Hello all,

We are still researching our trip to Munich in Oct. We want to do these two things outside of the city: Neuschwanstein and hiking. Trying to decide between separate day trips or combining the two by spending a night in Garmisch or Fussen.

Questions:
1.) Is there public transportation between Fussen and Garmisch? Would like to see Neuschwanstein at night!

2.) Has anyone done Mike's Bus Tour of Neuschwanstein? It sounds good, if we decide to make two daytrips (one to Garmisch and one to Neuschwanstein).

3.) Is a day hiking trip to Garmisch possible / reasonable? Train in, transport to Zugitspe (sp), hike, see a little of town and train back to Munich?

We are leaning towards staying in Munich and just doing the two as day trips, but need advice! Thanks!

The best way to see Neuschwanstein is either to stay in the area or drive in. There is public transportation between Garmisch and Fussen but it will take all day and you will be rushed to catch the correct bus/train.

It is possible to do a day trip to Garmsich from Munich and makes a nice day.

Checking the schedules at www.bahn.de (and specifying bus-only travel) for Friday, I found there are a couple of direct buses from Fussen to Garmisch. The trip takes about 2 hours - not all day. One departure is at 12:35, another at 16:30. There are probably two in the other direction as well.

Your daytrip to Garmisch would work fine. 21 Euros round trip Munich-Garmisch weekdays for a group of up to 5 people travel after 9 am on a daypass(28 Euros Sat or Sun, no time restriction); extra for the trip up to Zugspitze, of course. It's about 1.5 - 2 hours by train between Munich and Fussen or Garmisch.

Thanks both for your help!! I will check bahn.de for more info as well.

After thinking through logistics, I realized it doesn't really make sense for us to travel, stay in Fussen, then go to Garmisch and hike then head to Munich. What would we do with our bags? I think we would need a car for that trip, unless we packed light and in backpacks. So, maybe...

I have ordered "Daytrips Germany", which should give more info.

I appreciate the advice - and any more tips anyone has!

I think I agree with you. You might just daytrip from Munich to Garmisch and back, then spend head to Fussen on another day, perhaps for overnight.

Alternatively, if you don't plan to see every last thing in Fussen, you could park yourself in Garmisch, then daytrip to Fussen from there via the gorgeous train route that runs through Austrian Tyrolia. The train goes behind the Zugspitze and continues to Vils and beyond. With an early start, you can get off at the "Ulrichsbruecke" stop and hike the 2-hour path to the castles via the "Fuerstenstrasse" route, see a castle, then bus back to Garmsich.

I forgot to say that the train to Ulrichsbruecke takes only 1:10; there's one out of Garmisch at 8:05, another at 10:05. Leave early, and you'll still have about 5 hours in the Fussen area after your hike.

The only thing we planned to see in Fussen was the two castles. I am intrigued about this idea - we may get to see some of the countryside (on the train) that we would otherwise miss! I am not that familiar with the Fussen area. Are you saying there is a 2-hour hike that would take us to the castles?

I really need to read up more on this! My guidebooks don't go into much detail.

Oh jeez, I was just a little excited about going until I started researching this. Now I need a month to do it all!

The only thing we planned to see in Fussen was the two castles. I am intrigued about this idea - we may get to see some of the countryside (on the train) that we would otherwise miss! I am not that familiar with the Fussen area. Are you saying there is a 2-hour hike that would take us to the castles?

I really need to read up more on this! My guidebooks don't go into much detail.

Oh jeez, I was only a little excited about going until I started researching this. Now I can't live without seeing everything! I need a month to do it all!

Don't miss Hitler's Eagles Nest in Obersaltzburg near Munich.

You didn't say how long your trip is for which may limit you or not. If you're intent on staying in Munich, then you could take a day trip to Neuschwanstein by bus or train.
For hiking, a car rental and driving the 2 hours to the area of Berchtesgaden will bring you to hiking heaven!! At this time of year, you can choose the high mountain passes if the snow isn't too bad yet, or, there are many, many hikes at the valley level which are also fabulous. If you are serious about hiking, you should choose this area - the scenery cannot be beat and the choices for hikes are incredible.

"Are you saying there is a 2-hour hike that would take us to the castles?

I really need to read up more on this! My guidebooks don't go into much detail."

Yes. This isn't an internationally-known route (yet).

