Füssen • The King’s Castles • Reutte, Austria
Orientation to the King’s Castles
Sleeping near the King’s Castles
Eating near the King’s Castles
Two hours south of Munich, in the most picturesque corner of Germany’s Bavaria and Austria’s Tirol, is a timeless land of fairy-tale castles, painted buildings shared by cows and farmers, and locals who still yodel when they’re happy and dress in dirndls and lederhosen.
In southern Bavaria, tour “Mad” King Ludwig II’s ornate Neuschwanstein Castle, Europe’s most spectacular. Just over the border in Austria, explore the ruined Ehrenberg Castle.
When selecting a home base, here are a few factors to consider:
Füssen offers the easiest access to the biggest attraction in the region, the “King’s Castles,” Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. The town itself is a mix of real-world and cutesy-cobbled, and has some of the glitziest hotels in the region (as well as more affordable options). Füssen is also handiest for train travelers.
Reutte isn’t that appealing on its own, but its surrounding villages are home to some of the coziest, most pleasant rural accommodations in the region—making it a particularly good option for drivers (but less practical for others). It’s butted up against the ruined Ehrenberg Castle, and within a 30-minute drive of the King’s Castles.
For specifics on public-transit logistics from each town, see “By Public Transportation,” later.
While Germans and Austrians vacation here for a week or two at a time, the typical speedy American traveler will find two days’ worth of sightseeing. With a car and more time, you could enjoy three or four days.
By Public Transportation: Where you stay determines which sights you can see most easily. Train travelers use Füssen as a base, and bus or bike the three miles to Neuschwanstein and the Tegelberg luge or gondola. Although Reutte is the least convenient base if you’re carless, travelers staying there can easily bike or hike to the Ehrenberg ruins, and can reach Neuschwanstein by bus (via Füssen), bike (1.5 hours), or taxi (€35 one-way); if you stay at the recommended Gutshof zum Schluxen hotel (between Reutte and Füssen, in Pinswang, Austria) it’s a 1- to 1.5-hour hike through the woods to Neuschwanstein. Those staying in Füssen can day-trip by bus to Reutte and the Ehrenberg ruins.
By Bike: This is great biking country. Many hotels loan bikes to guests, and shops in Reutte and at the Füssen train station rent bikes for €8-15 per day. The ride from Reutte to Neuschwanstein and the Tegelberg luge (1.5 hours) is a natural.
Dramatically situated under a renovated castle on the lively Lech River, Füssen (FEW-sehn) has been a strategic stop since ancient times. Its main street sits on the Via Claudia Augusta, which crossed the Alps (over the Brenner Pass) in Roman times. Going north, early traders could follow the Lech River downstream to the Danube, and then cross over to the Main and Rhine valleys—a route now known to modern travelers as the “Romantic Road.” Today, while Füssen is overrun by tourists in the summer, few venture to the back streets...which is where you’ll find the real charm. Apart from my self-guided walk and the Füssen Heritage Museum, there’s little to do here. It’s just a pleasant small town with a big history and lots of hardworking people in the tourist business.
Halfway between Füssen and the border (as you drive, or a woodsy walk from the town) is the Lechfall, a thunderous waterfall (with a handy WC).
Füssen’s roughly circular old town huddles around its castle and monastery, along the Lech River. From here, roads spin off in all directions. The train station is a few blocks from the TI, the town center (a cobbled shopping mall), and all my hotel listings.
The TI is in the center of town (July-mid-Sept Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-14:00, Sun 10:00-12:00; mid-Sept-June Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-14:00, closed Sun; one Internet terminal, free with Füssen Card—described next, 3 blocks down Bahnhofstrasse from station at Kaiser-Maximilian-Platz 1, tel. 08362/93850, fuessen.de). If necessary, the TI can help you find a room. After hours, the little self-service info pavilion near the front of the TI features an automated room-finding service with a phone to call hotels.
Be sure to ask your hotel for a Füssen Card, which you’re entitled to if you’re sleeping even just one night in town. This card, paid for by your hotel tax, gives you free use of public transportation in the immediate region (including the bus to Neuschwanstein), as well as discounts to major attractions: €1 each on Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, the Museum of the Bavarian Kings, and the Forggensee boat trip, and €2 on the Füssen Heritage Museum (plus discounts on the Tegelberg gondola, the Royal Crystal Baths, and the Hahnenkammbahn cable car near Reutte). Using this card will more than pay for your hotel tax.
From the train station (lockers available, €2-3), exit to the left and walk a few short blocks to reach the center of town and the TI. Buses to Neuschwanstein, Reutte, and elsewhere leave from a parking lot next to the station.
Internet Access: ICS Internet Café has four computers and decent prices (€1.50/hour, daily 9:00-24:00, Luitpoldstrasse 8, tel. 08362/883-7073). The city library (Stadtbibliothek), inside the same monastery complex that houses the Füssen Heritage Museum, has Wi-Fi (€1/30 minutes, free with Füssen Card; Tue-Wed 13:00-17:00, Thu 13:00-19:00, Fri 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, Lechhalde 3).
Bike Rental: Fahrrad-Station, sitting right where the train tracks end, outfits sightseers with good bikes and tips on two-wheeled fun in the area (prices per 24 hours: €10-city bike, €15-sport bike, €20-electric bike; March-Oct Mon-Fri 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-13:00, Sun 10:00-12:00, closed Nov-Feb, tel. 08362/505-9155, mobile 0176-2205-3080, ski-sport-luggi.de).
Car Rental: Peter Schlichtling is in the town center (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-12:00, closed Sun, Kemptener Strasse 26, tel. 08362/922-122, schlichtling.de); Auto Osterried/Europcar rents at similar prices, but is an €8 taxi ride away from the train station (daily 8:00-19:00, past waterfall on road to Austria, Tiroler Strasse 65, tel. 08362/6381).
Local Guide: Silvia Beyer speaks English, knows the region very well, and can even drive you to sights that are hard to reach by train (€30/hour, mobile 0160-901-13431, silliby@web.de).
For most, Füssen is just a home base for visiting Ludwig’s famous castles. But the town has a rich history and hides some evocative corners, as you’ll see when you follow this orientation walk. This 45-minute stroll is designed to get you out of the cutesy old cobbled core where most tourists spend their time. Throughout the town, “City Tour” information plaques explain points of interest in English (in more detail than I’ve provided).
• Begin at the square in front of the TI, three blocks from the train station.
Kaiser-Maximilian-Platz: The entertaining “Seven Stones” fountain on this square, by sculptor Christian Tobin, was built in 1995 to celebrate Füssen’s 700th birthday. The stones symbolize community, groups of people gathering, conviviality...each is different, with “heads” nodding and talking. It’s granite on granite. The moving heads are not connected, and nod only with waterpower. While frozen in winter, it’s a popular and splashy play zone for kids on hot summer days.
• Walk half a block down the busy street (to the left, with the TI at your back). You’ll soon see...
Hotel Hirsch and Medieval Towers: Recent renovations have restored some of the original Art Nouveau flavor to Hotel Hirsch, which opened in 1904. In those days, aristocratic tourists came here to appreciate the castles and natural wonders of the Alps. Across the busy street stands one of two surviving towers from Füssen’s medieval town wall (c. 1515), and next to it is a passageway into the old town.
• Walk 50 yards farther down the busy street to another tower. Just before it, you’ll see an information plaque and an archway where a small street called Klosterstrasse emerges through a surviving piece of the old town wall. Step through the smaller pedestrian archway, walk along Klosterstrasse for a few yards, and turn left through the gate into the...
Historic Cemetery of St. Sebastian (Alter Friedhof): This peaceful oasis of Füssen history, established in the 16th century, fills a corner between the town wall and the Franciscan monastery. It’s technically full, and only members of great and venerable Füssen families (who already own plots here) can join those who are buried (free, daily April-Sept 7:30-19:00, Oct-March 8:00-17:00).
Immediately inside the gate and on the right is the tomb of Domenico Quaglio, who painted the Romantic scenes decorating the walls of Hohenschwangau Castle in 1835. Across the cemetery, on the old city wall (beyond the church), is the World War I memorial, listing all the names of men from this small town killed in that devastating conflict (along with each one’s rank and place of death). A bit to the right, also along the old wall, is a statue of the hand of God holding a fetus—a place to remember babies who died before being born. And in the corner, farther to the right, is a gated area with the simple wooden crosses of Franciscans who lived just over the wall in the monastery. Strolling the rest of the grounds, note the fine tomb art from many ages collected here, and the loving care this community gives its cemetery.
• Exit on the far side, just past the dead Franciscans, and continue toward the big church.
Town View from Franciscan Monastery (Franziskaner-kloster): From the Franciscan Monastery (which still has big responsibilities, but only a handful of monks in residence), there’s a fine view over the medieval town with an alpine backdrop. The Church of St. Magnus and the High Castle (the former summer residence of the Bishops of Augsburg) break the horizon. The tall, skinny smokestack (c. 1886) and workers’ housing on the left are reminders that when Ludwig built Neuschwanstein, the textile industry (linen and flax) was very big here. Walk all the way to the far end of the monastery chapel and peek around the corner, where you’ll see a gate that proclaims the Ende der romantischen Strasse (end of the Romantic Road).
