Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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 gon-
dola. 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
Thisisgreatbikingcountry.Manyhotelsloanbikestoguests,andshopsinReutteandatthe
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)
is a handy home base for exploring the region. This town has been a strategic stop since an-
cient 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 tothe Danube, andthen crossovertothe Main andRhine valleys—a route now
knowntomoderntravelersasthe“RomanticRoad.”Today,whileFüssenisoverrunbytour-
istsinthesummer,fewventuretothebackstreets...whichiswhereyou'llfindtherealcharm.
Apart from my self-guided walk and the Füssen Heritage Museum, there's little to do here.
It'sjustapleasantsmalltownwithabighistoryandlotsofhardworkingpeopleinthetourist
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'strainstationisafewblocksfromtheTI,thetowncenter(acobbledshoppingmall),
and all my hotel listings.