May 2009
Day 1
Leaving Munich we took the train to Fussen. Once again the weather was wonderful and the train ride was smooth. Once again patchwork fields of green, steep pitched Bavarian roofed houses and cathederals with their spiers greeted our eyes. About 45 minutes from Fussen we got our first view of the snow tipped Alps in the distance. Once we arrived at the station we jumped on the bus to Hohenshwangau. (A tip here if your carrying luggage like us- get on last. The bus is usually crowded and no provision for stowing luggage is available. Also if you have purchased a Munich Travel Pass and its still valid for use then you can use it on the bus. Otherwise it will cost you £1.80 per person).
The bus ride was only about 15 minutes about 3 minutes out you round a corner on the riad and see your first view of Scloss Newshwanstien. After disembarking from the bus and lugging our bags up the hill, we checked in to the Hotel Lisl. (We had a corner room on the first floor with a view of both castles- we had pre booked this room and had no problems with the hotel. I will be posting a review).
We decided to chill out in the room for a few hours and then headed up to Schloss Hohenshawangau. The tour was concise and to the point and was conducted via audio guide. After having seen the oppulence of Nymphenburg Palace it was nice to view more sedate luxury. Infact the castle had a real intimate and homely feel to it. The grounds around the castle are small and relaxing. After leaving the castle we took a long walk back to our hotel via some of the very well marked paths arriving just after 6.30pm. WOW what a difference a few hours make. The day trippers and their coaches had left and the town was almost deserted. I had no complaints about that. After a shower we went out for tea and a beautiful venison stew. Then another short walk and back to the hotel. Settling back to read our books whilst looking at both castles which are nicely lit up at night.
Day 2- Perfect weather. Sunny and high 20%26#39;s
After looking at how crowded the town was when we arrived yesterday and noting the length of the lines for the bus up to Newschwanstein we decided to start early and get the first bus up. The mist was rising through the mountain and the bus was half empty. Half way up, we spotted a large stag in the woods just below the road. a vey majestic beast indeed. When we arrived at the castle we had about 15minutes hanging around the grounds before begining the tour. This gave plenty of time to get exterior photos. Part of the castle has scaffold covering it, but this in no way detracted from its beauty and was not visible from the town. Once again the tour was concise and our guide very knowledgable. I felt sorry for King Ludwig II. He was alienated and maligned by his parliment %26amp; forced into a war he didn%26#39;t want. Then when the politicians saw how much money could be made from people visiting the castle they quickly took his castle off him. (He seemed a king that wanted the best for his people and he used his own money to build the castle. This helped an economy that was bankrupt after the Prussian war and brought much needed money to the locals). It seems that the people loved him and still infact hold him in great regard.
After leaving the castle we hiked down along the river. When we reached the bottom we meandered along the walking trail to Tegelberg. The fields where full of wild flowers and the skies where filled with hang gliders and para gliders. We stopped regularly to drink in the views of the castle up on the cliff and the lanscape around us including a few beautiful doe eyed cows just lazily chewing away.
Once we reached Tegelberg we took the cable car up to the top of the mountain and got a chance to touch the snow for the first time. It was really surreal. Here we both where in shorts and t-shirts and able to touch the snow. We settled in for lunch (not in the restaurant- but at the eatery underneath it). With beer in hand and enjoying hot soup we bagan to talk to some of the locals who pointed out various sights of interest. After lunch we went for another hike (about an hour and sat back and watched the colourful display of chutes and wings below).
Heading back down we went over to the tabogon run and a great time being kids again. You get some serious speed up on the run and its a good length too. Then we walked back to our hotel. The town was just starting to empty so we headed for our hotel and just chilled out watching %26quot;our%26quot; castles. Then we went for a walk along the lake and not feeling that hungry hit went to bed.
Day 3- The weather was cooler today but once again clear skies.
After a hearty breakfast we decided to walk to Fussen. It was Subnday and the town seemed almost empty- not that we where bothered. We enjoyed walking around the old part of town and where suprised to find out Italian it was. The main street even has a sign on it saying the it is an old Roman road. We stopped at a cafe for breakfast. Being a brisk sort of morning I had an Irish coffee. It nearly put me on my ear!! I swear there was more whisky in it than coffee and cream combined and i was glad i could walk if off.
As we wandered around we followed the sound of a band and found ourselves in a plaza with 2 pubs and a big Bavarian Brass Band playing in the one corner of the square. So we pulled up a seat ordered a mass each and enjoyed a few hours of great and varied music. We caught a taxi back to our hotel and the town was almost empty so we wandered around for a while before tucking into our last meal in Bavaria. What else could it have been but a massive Pork Knuckle and Dumpling washed down with Konig Ludwig Deunkel for me and Weissbeer for Mrs HP- and it was perfect.
So ended our trime in Bavaria. With slightly sad hearts we headed back to our room and turned the lights off and laid their in quiet contemplation of %26quot;our%26quot; castles. In future, we will have to put up with looking at our bookmarks.
cheers
HowzatPerth
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Enjoyed reading your report. Nice that you were able to do so much walking and get into the spirit of the place.
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What a lovely description! I%26#39;ll be going to Neuschwanstein in July, but can only stay a day, so I%26#39;m a bit jealous at the long time you stayed there!
I have a question, when you walked from Hohenschwangau to Füssen, how long did it take you? Was it easily walkable? I%26#39;ve been thinking about walking between the two myself, either coming or going or both, and I%26#39;m wondering how long that might take. Thanks!
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It took about 90 minutes to walk between the Hohenschwangau and Fussen. Its not a hard walk but there is a fairly steep climb near Fussen. Thats about the most challenging part of the walk.
cheers
HP
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It%26#39;s nice to actually find another person who has taken the time to enjoy the area. We try to visit in the Winter because Neuschwanstein in the snow is lovely, and not the tourist hordes. We actually were the only people at Neuschwanstein on a holiday when they were closed in February, just great! Nice that you had a good time and slowed down enough to have a pleasant trip and enjoy yourselves instead of frantically dashing about.
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Thank you HowzatPerth! I%26#39;ll see if we have time to walk it, and depending on the weather as well!
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How long was the walk to Tegelberg? Is the route easy to locate? I will visit at the end of July and have thought of walking there if time permits.
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My husband and I stayed in Hohenschwangau and spent 3 full days in the area, using this wonderful report as a guide for our activities.
Using Hohenschwangau as a base is brilliant as Fuessen is extremely busy, whereas we enjoyed the peace of the former before and after the tourist presence. But set aside a full day at Fuessen as it is amazing how many interesting things are packed into this tiny mediaeval town.
It%26#39;s certainly a good idea to split up the castle visits to two days, especially at this time of the year when the light is best for photography in the late morning. The Schloss Neuschwanstein tour is disappointingly short considering the size of the castle, and we didn%26#39;t have as good a tour guide as the one who brought us through Schloss Hohenschwangau.
We didn%26#39;t go up the Tegelbahn but did two wonderful long walks. The first was to Tirol in Austria (so that we could say that we walked to Austria!), about one and a half hour%26#39;s walk each way, to a lovely guesthouse for Apfel Strudel and hot chocolate.
The second was around the Alpsee, the lake in Hohenschwangau, with fantastic views of snow-streaked mountains reflected in the lake and fascinating wetland and forest habitats. We took a 2-hour leisurely walk, going clockwise, which saw a bit of a climb at the end, so those who eschew that would be well advised to go anti-clockwise!
This place is very touristy but the landscapes are truly amazing and the service levels here are very high and we enjoyed our stay here very much.
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