• Now go down the stairway and turn left, through the medieval “Bleachers’ Gate” (marked 5½) to the...
Lech Riverbank: This low end of town, the flood zone, was the home of those whose work depended on the river—bleachers, rafters, and fishermen. In its heyday, the Lech River was an expressway to Augsburg (about 70 miles to the north). Around the year 1500, the rafters established the first professional guild in Füssen. As Füssen was on the Via Claudia, cargo from Italy passed here en route to big German cities farther north. Rafters would assemble rafts and pile them high with goods—or with people needing a lift. If the water was high, they could float all the way to Augsburg in as little as one day. There they’d disassemble their raft and sell off the lumber along with the goods they’d carried, then make their way home to raft again. Today you’ll see no modern-day rafters here, as there’s a hydroelectric plant just downstream.
• Walk upstream a bit, appreciating the river’s milky color, and head inland (turn right) immediately after crossing under the bridge.
Church of the Holy Spirit, Bread Market, and Lute-Makers: Climbing uphill, you pass the colorful Church of the Holy Spirit (Heilig-Geist-Spitalkirche) on the right. As this was the church of the rafters, their patron, St. Christopher (with the Baby Jesus on his shoulder), is prominent on the facade. Today it’s the church of Füssen’s old folks’ home (it’s adjacent—notice the easy-access skyway).
Farther up the hill on the right (almost opposite an archway into a big courtyard) is Bread Market Square (Brotmarkt), with a fountain honoring the famous 16th-century lute-making family, the Tieffenbruckers. In its day, Füssen was a huge center of violin- and lute-making, with about 200 workshops. Today only three survive.
• Backtrack and go through the archway into the courtyard of the former...
Benedictine Monastery (Kloster St. Mang): From 1717 until secularization in 1802, this was the powerful center of town. Today the courtyard is popular for concerts, and the building houses the City Hall and Füssen Heritage Museum (and a public WC).
Füssen Heritage Museum: This is Füssen’s one must-see sight (€6, €7 combo-ticket includes painting gallery and castle tower; April-Oct Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00, closed Mon; Nov-March Fri-Sun 13:00-16:00, closed Mon-Thu; tel. 08362/903-146, museum.fuessen.de). Pick up the loaner English translations and follow the one-way route. In the St. Anna Chapel, you’ll see the famous Dance of Death. This was painted shortly after a plague devastated the community in 1590. It shows 20 social classes, each dancing with the Grim Reaper—starting with the pope and the emperor. The words above say, essentially, “You can say yes or you can say no, but you must ultimately dance with death.” Leaving the chapel, you walk over the metal lid of the crypt. Upstairs, exhibits illustrate the rafting trade and violin- and lute-making (with a complete workshop). The museum also includes an exquisite Kaisersaal (main festival hall), an old library, an exhibition on textile production, and a King Ludwig-style “castle dream room.”
• Leaving the courtyard, hook left around the old monastery and go uphill. The square tower marks...
St. Magnus Basilica (Basilika St. Mang): St. Mang (or Magnus) is Füssen’s favorite saint. In the eighth century, he worked miracles all over the area with his holy rod. For centuries, pilgrims came from far and wide to enjoy art depicting the great works of St. Magnus. Above the altar dangles a glass cross containing his relics (including that holy stick). Just inside the door is a chapel remembering a much more modern saint—Franz Seelos (1819-1867), the local boy who went to America (Pittsburgh and New Orleans) and lived such a righteous life that in 2000 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II. If you’re in need of a miracle, fill out a request card next to the candles.
• From the church, a lane leads high above, into the courtyard of the...
High Castle (Hohes Schloss): This castle, long the summer residence of the Bishop of Augsburg, houses a painting gallery (the upper floor is labeled in English) and a tower with a view over the town and lake (included in the €7 Füssen Heritage Museum combo-ticket, otherwise €6, same hours as museum). Its courtyard is interesting for the striking perspective tricks painted onto its flat walls.
From below the castle, the city’s main drag (once the Roman Via Claudia, and now Reichenstrasse) leads from a grand statue of St. Magnus past lots of shops, cafés, and strolling people to Kaiser-Maximilian-Platz and the TI...where you began.
(country code: 49, area code: 08362)
Convenient Füssen is just three miles from Ludwig’s castles and offers a cobbled, riverside retreat. All recommended accommodations are within a few handy blocks of the train station and the town center. Parking is easy at the station, and some hotels also have their own lot or garage. Prices listed are for one-night stays; most hotels give about 5-10 percent off for two-night stays—always request this discount. Competition is fierce, and off-season prices are soft. High season is mid-June-September. Rooms are generally 10-15 percent less in shoulder season and much cheaper off-season. Be sure to ask your hotelier for a Füssen Card (see here).
$$$ Hotel Schlosskrone, with 64 rooms and all the amenities, is just a block from the station. It also runs two restaurants and a fine pastry shop—you’ll notice at breakfast (Sb-€99-109, standard Db-€129-149, bigger Db-€149-169, Db with balcony-€155-175, Tb-€159-179, Qb-€169-189, lower prices are for Oct-April, various pricey suites also available, air-con in a few suites only, elevator, free Wi-Fi, free sauna and fitness center, parking-€9/day, Prinzregentenplatz 2-4, tel. 08362/930-180, schlosskrone.com, rezeption@schlosskrone.com, Norbert Schöll and family).
$$$ Hotel Hirsch is a romantic, well-maintained, family-run, 53-room, old-style hotel that takes pride in tradition. Their standard rooms are fine, and their rooms with historical and landscape themes are a fun splurge (Sb-€80-90, standard Db-€125-145, theme Db-€165-185, price depends on demand, cheaper Nov-March and during slow times, family rooms, elevator, pay guest computer, free Wi-Fi, free parking, Kaiser-Maximilian-Platz 7, tel. 08362/93980, hotelfuessen.de, info@hotelhirsch.de).
$$$ Hotel Sonne, in the heart of town, has a modern lobby and takes pride in decorating (some would say overdecorating) its 50 stylish rooms (Sb-€89-109, Db-€111-135, bigger Db-€155-185, Tb-€149, bigger Tb-€169-199, Qb-€189-219, lower prices are for Nov-March, discount if you book on their website, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, free laundry machine-€3 for soap, free sauna and fitness center, parking-€6-8/day, kitty-corner from TI at Prinzregentenplatz 1, on GPS you may need to enter Reichenstrasse 37, tel. 08362/9080, hotel-sonne.de, info@hotel-sonne.de).
$$ Altstadthotel zum Hechten offers 34 modern and nicely renovated rooms in a friendly, traditional building right under Füssen Castle in the old-town pedestrian zone. It’s a good value, with lots of extras (laundry-€10-20/load, travel resource/game room with maps and books, borrowable hiking gear, fun miniature bowling alley in basement, recommended restaurant, electric-bike rental-€20/day), a family-run feel, and borderline-kitschy decor (Sb-€62-72, Db-€92-124, extra bed-€35-47, price depends on season and length of stay, ask for Rick Steves price when you reserve, also mention if you’re very tall as most beds can be short, non-smoking, lots of stairs, free guest computer in lounge, free Wi-Fi, parking-€4/day on-site—or free a 5-minute walk away, in the heart of the old town at Ritterstrasse 6, tel. 08362/91600, hotel-hechten.com, info@hotel-hechten.com, Pfeiffer and Tramp families).
$$ Gästehaus Schöberl, run by the head cook at Altstadthotel zum Hechten, rents six attentively furnished, modern rooms a five-minute walk from the train station. One room is in the owners’ house, and the rest are in the building next door (Sb-€40-55, Db-€70-80, Tb-€85-95, Qb-€100-120, lower prices are for Jan-Feb and Nov or for longer stays, cash only, free Wi-Fi, free parking, Luitpoldstrasse 14-16, tel. 08362/922-411, schoeberl-fuessen.de, info@schoeberl-fuessen.de, Pia and Georg Schöberl).
$$ Mein Lieber Schwan, a block from the train station, is a former private house with four superbly outfitted apartments, each with a double bed, sofa bed, kitchen, and antique furnishings. The catch is the three-night minimum stay in high season (Sb-€68-79, Db-€78-89, Tb-€88-99, Qb-€98-109, price depends on season and apartment size, cash or PayPal only, no breakfast, free Wi-Fi, free parking, laundry facilities, garden, from station turn left at traffic circle to Augustenstrasse 3, tel. 08362/509-980, meinlieberschwan.de, fewo@meinlieberschwan.de, Herr Bletschacher).
$ Old Kings Design Hostel shoehorns five boldly modern, themed rooms (three doubles and two eight-person dorms) into an old townhouse buried deep in the pedestrian zone. While the quarters are tight (all the rooms share two bathrooms), the Old World location and reasonable prices are enticing (dorm bed-€18, D-€55, breakfast-€5, free Wi-Fi, Franziskanergasse 2, tel. 08362/883-7385, oldkingshostel.com, info@oldkingshostel.com).
