Entirely TOO ambitious IMO; you need to cut something out: perhaps Oberammergau as well as the Zugspitz

When we did Zugspitz we queued forever to come down! Don't underestimate return journey - certainly as soon as you get to the top book the time for you to come down again.

Sorry Naeruve, but I think you're being too ambitious as well. Fussen is a lovely safe little village, so you'll be fine on your own, but no shops will be open at night. The walk up & down the mountain to see Neuschwanstein takes at least 20 mins - which is still quicker than the queue for the horsedrawn carriage. And there's always the wait for your group's turn to go through these castles. And I'm presuming you're using public transport, so that is reliant on it all connecting at the right time for you. I suggest you stick to Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Oberammergau, if they're your priorities, and just do them really well, then enjoy a lovely afternoon coffee & strudel before your train in Fussen!

Hmm, I kinda knew it was too ambitious. I will take your advice and just leave Zugspitz for a next time. Thank you all for your replies!

Hey N,

>26th bright and early:
All them castles Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein (I MUST get to Mary's Bridge), and Linderhof Palace.
Oberammergau<

You can't. The Castles aren't like the Louvre where you are on your own and can get through it in 15 min.

You have to take the guided tours.

Figure on at least 4:30 hr just for the tours.

Way too much to see/do even if you have a car - and completely ridiculous by public transit.

The castles are not do it yourself. They have guided tours at specific times - many of which are not in English. So unless you can understand German you have limited opportunities. Check out the web sites for times and then reserve places (if a tour is full you have to wait until the next). Seeing 2 castles in a day is a major endeavor.

Personally, we were VERY underwhelmed by Oberamergau.

It was in the fall, of a year of no play. Hardly anyone, resident or tourist, was evident on the street.

I think Fussen was a more interesting town than Oberamergau.
The only thing I found interesting AT ALL was that there's a NATO army base there, right on the edgge of town. Who would know? Since that was my highlight of the town, imagine what I think of the rest of it.

I also think you're doing too much. I agree that Oberammergau isn't a top travel destination, though the cemetery is interesting, and the parish church is beautiful.

Twice when I visited Neuschwainstein, I had to wait quite a while for a tour. I also went once off-season, and didn't have to wait.

I don't think the Zugspitze is particularly spectacular, but then I'm from the northwest U.S., where we have the Rockies, the Cascades, and the Olympics. It prettier in winter when there's lots of snow.

And then it's London, Paris, Rome and Hong Kong the next day.

I agree about dropping Oberamergau. We went because we heard such great things about the town, but it really was just average for Bavarian towns. It is a nice enough place, but not somewhere I would go out of my way to visit.

For the Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, buy your tickets ahead of time (online) to save time. Then you can avoid the ticket line and just pick up your tickets at will-call. And by knowing the time of your tours, you can better plan the rest of your day.

I tend to agree re dropping Oberamergau, unless it really is on your 'must see' list. We dropped in on our way from Fussen to Salzburg, and toured Linderhof as well, which was worth the visit. There is a Romantic Road busline which can take you from Fussen, if you need it. There is plenty to fill a couple of days around Fussen - both castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, a walk around the nearby Alpsee lake, a trip up Mt Tegelberg via cable car, and the Royal Crystal thermal spa at Schwangau - great fun after all that walking! Your hotel should be able to pre-book your castle tours to save time for you.