's mother, Queen Marie. Ludwig had the first wooden bridge replaced with iron in 1866.
Neuschwanstein Castle · The foundation stone was laid in 1869, but the castle was never finished, and Ludwig lived in it for only about 170 days. He died in June 1886, and seven weeks later the castle was opened to paying visitors.

Old Füssen and the river

Long before the castles, Füssen was a town on the Via Claudia, the Roman road over the Alps, and in the Middle Ages it was a trading post on the river Lech. It was also, oddly, the cradle of European lute making. This walk climbs to the bishops' castle and the abbey, goes down to the river gorge and up the hill of the Calvary for the view. Two to three hours on foot; mostly level except the last climb.

Reichenstraße · The old main street follows the line of the Roman Via Claudia Augusta, which ran from the Adriatic over the Alps to the Danube, and Füssen grew where it crossed the Lech.
Hohes Schloss · The castle was the summer seat of the prince-bishops of Augsburg. Around 1500 its courtyard walls were painted with false windows, oriels and corner stones, an illusion so good that most visitors take them for real.
Füssen Museum (St Mang Abbey) · In 1562 the lute makers of Füssen formed what is often called the first guild of lute makers in Europe, and Füssen craftsmen later spread to workshops from Venice to Lyon. The abbey museum shows their instruments, and in its St Anne's chapel hangs a Dance of Death painted in 1602.
Hospital Church · The little church of the old town hospital stands by the river, and its facade is painted with saints, including St Christopher, the patron of travellers and of the raftsmen who floated timber down the Lech.
Lechfall · Below the weir the Lech squeezes through a narrow rock gorge. A hollow in the rock is called the Magnustritt, the footprint said to have been left by St Magnus, the town's missionary, when he leapt across the gorge.
Kalvarienberg · The Way of the Cross climbs to three crosses on the top, and from there you see Füssen, the Forggensee and, to the east, the white towers of Neuschwanstein in one view.

Churches of the meadows

North and east of Füssen lies the Pfaffenwinkel, the 'priests' corner', so called for its density of abbeys and pilgrimage churches. The finest of them stand in open farmland, a world away from the crowds at the castles. This drive links the great rococo church of the Wies with the abbey that built it, then crosses to Oberammergau and to the only palace Ludwig lived in for long. About 120 km, a full day by car; it can also be the last day on the road to Munich.

Forggensee · The lake is a reservoir, made in 1954 by damming the Lech, and it flooded a village and its farms. It is lowered every autumn, and in late winter you can walk on the dry lake bed among Roman and medieval road remains.
Steingaden Abbey · The Welf duke Welf VI founded this Premonstratensian abbey in 1147, and its Romanesque church was later dressed in baroque inside. It was the abbots of Steingaden who built the Wieskirche on their land.
Wieskirche · In 1738 a farmer's wife saw tears on a wooden figure of the scourged Christ, and pilgrims began to come. Dominikus Zimmermann built the church for them in 1745-54, and since 1983 it has been on the UNESCO list.
Oberammergau · In 1633, during a plague, the villagers vowed to perform the Passion of Christ every ten years if they were spared, and they have kept the vow since 1634. The houses are painted with Lüftlmalerei, murals of biblical and fairy-tale scenes.
Ettal Abbey · Emperor Louis the Bavarian founded the abbey in 1330, and its round baroque church has a huge painted dome. The Benedictine monks still brew beer and distil a herbal liqueur sold at the gate.
Linderhof Palace · Linderhof is the only one of his palaces that Ludwig saw finished and lived in for long. In the park he had the Venus Grotto built, an artificial cave with a lake, coloured electric lighting and a shell-shaped boat, inspired by Wagner's Tannhäuser.

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Getting to Fussen and getting around

Füssen station · End of the line from Munich, about two hours, usually with a change in Buchloe
Bus to the castles · Buses 73 and 78 run from the station to Hohenschwangau in about ten minutes

Cheap eats in Fussen

Füssen sits on the line between Swabia and Bavaria, and the food is Allgäu mountain cooking: Kässpatzen, soft egg noodles baked with mountain cheese and fried onions, and roast pork with dumplings. Near the castles everything is overpriced and crowded, so eat in Füssen itself. A bakery breakfast and a good lunch of Kässpatzen will cost far less than a snack at Hohenschwangau.

Konditorei Kurcafé · Cake and coffee, about 6-9 €
Eiscafé Hohes Schloss · Ice cream below the castle, about 2-5 €
Stadt Café · Old-town café; breakfast or coffee and cake about 5-12 €
Stadt Imbiss · Leberkäse or bratwurst in a roll, about 4-6 €
Zum Hechten · Kässpatzen or a roast, about 13-19 €
Schlossbrauhaus Schwangau · Own beer and a pork knuckle near the castles, about 14-20 €

Museums in Fussen

Museum of the Bavarian Kings · The Wittelsbach story by the lake; an hour
Füssen Museum · Abbey halls, lutes and the Dance of Death
Hohes Schloss gallery · Late Gothic painting in the bishops' castle
Ziegelwies Forest Centre · Forest exhibits and a treetop walk on the Austrian border

Nature and day trips near Fussen

Alpsee · A 1.5-hour lake loop under the castles
Pöllat Gorge · Summer only; steep steps up to the Marienbrücke
Tegelberg · Cable car to the ridge and walks with Alpine views
Alatsee · Quiet forest lake ten minutes west
Hopfensee · Warm swimming lake with mountain views

Things to do in Fussen with kids

Treetop walk · A walk among the treetops into Austria
Tegelberg summer toboggan · A summer toboggan run by the cable car station
Kristall-Therme Schwangau · Warm pools for a rainy day, near the Forggensee
Obersee lido · Lake swimming for small children in summer
Alpsee boats · Rowing boats for an hour under the castle

Where to eat in Fussen

Zum Hechten · Allgäu cooking below the castle
Hotel Hirsch · Bavarian dining room and beer garden by the old town
Ritterstuben · Knights' tavern in the old town, game and Allgäu dishes
Aquila · Italian in the old town when you need a break from dumplings
Schlossbrauhaus Schwangau · House beer and Bavarian plates

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Frequently asked questions about Fussen

What is there to see in Fussen?

The top sights in Fussen are Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Castle and Hohenschwangau Ticket Centre. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Fussen?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Fussen without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Fussen?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Fussen, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The fairy-tale king.

How do you get to Fussen and get around?

The main ways are Füssen station and Bus to the castles. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Fussen, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Fussen that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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