$ House LA, run by energetic mason Lahdo Algül and hardworking Agata, has two branches. The backpacker house has 11 basic, clean four-bed dorm rooms at rock-bottom prices about a 10-minute walk from the station (€18/bed, D-€45, breakfast-€3, pay guest computer, free Wi-Fi, free parking, Wachsbleiche 2). A second building has five family apartments with kitchen and bath, each sleeping four to six people (apartment-€60-90, depends on number of people and season—mention Rick Steves for best price, breakfast-€3, free Wi-Fi, free parking, 6-minute walk back along tracks from station to von Freybergstrasse 26; contact info for both: tel. 08362/607-366, mobile 0170-624-8610, housela.de, info@housela.de). Both branches rent bikes (€8/day) and have laundry facilities (€7/load).
$ Füssen Youth Hostel, with 138 beds in 32 institutional rooms, occupies a pleasant modern building in a grassy setting an easy walk from the center. There are ping-pong tables and a basketball net out front, but few other extras (bed in 2- to 6-bed dorm rooms-€22, bunk-bed Db-€50, €3 more for nonmembers, €2 extra for one-night stays, includes breakfast and sheets, laundry-€4/load, dinner-€5, office open daily 8:00-12:00 & 17:00-22:00, lockers, free Wi-Fi, free parking, from station backtrack 10 minutes along tracks, Mariahilfer Strasse 5, tel. 08362/7754, fuessen.jugendherberge.de, fuessen@jugendherberge.de).
Restaurant Aquila serves modern international dishes in a simple, traditional Gasthaus setting with great seating outside on the delightful little Brotmarkt square (€10-17 main courses, serious €9-10 salads, Wed-Mon 11:30-21:30, closed Tue, Brotmarkt 9, tel. 08362/6253).
Restaurant Ritterstub’n offers delicious, reasonably priced German grub, fish, salads, veggie plates, gluten-free options, and a fun kids’ menu. They have three eating zones: modern decor in front, traditional Bavarian in back, and a courtyard. Demure Gabi serves while her husband cooks standard Bavarian fare (€8-12 main courses, smaller portions available for less, €6.50 lunch specials, €19 three-course fixed-price dinners, Tue-Sun 11:30-14:30 & 17:30-23:00, closed Mon, Ritterstrasse 4, tel. 08362/7759).
Schenke & Wirtshaus (inside the recommended Altstadthotel zum Hechten) dishes up hearty, traditional Bavarian dishes in a cozy setting. They specialize in pike (Hecht) pulled from the Lech River, served with a tasty fresh-herb sauce (€8-14 main courses, salad bar, daily 11:00-22:00, Ritterstrasse 6, tel. 0836/91600).
The Himmelsstube (“Heaven’s Lounge,” inside Hotel Schlosskrone, right on Füssen’s main traffic circle) boasts good weekly specials and live Bavarian zither music most Fridays during dinner. Choose between a traditional dining room and a pastel winter garden (both feel quite formal). If your pension doesn’t offer breakfast, consider their €13 “American-style” breakfast or huge €16 Sunday spread (at lunch and dinner: €10-19 main dishes, open daily 7:30-10:30 & 11:30-14:30 & 18:00-22:00, Prinzregentenplatz 2-4, tel. 08362/930-180). The hotel’s second restaurant, Chili, serves Mediterranean dishes.
Ristorante La Perla is the place to sate your Italian-food cravings, with friendly staff and fair prices. Sit either in the classic interior, or in one of two delightful outside areas: streetside seating, or the more peaceful back courtyard (€7-11 pizzas and pastas, €11-22 meat and fish dishes, daily 11:00-22:00, in winter closed 14:30-17:30 and all day Mon, Drehergasse 44, tel. 08362/7155).
The Markthalle is a fun food court offering a wide selection of reasonably priced, wurst-free food. Located in an old warehouse from 1483, it’s now home to a fishmonger, deli counters, a fruit stand, a bakery, and a wine bar. Buy your food from one of the vendors, park yourself at any one of the tables, then look up and admire the Renaissance ceiling (Mon-Fri 7:30-20:00, Sat 7:30-15:00, closed Sun, corner of Schrannengasse and Brunnengasse).
Brewpub near the Castles: If you have a car, consider heading to Schloss Brauhaus, in the village of Schwangau (described on here).
Gelato: Hohes Schloss Italian Ice Cream is a good gelateria on the main drag and has an inviting people-watching perch for coffee or dessert (Reichenstrasse 14).
Asian Food: You’ll find inexpensive Thai, Indian, and Chinese restaurants in the Luitpold-Passage at Reichenstrasse 33.
Picnic Supplies: Bakeries and Metzgers (butcher shops) abound and frequently have ready-made sandwiches. For groceries, try the underground Netto supermarket at Prinzregentenplatz, the roundabout on your way into town from the train station (Mon-Sat 7:00-20:00, closed Sun).
From Füssen to: Neuschwanstein (bus #73 or #78, departs from train station, most continue to Tegelberg lift station after castles, 1/hour, 10 minutes, €2.10 one-way, buses #9606 and #9651 also make the trip; taxis cost €10 one-way); Reutte (bus #74; Mon-Fri almost hourly, last bus 19:00; Sat-Sun every 2 hours, last bus 18:00; 45 minutes, €4.20 one-way; taxis cost €35 one-way); Munich (hourly trains, 2 hours, some change in Buchloe); Salzburg (hourly via Munich, 4 hours, 1-2 changes); Rothenburg ob der Tauber (hourly, 5 hours, look for connections with only 2-3 changes—often in Augsburg, Treuchtlingen, and Steinach); Frankfurt (hourly, 5-6 hours, 1-2 changes). Train info: tel. 0180-599-6633, bahn.com.
The most popular tourist destinations in southern Bavaria are the two “King’s Castles” (Königsschlösser) near Füssen. The older Hohenschwangau, King Ludwig’s boyhood home, is less famous but more historic. The more dramatic Neuschwanstein, which inspired Walt Disney, is the one everyone visits. I’d recommend visiting both, and planning some time to hike above Neuschwanstein to Mary’s Bridge—and, if you enjoy romantic hikes, down through the gorge below. Reservations are a magic wand to smooth out your visit. With fairy-tale turrets in a fairy-tale alpine setting built by a fairy-tale king, these castles are understandably a huge hit.
If arriving by car, note that road signs in the region refer to the sight as Königsschlösser, not Neuschwanstein. There’s plenty of parking (all lots-€5). The first lots require more walking. Drive right through Touristville and past the ticket center, and park in lot #4 by the lake (Parkplatz am Alpsee) for the same price.
From Füssen, those without cars can catch bus #73 or #78 (hourly, generally departs Füssen’s train station at :05 past the hour, €2.10 each way, 10 minutes, extra buses often run when crowded; a few additional departures of #9606 and #9651 also make this trip), take a taxi (€10 one-way), ride a rental bike (two level miles), or—if you’re in a pinch—walk (less than an hour). The bus drops you at the tourist office; it’s a one-minute walk from there to the ticket office. When returning, note that buses #73 and #78 pointing left (with your back to the TI) are headed to Füssen, while the same numbers pointing right are going elsewhere.
From Reutte, take bus #74 to the Füssen train station, then hop on bus #73 or #78 to the castles. Or pay €35 for a taxi right to the castles.
Cost: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau cost €12 apiece. A “Königsticket” combo-ticket for both castles costs €23, and a “Schwanenticket,” which also covers the Museum of the Bavarian Kings—described on here—costs €29.50. Children under 18 (accompanied by an adult) are admitted free.
Hours: The ticket center, located at street level between the two castles, is open daily April-Sept 8:00-17:30, Oct-March 9:00-15:30. The first castle tour of the day departs an hour after the ticket office opens and the last departs 30 minutes after it closes: April-Sept at 9:00 and 18:00, Oct-March at 10:00 and 16:00.
Getting Tickets for the Castles: Every tour bus in Bavaria converges on Neuschwanstein, and tourists flush in each morning from Munich. A handy reservation system sorts out the chaos for smart travelers. (One out of every three castle tickets is reserved. Look left. Look right. If you want to be smarter than these two people, prebook.) Tickets, whether reserved in advance or bought on the spot, come with admission times. If you miss your appointed tour time, you can’t get in. To tour both castles, you must do Hohenschwangau first (logical, since this gives a better introduction to King Ludwig’s short life). You’ll get two tour times: Hohenschwangau and then, two hours later, Neuschwanstein.
Arrival: Make the ticket center your first stop. If you have a reservation, stand in the short line for picking up tickets. If you don’t have a reservation...welcome to the very long line. Arrive by 8:00 in summer, and you’ll likely be touring at 9:00. During August, the busiest month, tickets for English tours can run out by around noon. Because day-trippers from Munich tend to take the 8:52 train—with a bus connection arriving at the castles at 11:13—if you need to buy a ticket on the spot, you’ll be wise to try to make it here by 11:00; a few minutes later, and the line grows quickly.
Reservations: It’s smart to reserve in peak season (June-early Oct—especially in July-Aug, when slots can book up several days in advance). Reservations cost €1.80 per person per castle, and must be made no later than 17:00 on the previous day. It works best to book online (ticket-center-hohenschwangau.de); you can also reserve by phone (tel. 08362/930-830) or email (info@ticket-center-hohenschwangau.de). A few hotels can book these tickets for you with enough notice (ask). You must pick up reserved tickets an hour before the appointed entry time, as it takes a while to walk up to the castles. (It doesn’t usually take an hour, though—so this might be a good time to pull out a sandwich or a snack.) Show up late and they may have given your slot to someone else (but then they’ll likely help you make another reservation). If you know a couple of hours in advance that you’re running late and can call the office, they’ll likely rebook you at no charge.
Getting Up to the Castles: From the ticket booth, Hohenschwangau is an easy 10-minute climb (just zigzag up to the big yellow castle, following the signs), while Neuschwanstein is a moderately steep 30-minute hike in the other direction (also well-signed—the most direct and least steep approach begins across the street from the ticket center).
To minimize hiking to Neuschwanstein, you can take a shuttle bus (leaves every few minutes from in front of Hotel Lisl, just above ticket office and to the left) or a horse-drawn carriage (in front of Hotel Müller, just above ticket office and to the right), but neither gets you to the castle doorstep. The shuttle bus drops you off near Mary’s Bridge (Marienbrücke), leaving you a steep, 10-minute downhill walk to the castle—so be sure to see the view from Mary’s Bridge before hiking down (€1.80 one-way, the €2.60 round-trip is not worth it since you have to hike uphill to the bus stop for your return trip). Horse-drawn carriages (€6 up, €3 down) are slower than walking and stop below Neuschwanstein, leaving you a five-minute uphill hike. Here’s the most economical and least strenuous plan: Ride the bus to Mary’s Bridge for the view, hike down to Neuschwanstein, and then catch the horse carriage from the castle back down to the parking lot (total round-trip cost: €4.80). Carriages also run to Hohenschwangau (€4 up, €2 down).
Warning: Both the shuttle bus and the carriage can have long lines at peak times—especially if it’s raining. You might wait up to 45 minutes for the bus, making it slower than walking. If you’re cutting it close to your appointed time, you may need to hoof it.
Entry Procedure: For each castle, tourists jumble at the entry, waiting for their ticket number to light up on the board. When it does, power through the mob (most waiting there are holding higher numbers) and go to the turnstile. Warning: You must use your ticket while your number is still on the board. If you space out while waiting for a polite welcome, you’ll miss your entry window and never get in.
Services: A TI (run by helpful Thomas), bus stop, ATM, WC (€0.50), lockers (€1), coin-op Internet terminal, and telephones cluster around the main intersection a couple hundred yards before you get to the ticket office (TI open daily April-mid-Oct 10:00-17:30, mid-Oct-March generally 10:00-16:00, tel. 08362/81980, schwangau.de). While the bathrooms inside the castles themselves are free, you’ll pay €0.30-0.50 to use the freestanding ones elsewhere in the area.
Bike Rental: The easiest place to rent a bike is at Füssen’s train station. Near the castles, rentals are available in Schwangau (the next village over) at Todos (€8/day, €18/day-electric bike, daily 9:30-18:30, on the main street at Füssener Strasse 13, tel. 08362/987-888).
Best Views: In the morning, the light comes in just above the mountains—making your initial view of Neuschwanstein hazy and disappointing (though views from the ticket center up to Hohenschwangau are nice). Later in the day, the sun drops down into the pasture, lighting up Neuschwanstein magnificently. Regardless of time of day, the best accessible Neuschwanstein view is from Mary’s Bridge (or, for the bold, from the little bluff just above it)—an easy 10-minute hike from the castle. (Many of the postcards and posters you’ll see are photographed from high in the hills, best left to avid hikers.)
Eating: Bring a packed lunch. The park by the Alpsee (the nearby lake) is ideal for a picnic, although you’re not allowed to sit on the grass—only on the benches (you could also eat out on the lake in one of the old-fashioned rowboats, rented by the hour in summer). The restaurants in the “village” at the foot of Europe’s Disney castle are mediocre and overpriced, feeding off the endless droves of hungry, shop-happy tourists. There are no grocery shops near the castles, but you can buy sandwiches and hot dogs across from the TI, and at the Imbiss (take-out window) next to Hotel Alpenstuben (between the TI and ticket center). For a sit-down meal, the Bräustüberl cafeteria serves the cheapest grub, but isn’t likely to be a highlight of your visit (€6-7 gut-bomb grill meals, often with live folk music, daily 10:00-17:00, close to end of road and lake). Up near Neuschwanstein itself (near the horse carriage drop-off) is another cluster of overpriced eateries.
The two castles complement each other perfectly. But if you have to choose one, Neuschwanstein’s wow factor—inside and out—is undeniable.
Standing quietly below Neuschwanstein, the big, yellow Hohenschwangau Castle was Ludwig’s boyhood home. Originally built in the 12th century, it was ruined by Napoleon. Ludwig’s father, King Maximilian II, rebuilt it in 1830. Hohenschwangau (hoh-en-SHVAHN-gow, loosely translated as “High Swanland”) was used by the royal family as a summer hunting lodge until 1912. The Wittelsbach family (which ruled Bavaria for nearly seven centuries) still owns the place (and lived in the annex—today’s shop—until the 1970s).
The interior decor (mostly Neo-Gothic, like the castle itself) is harmonious, cohesive, and original—all done in 1835, with paintings inspired by Romantic themes. As you tour the castle, imagine how the paintings must have inspired young Ludwig. For 17 years, he lived here at his dad’s place and followed the construction of his dream castle across the way—you’ll see the telescope still set up and directed at Neuschwanstein.
The excellent 30-minute tours give a better glimpse of Ludwig’s life than the more-visited and famous Neuschwanstein Castle tour. Tours here are smaller (35 people rather than 60) and more relaxed. You’ll explore rooms on two floors—the queen’s rooms, and then, upstairs, the king’s. (Conveniently, their bedrooms were connected by a secret passage.) You’ll see photos and busts of Ludwig and his little brother, Otto; some Turkish-style flourishes (to please the king, who had been impressed after a visit to the Orient); more than 25 different depictions of swans (honoring the Knights of Schwangau, whose legacy the Wittelsbachs inherited); over-the-top gifts the Wittelsbachs received from their adoring subjects; and paintings of VIGs (very important Germans, including Martin Luther—who may or may not have visited here—and an infant Charlemagne).
One of the most impressive rooms is the Banquet Hall (also known as the Hall of Heroes); one vivid wall mural depicts a savage, yet bloodless, fifth-century barbarian battle. Just as the castle itself had running water and electricity despite its historic appearance, its Romantic decor presents a sanitized version of the medieval past, glossing over inconvenient details. You’ll also see Ludwig’s bedroom, which he inherited from his father. He kept most of the decor (including the nude nymphs frolicking over his bed), but painted the ceiling black and installed transparent stars that could be lit from the floor above to create the illusion of a night sky.
Imagine “Mad” King Ludwig as a boy, climbing the hills above his dad’s castle, Hohenschwangau, dreaming up the ultimate fairy-tale castle. Inheriting the throne at the young age of 18, he had the power to make his dream concrete and stucco. Neuschwanstein (noy-SHVAHN-shtine, roughly “New Swanstone”) was designed first by a theater-set designer...then by an architect. While it was built upon the ruins of an old castle and looks medieval, Neuschwanstein is modern iron-and-brick construction with a sandstone veneer—only about as old as the Eiffel Tower. It feels like something you’d see at a home show for 19th-century royalty. Built from 1869 to 1886, it’s the epitome of the Romanticism popular in 19th-century Europe. Construction stopped with Ludwig’s death (only a third of the interior was finished), and within six weeks, tourists were paying to go through it.
During World War II, the castle took on a sinister role. The Nazis used Neuschwanstein as one of their primary secret storehouses for stolen art. After the war, Allied authorities spent a year sorting through and redistributing the art, which filled 49 rail cars from this one location alone. It was the only time the unfinished rooms were put to use.
Today, guides herd groups of 60 through the castle, giving an interesting—if rushed—30-minute tour. (While you’re waiting for your tour time to pop up on the board, climb the stairs up to the upper courtyard to see more of the exterior, which isn’t covered on your tour.) Once inside, you’ll go up and down more than 300 steps, visiting 15 lavish rooms with their original furnishings and fanciful wall paintings—mostly based on Wagnerian opera themes.
Ludwig’s extravagant throne room, modeled in a Neo-Byzantine style to emphasize his royal status, celebrates six valiant Christian kings (whose mantle Ludwig clearly believed he had donned) under a huge gilded-bronze chandelier. The exquisite two-million-stone mosaic floor is a visual encyclopedia of animals and plant life. The most memorable stop may be the king’s gilded-lily bedroom, with his elaborately carved canopy bed (with a forest of Gothic church spires on top), washstand (filled with water piped in from the Alps), and personal chapel. After passing through Ludwig’s living room (decorated with more than 150 swans) and a faux grotto, you’ll climb to the fourth floor for the grand finale: the Singers’ Hall, an ornately decorated space filled with murals depicting the story of Parzival, the legendary medieval figure with whom Ludwig identified.
After the tour, before you descend to the king’s kitchen, see the 13-minute video (runs continuously, English subtitles). This uses historical drawings and modern digital modeling to tell the story of how the castle was built, and illustrates all of the unfinished parts of Ludwig’s vision (more prickly towers, a central chapel, a fancy view terrace, an ornate bathhouse, and more). Finally you’ll see a digital model of Falkenstein—a whimsical, over-the-top, never-built castle that makes Neuschwanstein look stubby. Falkenstein occupied Ludwig’s fantasies the year he died.
After the kitchen (state of the art for this high-tech king in its day), you’ll see a room lined with fascinating drawings (described in English) of the castle plans, as well as a large castle model.
These activities are within a short walk of the castles—an easy way to round out your day if you have extra time and lack a car.
Before or after the Neuschwanstein tour, climb up to Mary’s Bridge to marvel at Ludwig’s castle, just as Ludwig did. Jockey with a United Nations of tourists for the best angle. This bridge was quite an engineering accomplishment 100 years ago. (Access to the bridge is closed in bad winter weather, but many travelers walk around the barriers to get there—at their own risk, of course.)
For an even more glorious castle view, the frisky can hike even higher: After crossing the bridge, you’ll see very rough, steep, unofficial trails crisscrossing the hillside on your left. If you’re willing to ignore the Lebensgefahr (danger of death) signs, you can scamper up to the bluff just over the bridge.
The trail connecting Neuschwanstein to Mary’s Bridge is also scenic, with views back on Neuschwanstein’s facade in one direction, and classic views of Hohenschwangau—perched on its little hill between lakes, with cut-glass peaks on the horizon—in the other.
The river gorge that slices into the rock just behind Neuschwanstein’s lofty perch is a more interesting and scenic—and less crowded—alternative to shuffling back down the main road. While it takes an extra 15 minutes or so, it’s well worth it. You’ll find the trailhead just above the Neuschwanstein exit, on the path toward Mary’s Bridge (look for Pöllatschlucht signs; gorge trail closed in winter).
You’ll begin by walking down a steep, well-maintained set of concrete stairs, with Germany’s finest castle looming through the trees. Then you’ll pop out along the river, passing a little beach (with neatly stacked stones) offering a view up at the grand waterfall that gushes beneath Mary’s Bridge. From here, follow the river as it goes over several smaller waterfalls—and for a while stroll along steel walkways and railings that help make this slippery area safer. After passing an old wooden channel used to harness the power of all that water, you’ll hit level ground; turn left and walk through a pleasantly untouristy residential settlement back toward the TI.
About a five-minute walk from the castles’ ticket center, in a former grand hotel on the shore of the Alpsee, this modern, well-presented exhibit documents the history of the Wittelsbachs, Bavaria’s royal family. On display are plenty of family portraits and busts, as well as treasures including Ludwig II’s outlandish royal robe and elaborately decorated fairy-tale sword, and the impressive dining set given as a golden-anniversary present to his cousin Ludwig III and his wife, the last reigning Wittelsbachs. A free, dry audioguide lends some context to the family’s history, in more detail than most casual visitors want. The museum is worth the price only if you’re captivated by this clan and have some time to kill. (But trying to squeeze it between your two castle visits is a bit too brief—especially if you like to linger.)
Cost and Hours: €29.50 “Schwanenticket” combo-ticket covers this museum as well as both castles, otherwise €9.50; no reservations required, includes audioguide, guided tour can be reserved ahead for €1.50 extra, daily April-Sept 9:00-19:00, Oct-March 10:00-18:00, mandatory lockers with refundable €1 deposit, Alpseestrasse 27, tel. 08362/926-4640, museumderbayerischenkoenige.de.
If you have a car or bike (or are willing to hop a bus), here are a few more attractions that lie within a few miles of Neuschwanstein.
Just north of Neuschwanstein is a fun play zone around the mighty Tegelberg Gondola, a scenic ride to the mountain’s 5,500-foot summit. On a clear day, you get great views of the Alps and Bavaria and the vicarious thrill of watching hang gliders and paragliders leap into airborne ecstasy. Weather permitting, scores of adventurous Germans line up and leap from the launch ramp at the top of the lift. With someone leaving every two or three minutes, it’s great for spectators. Thrill-seekers with exceptional social skills may talk themselves into a tandem ride with a paraglider. From the top of Tegelberg, it’s a steep and demanding 2.5-hour hike down to Ludwig’s castle. (Avoid the treacherous trail directly below the gondola.) At the base of the gondola, you’ll find a playground, a cheery eatery, the stubby remains of an ancient Roman villa, and a summer luge ride (described next).
Cost and Hours: €18.40 round-trip, €11.80 one-way, daily 9:00-17:00, closed Nov, 4/hour, last ride at 16:45, 5-minute ride to the top, in bad weather call first to confirm, tel. 08362/98360, tegelbergbahn.de. Most buses #73 and #78 from Füssen continue from the castles to Tegelberg.
Next to the Tegelberg Gondola is a summer luge course. A luge is like a bobsled on wheels, with a funky cable system pulling riders (in their sleds) to the top without a ski lift. On your way down, push the stick forward to go faster, pull back to apply brakes, keeping both hands on your stick. To avoid getting into a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam, let the person in front of you get way ahead before you start. You’ll emerge from the course with a windblown hairdo and a smile-creased face. This course’s stainless-steel track is heated, so it’s often dry and open even when drizzly weather shuts down the concrete luges.
Cost and Hours: €3.40/ride, 6-ride shareable card-€13.60, July-Sept daily 10:00-18:00, otherwise same hours as gondola, in winter sometimes opens late if track is wet, in bad weather call first to confirm, waits can be long in good weather, no children under 3, ages 3-8 may ride with an adult, tel. 08362/98360, tegelbergbahn.de.
(country code: 49, area code: 08362)
Inexpensive farmhouse B&Bs abound in the Bavarian countryside around Neuschwanstein, offering drivers a decent value. Look for Zimmer Frei signs (“room free”/vacancy). The going rate is about €50-65 for a double, including breakfast. Though a bit inconvenient for those without a car, my listings here are a quick taxi ride from the Füssen train station and also close to local bus stops.
$$ Alpenhotel Allgäu is a small, family-run hotel with 18 rooms in a bucolic setting. It’s a 15-minute walk from the castle ticket office, not far beyond the humongous parking lot (small Sb without balcony-€48, Sb-€58, perfectly fine older Db-€85, newer Db-€93, Tb-€135, ask about discount with cash and this book—but only if you book direct, all rooms except one single have porches or balconies—some with castle views, family rooms, free Wi-Fi, elevator, free parking, just before tennis courts at Schwangauer Strasse 37 in the town of Schwangau—don’t let your GPS take you to Schwangauer Strasse 37 in Füssen, tel. 08362/81152, alpenhotel-allgaeu.de, info@alpenhotel-allgaeu.de, Frau Reiss).
$ Beim “Landhannes,” a 200-year-old working dairy farm run by Conny Schön, is a great value for drivers. They rent three creaky but sunny rooms, and keep flowers on the balconies, big bells and antlers in the halls, and cows in the yard (Sb-€30, Db-€60, €5 less per person for 3 or more nights, also rents apartments with kitchen with a 5-night minimum, cash only, free Wi-Fi, free parking, nearby bike rental, poorly signed in the village of Horn on the Füssen side of Schwangau, look for the farm down a tiny lane through the grass 100 yards in front of Hotel Kleiner König, Am Lechrain 22, tel. 08362/8349, landhannes.de, info@landhannes.de).
For pointers on quick, functional eateries in the immediate castle area, see “Orientation to the King’s Castles,” earlier.
For something more memorable, consider Schloss Brauhaus, a big, new brewpub in the village of Schwangau, about 1.5 miles away from the castles. They brew five types of beer (dark, light, wheat, and two seasonal brews) and serve classic German fare (€10-19 hearty meals). Choose between the woody-industrial interior—with big copper vats, or the outdoor Biergarten, with distant views of Neuschwanstein (food served Mon-Thu 14:00-21:00, Fri-Sun 11:00-21:00, longer hours for beer; Gipsmühlweg 5 in Schwangau—watch for signs on the main street, Füssener Strasse, coming in from Füssen; tel. 08362/926-4680).
Reutte (ROY-teh, with a rolled r), a relaxed Austrian town of 5,700, is located 20 minutes across the border from Füssen. While overlooked by the international tourist crowd, it’s popular with Germans and Austrians for its climate. Doctors recommend its “grade 1” air.
Although its setting—surrounded by alpine peaks—is striking, the town itself is pretty unexceptional. But that’s the point. I enjoy Reutte for the opportunity it offers to simply be in a real community. As an example of how the town is committed to its character, real estate can be sold only to those using it as a primary residence. (Many formerly vibrant alpine towns made a pile of money but lost their sense of community by becoming resorts. They allowed wealthy foreigners—who just drop in for a week or two a year—to buy up all the land, and are now shuttered up and dead most of the time.)
Reutte has one claim to fame among Americans: As Nazi Germany was falling in 1945, Hitler’s top rocket scientist, Werner von Braun, joined the Americans (rather than the Russians) in Reutte. You could say that the American space program began here.
Reutte isn’t featured in any other American guidebook. The town center can be congested and confusing, and its charms are subtle. It was never rich or important. Its castle is ruined, its buildings have painted-on “carvings,” its churches are full, its men yodel for each other on birthdays, and its energy is spent soaking its Austrian and German guests in Gemütlichkeit. Most guests stay for a week, so the town’s attractions are more time-consuming than thrilling.
Some travelers tell me this town is over-Reutte-d. Füssen’s tidy pedestrian core and glitzy hotels make it an easier home base. But in my view, Reutte’s two big trump cards are its fine countryside accommodations (the farther from the town center, the more rustic, authentic, and relaxing) and its proximity to one of my favorite ruined castles in Europe, Ehrenberg. As both of these pluses are most easily appreciated with a car, drivers will have the best Reutte experience.
Little Reutte, with about 6,000 people, sprawls into several surrounding villages—creating a thriving community that fills a basin hemmed in by mountains and cut through by the Lech River. The town center is a tangle of crisscrossing roads that’s bewildering for drivers; know where you’re going and follow signs (to your point of interest, hotel, or neighboring village) to stay on track. While strolling through Reutte can be enjoyable, ultimately it’s a workaday burg.
The area’s real charm lies in the abutting hamlets, and that’s where my favorite hotels and restaurants are located: Breitenwang, flowing directly from Reutte to the east, marked by its pointy steeple; Ehenbichl, a stand-alone, time-warp farming village cuddled up against the mountains to the south; Höfen, squeezed between an airstrip and a cable-car station, just across the river from Ehenbichl; and remote Pinswang, stranded in a forgotten valley halfway to Germany, just over the mountain from Neuschwanstein. Watching over it all to the south are the Ehrenberg Castle ruins—viewable from just about everywhere (and evocatively floodlit at night), but most easily conquered by foot from the Klause Valley (two miles out of town on the main Innsbruck road).
Reutte’s TI is a block in front of the train station (Mon-Fri 8:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:00, no midday break July-Aug, Sat 8:30-12:00, closed Sun, Untermarkt 34, tel. 05672/62336, reutte.com). Go over your sightseeing plans, ask about a folk evening, and pick up city and biking/hiking maps, bus schedules, the Sommerprogramm events schedule (in German only), and a free town info booklet (with a good self-guided walk).
Guests staying in the Reutte area (and, therefore, paying local hotel tax) are entitled to an Aktiv-Card—be sure to ask your hotel for one. The TI has a brochure explaining all of the perks of this card, including free travel on local buses (including the Reutte-Füssen route—but not Füssen-Neuschwanstein) and free admission to some otherwise very pricey attractions, including the recommended Klause Valley Fort Museum, the Hahnenkammbahn mountain lift (summer only), and the Alpentherme bath complex (2 hours free each day). Also included are various guided hikes in the surrounding mountains (get schedule from TI), and discounts on mountain-bike tours, rafting trips, and paragliding. If you know what’s covered and ask for these discounts, the value of this card is far more than the modest tax (€2/person per day).
By Car: If you’re coming by car from Germany, skip the north (Nord) exit and take the south (Süd) exit into town. For parking in town, blue lines denote pay-and-display spots (if you’re staying more than 30 minutes, pay at the meter, then put the receipt in your windshield). There are a few spaces just outside the TI that are free for up to 30 minutes—handy for stopping by with a few questions en route to your out-of-town hotel. For longer stays, there’s a free lot (P-1) just past the train station on Muhlerstrasse (about a 10-minute walk from the town center and TI).
While Austria requires a toll sticker (Vignette) for driving on its expressways (€8.30/10 days, buy at the border, gas stations, car-rental agencies, or Tabak shops), those just dipping into Tirol from Bavaria don’t need one—even on the expressway-like bypass around Reutte.
By Train or Bus: From Reutte’s tidy little train station (no baggage storage), exit straight ahead and walk three minutes straight up Bahnhofstrasse. After the park on your left, you’ll see the TI; my recommended town-center hotels are down the street just beyond the TI and its parking lot.
Laundry: There isn’t an actual launderette in town, but the recommended Hotel Maximilian lets non-guests use its laundry service (wash, dry, and fold-€16/load; hotel guests pay €12).
Bike Rental: Try Intersport (€15/day, Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, Lindenstrasse 25, tel. 05672/62352), or check at the recommended Hotel Maximilian.
Taxi: STM Shuttle Service promises 24-hour service (mobile 0664-113-3277).
“Nightlife”: Reutte is pretty quiet. For any action at all, there’s a strip of bars, dance clubs, and Italian restaurants on Lindenstrasse.
If Neuschwanstein was the medieval castle dream, Ehrenburg is the medieval castle reality. Once the largest fortification in Tirol, its brooding ruins lie about two miles outside Reutte. Ehrenburg is actually an “ensemble” of four castles, built to defend against the Bavarians and to bottle up the strategic Via Claudia trade route, which cut through the Alps as it connected Italy and Germany. Today, these castles have become a European “castle museum,” showing off 500 years of military architecture in one swoop. The European Union is helping fund the project (paying a third of its €9 million cost) because it promotes the heritage of a multinational region—Tirol—rather than a country.
The four parts of the complex are the fortified Klause toll booth on the valley floor, the oldest castle on the first hill above (Ehrenberg), a mighty and more modern castle high above (Schlosskopf, built in the age when cannon positioned there made the original castle vulnerable), and a smaller fourth castle across the valley (Fort Claudia, an hour’s hike away). All four were once a single complex connected by walls. Signs posted throughout the site help visitors find their way and explain some background on the region’s history, geology, flora, and fauna—along with some colorful, fun boards that relate local folktales regarding the castle. (While the castles are free and open all the time, the museum and multimedia show at the fort’s parking lot charge admission; they also may begin charging for parking by the time you visit—likely €2/day.)
Getting to the Castle Ensemble: The Klause, Ehrenberg, and Schlosskopf castles are on the road to Lermoos and Innsbruck. These are a pleasant 30- to 45-minute walk or a short bike ride from Reutte; bikers can use the Radwanderweg along the Lech River (the TI has a good map). Local bus #5 runs from Reutte’s main train station to Ehrenberg sporadically (usually 3-4/day; see vvt.at for schedules—the stop name is “Ehrenberger Klause”).
Historians estimate that about 10,000 tons of precious salt passed through this valley (along the route of Rome’s Via Claudia) each year in medieval times, so it’s no wonder the locals built this complex of fortresses and castles. Beginning in the 14th century, the fort controlled traffic and levied tolls on all who passed. Today, these scant remains hold a museum and a theater with a multimedia show.
While there are no real artifacts here (other than the sword used in A.D. 2008 to make me the honorary First Knight of Ehrenberg), the clever, kid-friendly museum takes one 14th-century decade (1360-1370) and attempts to bring it to life. It’s a hands-on experience, well-described in English. You can try on a set of armor (and then weigh yourself), see the limited vision knights had to put up with when wearing their helmet, learn about everyday medieval life, empathize with victims of the plague, join a Crusade, and play soccer with gigantic stone balls once tossed by a catapult. In the armory section, you can heft replica weapons from the period. Several videos and soundtracks spring to life if you press a button (select E for English).
The multimedia show takes you on a 30-minute spin (in German) through the 2,000-year history of this valley’s fortresses, with images projected on the old stone walls and modern screens (50-minute English version runs Mon-Fri at 13:00 with a minimum of 5 people, or sometimes by request).
Cost and Hours: €7.50, €3 more to include multimedia show, €17.80 family pass (€20.80 with multimedia show) for 2 adults and any number of kids, daily 10:00-17:00, closed Nov-mid-Dec, tel. 05672/62007, ehrenberg.at.
Information: The museum’s atrium stays open (until 22:00) after the museum itself closes; you can come in and help yourself to brochures on the local area.
Eating: Next to the museum, the Landgasthof Klause serves typical Tirolean meals (€10-16 main courses, late June-mid-Sept daily 10:00-20:00 or later, off-season closed Mon and generally shorter hours, closed Nov and early Jan, tel. 05672/62213). They also rent a few rooms if you’d like to stay right at Ehrenberg (see here).
Nearby: A local group plans to open a new exhibition nearby, focusing on the nature park for the Lech River Valley. The new exhibit may be part of a combo-ticket with the castle museum; ask for details.
Ehrenberg, a 13th-century rock pile, provides a super opportunity to let your imagination off its leash. Hike up 30 minutes from the parking lot of the Klause Valley Fort Museum for a great view from your own private ruins (you’ll likely have to pay €2 for parking). The trail is well-marked and has well-groomed gravel, but it’s quite steep, and once you reach the castle itself, you’ll want good shoes to scramble over the uneven stairs.
Self-Guided Tour: From the parking lot, follow yellow signs up into the woods, tracking Ruine Ehrenberg or Bergruine Ehrenberg. At the top of the first switchback, notice the option to turn left and hike 45 minutes up to Schlosskopf, the higher castle (described next; this is an easier ascent than the very steep route you can take from closer to Ehrenberg). But we’ll head right and continue up the path through the lower entrance bastion of Ehrenberg.
Emerging from the woods, you’ll pop out at a saddle of land between two steep hills. As you face Reutte, the hill on the left is Schlosskopf (notice the steeper ascent here to reach the top), and to the right is Ehrenberg. Ehrenberg (which means “Mountain of Honor”) was the first castle here, built in 1296. Thirteenth-century castles were designed to stand boastfully tall. Later, with the advent of gunpowder, castles dug in. (Notice the 18th-century ramparts around the castle.)
Now continue twisting up the path to Ehrenberg Castle. As you approach its outer gate, look for the small door to the left. It’s the night entrance (tight and awkward, and therefore safer against a surprise attack). But we’ll head through the main gate—actually, two of them. Castles were designed with layered defenses—outer bastion down below, outer gate here, inner gate deeper within—which allowed step-by-step retreat, giving defenders time to regroup and fight back against invading forces.
After you pass through the outer gate, but before climbing to the top of the castle, follow the path around to the right to a big, grassy courtyard with commanding views and a fat, restored turret. This stored gunpowder and held a big cannon that enjoyed a clear view of the valley below. In medieval times, all the trees approaching the castle were cleared to keep an unobstructed view.
Look out over the valley. The pointy spire marks Breitenwang, which was a stop on the ancient Via Claudia. In A.D. 46, there was a Roman camp there. In 1489, after Reutte’s bridge crossed the Lech River, Reutte (marked by the onion-domed church) was made a market town and eclipsed Breitenwang in importance. Any gliders circling? They launch from just over the river in Höfen.
For centuries, this castle was the seat of government—ruling an area called the “judgment of Ehrenberg” (roughly the same as today’s “district of Reutte”). When the emperor came by, he stayed here. In 1604, the ruler moved downtown into more comfortable quarters, and the castle was no longer a palace.
Now climb to the top of Ehrenberg Castle. Take the high ground. There was no water supply here—just kegs of wine, beer, and a cistern to collect rain. Up at the top, appreciate how strategic this lofty position is—with commanding views over Reutte, the entire valley, and the narrow side-valley with today’s highway to Innsbruck (and yesterday’s important Via Claudia trading route through the Alps). But also notice that you’re sandwiched between two higher hilltops: Schlosskopf in one direction, and Falkenberg (across the narrow valley) in the other. In the days before gunpowder, these positions offered no real threat; but in the age of cannonballs, Ehrenberg was suddenly very vulnerable...and very obsolete.
Ehrenberg repelled 16,000 Swedish soldiers in the defense of Catholicism in 1632. Ehrenberg saw three or four other battles, but its end was not glorious. In the 1780s, a local businessman bought the castle in order to sell off its parts. Later, in the late 19th century, when vagabonds moved in, the roof was removed to make squatting miserable. With the roof gone, deterioration quickened, leaving only this evocative shell and a whiff of history.
Scramble around the ruined walls a bit—nocking imaginary arrows—and head back down through the main gate, returning to the valley the way you came. If you have more energy and castle curiosity, you could try conquering the next castle over: Schlosskopf.
When the Bavarians captured Ehrenberg in 1703, the Tiroleans climbed up to the bluff above it to rain cannonballs down on their former fortress. In 1740, a mighty new castle—designed to defend against modern artillery—was built on this sky-high strategic location: Schlosskopf (“Castle Head”). By the end of the 20th century, the castle was completely overgrown with trees—you literally couldn’t see it from Reutte. But today the trees have been shaved away, and the castle has been excavated. In 2008, the Castle Ensemble project, led by local architect Armin Walch, opened the site with English descriptions and view platforms. One spot gives spectacular views of the strategic valley. The other looks down on the older Ehrenberg Castle ruins, illustrating the strategic problems presented with the advent of cannon.
Getting There: There are two routes to Schlosskopf, both steep and time-consuming. The steeper of the two (about 30 minutes straight up) starts at the little saddle of land between the two castles (described earlier). The second, which curls around the back of the hill, is less steep but takes longer (45-60 minutes); this one begins from partway down the gravel switchbacks between Ehrenberg and the valley floor—just watch for Schlosskopf signs.
Reutte’s cute city museum offers a quick look at the local folk culture and the story of the castles. There are exhibits on Ehrenberg and the Via Claudia, local painters, and more—ask to borrow the English translations.
Cost and Hours: €3; May-Oct Tue-Sat 13:00-17:00, closed Sun-Mon; early Dec-Easter Wed-Sat 14:00-17:00, closed Sun-Tue; closed Easter-end of April and Nov-early Dec; in the bright-green building at Untermarkt 25, around corner from Hotel Goldener Hirsch, tel. 05672/72304, museum-reutte.at.
Ask the TI or your hotel if there’s a Tirolean folk evening scheduled. During the summer (July-Aug), nearby towns (such as Höfen on Tuesdays) occasionally put on an evening of yodeling, slap dancing, and Tirolean frolic. These are generally free and worth the short drive. Off-season, you’ll have to do your own yodeling. There are also weekly folk concerts featuring the local choir or brass band in Reutte’s Zeiller Platz, as well as various groups in the surrounding communities (free, July-Aug only, ask at TI). For listings of these and other local events, pick up a copy of the German-only Sommerprogramm schedule at the TI.
This new, extensive swimming pool and sauna complex, near Breitenwang on the eastern edge of Reutte, is a tempting retreat on a hot day. The Badewelt section features two indoor pools and a big saltwater outdoor pool, as well as two waterslides. The Saunaparadies section (where customers go naked—no kids under 16 allowed) consists of three indoor saunas, three freestanding outdoor saunas, and a big outdoor swimming pool. They’ll issue you a wristband that lets you access your locker and buy snacks on credit without needing a key or money. This is particularly worth considering if you’re staying in the Reutte area, since you can access the pools for two hours free with an Aktiv-Card (see “Tourist Information,” earlier); it’s a nice way to relax after hiking castles all day.
Cost and Hours: Pools only-€9/2 hours, €11/4 hours, €13/day; sauna and pools-€17/3 hours, €23/day; towel rental-€3, robe rental-€5, swimsuits sold but not rented; daily 10:00-21:00, sauna until 22:00, Thermenstrasse 10, tel. 05672/72222, alpentherme-ehrenberg.at.
(country code: 43, area code: 05672)
Reutte is a mellow Füssen with fewer crowds and easygoing locals with a contagious love of life. Come here for a good dose of Austrian ambience and lower prices. While it’s not impossible by public transport, staying here makes most sense for those with a car. Reutte is popular with Austrians and Germans, who come here year after year for one- or two-week vacations. The hotels are big, elegant, and full of comfy carved furnishings and creative ways to spend lots of time in one spot. All include a great breakfast. They take great pride in their restaurants, and the owners send their children away to hotel-management schools. Most hotels give a small discount for stays of two nights or longer. Remember to ask for the Aktiv-Card, which is covered by your hotel tax and includes lots of freebies during your time here (for details, see here).
The Reutte TI has a list of 50 private homes that rent out generally good rooms (Zimmer) with facilities down the hall, pleasant communal living rooms, and breakfast. Most charge €20 per person per night, and the owners speak little or no English. As these are family-run places, it is especially important to cancel in advance if your plans change. I’ve listed a few favorites in this section, but the TI can always find you a room when you arrive. All of the accommodations here offer free parking.
Reutte is surrounded by several distinct “villages” that basically feel like suburbs—many of them, such as Breitenwang, within easy walking distance of the Reutte town center. If you want to hike through the woods to Neuschwanstein Castle, stay at Gutshof zum Schluxen. To locate these accommodations, see the Reutte map.
These two hotels are the most practical if you’re traveling by train or bus.
$$ Hotel “Das Beck” offers 17 clean, sunny rooms (many with balconies) filling a modern building in the heart of town close to the train station. It’s a great value, and guests are personally taken care of by Hans, Inge, Tamara, and Birgit. Their small café offers tasty snacks and specializes in Austrian and Italian wines. Expect good conversation overseen by Hans (Sb-€48-55, Db-€72-78, Tb-€96-99, price depends on room—more for a balcony; family suites: Db-€90, Tb-€108, Qb-€125; show this book and ask for best Rick Steves price when you book direct, non-smoking, guest computer, free Wi-Fi with this book, Untermarkt 11, tel. 05672/62522, hotel-das-beck.at, info@hotel-das-beck.at).
$$ Hotel Goldener Hirsch, also in the center of Reutte just two blocks from the station, is a grand old hotel with 52 dated, faded rooms and one lonely set of antlers (Sb-€60-68, Db-€90-102, Tb-€135, Qb-€156, less for 2 nights, elevator, free Wi-Fi, restaurant, Mühlerstrasse 1, tel. 05672/62508, goldener-hirsch.at, info@goldener-hirsch.at; Monika, Helmut, and daughters Vanessa and Nina).
Now basically a part of Reutte, the older and quieter village of Breitenwang has good Zimmer and a fine bakery. It’s a 20-minute walk from the Reutte train station: From the post office, follow Planseestrasse past the onion-dome church to the pointy straight-dome church near the two hotels. The Hosps—as well as other B&Bs—are along Kaiser-Lothar-Strasse, the first right past this church. If your train stops at the tiny Reutte-Schulzentrum station, hop out here—you’re just a five-minute walk from Breitenwang.
$$ Alpenhotel Ernberg’s 26 fresh rooms (most with terraces) are run with great care by friendly Hermann, who combines Old World elegance with modern touches. Nestle in for some serious coziness among the carved-wood eating nooks, tiled stoves, and family-friendly backyard (Sb-€55-65, Db-€90-100, price depends on demand, less for 2 nights, free Wi-Fi, popular restaurant, Planseestrasse 50, tel. 05672/71912, ernberg.at, info@ernberg.at).
$$ Moserhof Hotel has 40 new-feeling rooms plus an elegant dining room (Sb-€61, Db-€99, larger Db-€109, confirm you’re getting Rick Steves rate when you reserve and pay cash, extra bed-€35, most rooms have balconies, elevator, free Wi-Fi, restaurant, sauna and whirlpool, Planseestrasse 44, tel. 05672/62020, hotel-moserhof.at, info@hotel-moserhof.at, Hosp family).
$ Walter and Emilie Hosp rent three simple rooms sharing one bathroom in a comfortable, quiet, and modern house two blocks from the Breitenwang church steeple. You’ll feel like you’re staying at Grandma’s (S-€26, D-€42, T-€60, Q-€80, cash only, Kaiser-Lothar-Strasse 29, tel. 05672/65377).
The next listings are a bit farther from central Reutte, a couple of miles upriver in the village of Ehenbichl (under the Ehrenberg ruins). From central Reutte, go south on Obermarkt and turn right on Kög, which becomes Reuttener Strasse, following signs to Ehenbichl. These listings are best for car travelers—if you arrive by train you’ll need to take a taxi (or brave the infrequent local buses; see vvt.at for schedules).
$$ Hotel Maximilian offers 30 rooms at a great value. It includes table tennis, play areas for children (indoors and out), a pool table, and the friendly service of Gabi, Monika, and the rest of the Koch family. They host many special events, and their hotel has lots of wonderful extras such as a sauna and a piano (Sb-€60, Db-€80-90, ask for Rick Steves rate when you book direct, family deals, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi in common areas, pay Wi-Fi in rooms, laundry service-€12/load—non-guests pay €16, good restaurant, Reuttener Strasse 1, tel. 05672/62585, maxihotel.com, info@hotelmaximilian.at). They rent cars to guests only (€0.72/km, automatic transmission, book in advance) and bikes to anyone (€5/half-day, €10/day; or, for non-guests, €6/half-day, €12/day).
$$ Gintherhof is a working dairy farm that provides its guests with fresh milk, butter, and bacon. Kind, hardworking Annelies Paulweber offers a warm welcome, geranium-covered balconies, six cozy and well-appointed rooms with carved-wood ceilings, and a Madonna in every corner (Db-€70, Db suite-€75, €3/person less if you stay three nights or more, cash only, free Wi-Fi, Unterried 7, just up the road behind Hotel Maximilian, tel. 05672/67697, gintherhof.com, info@gintherhof.com).
$$ Gasthof-Pension Waldrast, separating a forest and a meadow, is run by the farming Huter family and their dog, Picasso. The place feels hauntingly quiet and has no restaurant, but it’s inexpensive and offers 10 older rooms with generous sitting areas and castle-view balconies. They’ve also restored a nearly 500-year-old mill on their property; they rent rustic rooms in that building, as well, and can show you the mill if you ask (Sb-€42, Db-€72, Tb-€91, Qb-€108, ask about discounts with this book, cash only, non-smoking, free Wi-Fi; about a mile from Reutte, just off main drag toward Innsbruck, past campground and under castle ruins on Ehrenbergstrasse; tel. 05672/62443, waldrasttirol.com, info@waldrasttirol.com, Gerd).
$$ Pension Hohenrainer, a big, quiet, no-frills place, has 12 rooms past their prime, with some castle-view balconies (Sb-€35, Db-€70, €1.50/person less for 2 nights, €3/person less for 3 nights, lower prices are for April-June and Sept-Oct, cash only, family rooms, non-smoking rooms, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, swimming pool, free parking, restaurant and reception in Gasthof Schlosswirt across the street and through the field, follow signs up the road behind Hotel Maximilian into village of Ehenbichl, Unterried 3, tel. 05672/62544 or 05672/63262, mobile 0676-799-6902, hohenrainer.at, hohenrainer@aon.at).
$$ Landgasthof Klause café, just below the Ehrenberg ruins and next to the castle museum, rents 14 non-smoking, sleek, and modern rooms with balconies, as well as six apartments. The downside is that the café closes a little early (at 20:00, likely later in peak season), and you’ll need a car to get anywhere besides Ehrenberg (Sb-€40-45, Db-€80-88, Tb-€111, price depends on season, ask for Rick Steves discount when you book, discount for 2 or more nights, free Wi-Fi, apartments available, closed Nov and Jan, tel. 05672/62213, gasthof-klause.com, gasthof-klause@gmx.at).
$ The homey Gästehaus am Graben is a hotel masquerading as a hostel; only a handful of its 50 beds are in six-bed dorms, while the rest are in private two- to four-bed rooms. It’s lovingly run by the Reyman family—Frau Reyman, Rudi, and Gabi keep the place traditional, clean, and friendly. This is a super value less than two miles from Reutte, with fine castle views. If you’ve never hosteled and are curious (and have a car or don’t mind a bus ride), try it. If traveling with kids, this is a great choice. The double rooms are hotel-grade, and they accept nonmembers of any age (dorm bed-€28, Db-€78, includes breakfast and sheets, cash only, non-smoking, expensive guest computer and Wi-Fi, laundry service-€9, no curfew, closed April and Nov-mid-Dec; from downtown Reutte, cross bridge and follow main road left along river, or take the bus—hourly until 19:30, ask for Graben stop; Graben 1, tel. 05672/626-440, hoefen.at, info@hoefen.at).
The village of Pinswang is closer to Füssen (and Ludwig’s castles), but still in Austria.
$$ Gutshof zum Schluxen gets the “Remote Old Hotel in an Idyllic Setting” award. This family-friendly farm, with 34 rooms, offers rustic elegance draped in goose down and pastels, and splashed with colorful modern art. Its picturesque meadow setting will turn you into a dandelion-picker, and its proximity to Neuschwanstein will turn you into a hiker—the castle is just an hour’s walk away (Sb-€53, Db-€91-99, extra person-€31, ask for Rick Steves rate, €3 extra per person for one-night stays in June-Sept, about 5-10 percent cheaper Nov-March, discount for stays of three or more nights, free Wi-Fi in common areas, laundry-€9, mountain-bike rental-€10/day or €6/half-day, electric bike rental-€20/day or €12/half-day, restaurant, fun bar, between Reutte and Füssen in village of Pinswang, tel. 05677/89030, schluxen.at, info@schluxen.at). While this hotel works best for drivers, it is reachable by yellow post bus from the Füssen train station (every 2 hours, 14 minutes, get off at Pinswang Gemeindeamt stop, verify details with hotel).
To reach Neuschwanstein from this hotel by foot or bike, follow the dirt road up the hill behind the hotel. When the road forks at the top of the hill, go right (downhill), cross the Austria-Germany border (marked by a sign and deserted hut), and follow the narrow paved road to the castles. It’s a 1- to 1.5-hour hike or a great circular bike trip (allow 30 minutes; cyclists can return to Schluxen from the castles on a different 30-minute bike route via Füssen).
The hotels here take great pride in serving local cuisine at reasonable prices to their guests and the public. Rather than go to a cheap restaurant, eat at one of the Reutte hotels recommended earlier: Alpenhotel Ernberg, Moserhof Hotel, Hotel Maximilian, or Hotel Goldener Hirsch. Hotels typically serve €10-15 dinners from 18:00 to 21:00 and are closed one night a week.
Storfwirt is the place for a quick and cheap weekday lunch. The giant yet rustic cafeteria serves some 300 happy eaters every day. You can get the usual sausages here, as well as baked potatoes and salads (€6-10 daily specials, salad bar, always something for vegetarians, Mon-Fri 9:00-14:30, closed Sat-Sun). Their adjacent deli is a great place to shop for a Tirolean picnic; from the glass case, choose from local meats, cheeses, and prepared salads, and they’ll even make you a sandwich to order (deli Mon-Fri 7:00-18:00, Sat 7:00-12:00, closed Sun; Schrettergasse 15 but facing Tauschergasse—roughly next door to the big Müller pharmacy and post office, tel. 05672/62640, helpful manager Rainer).
Across the street from the Hotel Goldener Hirsch on Mühlerstrasse is a Bauernladen (farmer’s shop) with rustic sandwiches and meals prepared from local ingredients (Wed-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-12:00, closed Sun-Tue, mobile 0676-575-4588).
Picnic Supplies: Billa supermarket has everything you’ll need (across from TI, Mon-Fri 7:15-19:30, Sat 7:15-18:00, closed Sun).
From Reutte by Train to: Garmisch (every 2 hours, 1 hour), Munich (every 2 hours, 2.5 hours, change in Garmisch), Salzburg (every 2 hours, 4.5-5.5 hours, quickest with changes in Garmisch and Munich). Train info: tel. 0180-599-6633, bahn.com.
By Bus to: Füssen (post bus #4258, Mon-Fri almost hourly, last bus 18:10; Sat-Sun every 2 hours, last bus 17:10; 45 minutes, €4.20 one-way, buses depart from train station, pay driver).
Taxis cost about €35 one-way to Füssen or the King’s Castles.