I found this text on the route in German - maybe you can run it through a translator for exact details. It has links to two other sites at the bottom. Basically, you get off at the Ulrichsbruecke-Fuessen stop, go over a modern foot bridge and walk along the river to the old bridge, take a right onto a street that takes you into Pinswang, find your way along a path to the Schluxen Inn where the trail begins an ascent into the forest. You'll pass the Alpsee (lake) and then it's just a bit further to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles. From there there are buses into Fussen proper. It says the walk is two hours, but I've heard it described as easy, and at only 3.4 km, so I'd guess closer to an hour. Trail markers were set up in 2001.

That's about it.


Here's the German text:
Königliche Wanderung auf der Fürstenstraße:
Mit dem Zug bis zur Haltestelle Ulrichsbrücke-Füssen (ist auf österreichischem Gebiet), über eine moderne Fußgängerbrücke kurz dem Lech entlang zur alten Ulrichsbrücke, dann nach rechts auf die Ortsverbindungsstrasse nach Pinswang, ab hier über autofreie Wege durch Schluxen (Gastwirtschaft), nun beginnt eine leichte bis mittlere Steigung, es geht durch einen Wald. Wenn wir den Alpsee erreicht haben (Strandbad, Bootsvermietung sind auch vorhanden), ist es nicht mehr weit bis zu den berühmten Königschlössern Hohenschwangau und Neuschwanstein. Gehzeit ca. 2 Stunden.
Ab Hohenschwangau (Haltestelle in der Nähe der Schlösser) bestehen gute Busverbindungen nach Füssen und von dort weiter nach Pfronten-Weißbach oder -Ried (annähernd Stundentakt). Dort wieder Anschluß zur Außerfernbahn. Oder aber ab Füssen mit dem Zug über Marktoberdorf und Kaufbeuren nach Buchloe, Augsburg und München.
Diese Tour wurde auf Initiative von FAHRGAST - PRO BAHN Allgäu/Tirol im Frühsommer 2001 neu mit Wegweisern ausgeschildert, eine ausführliche Beschreibung der Wanderung sowie einen Bericht über die Einweihung der Schilder (diese erfolgte am 17.06.2001 im Rahmen einer Feierstunde) finden Sie unter:

www.allgaeu-tourist.de/fuerstenstrasse

sowie unter

www.erlebnisbahn.at/ausserfernbahn

Hello! Zugspitze itself isn't so great for hiking as the ascent is pretty steep at the top. There are loads of great hikes for all levels around Garmisch, Mittenwald, Berchtesgaden, Oberstdorf and just about anywhere else down there! I posted some info not too long ago on Garmisch hikes; maybe you could do a search and find it? Or if you really want to talk hiking, send me an e-mail at [email protected].

I'd stay in Hohenschwangau, see the castles, and hike right in the area. There's also hang gliding and parasailing just down the road near Schwangau.

If there is hiking in Fussen, then we are set. I would love to see all of the small Bavarian towns (Garmisch, Oberammergau, Berchtesgarden) but we only have 5 days in the area and some are obligated to Munich!! Anyway, hiking in Fussen would be most convenient as we could travel there, spend a day hiking, spend the night, a day at the castles, and head back to Munich.

Any info on hiking in Fussen? I really appreciate everyone's help. This is a great forum!!

Emily C,

We are going to be there for 5 days preceding my husband's business trip. We arrive on Wed and I leave (he stays 3 more weeks) on Tuesday.

Neither of us has been to Germany before, so we want to see what we can without overwhelming ourselves.

Peep, any idea where Eching is? That is where my husband will be working after I leave, it looks like it is on a s-bahn stop, so I think it's a northern suburb but not sure.

If Füssen is your chosen overnight spot, and you plan to see the castles, then you should find it an easy matter to hike there, at least one way, through the forest and via the Schwansee via a marked trail. The map below has a broken red line indicating a 9 km round-trip hike from the castles that nearly runs you to Füssen, so there should be some access to the trail from Füssen. The map also shows the Alpsee and a section of the trail heading south that crosses into Austria (the Fürstenstrasse route I mentioned previously.)

You should contact the Füssen tourist office for detailed hiking info, I think.

OOPS. Here's the map:

http://www.topgps.de/page1/orte/schw...ngau-23d2.html

Thanks, Russ! I will check it out and contact the tourist office as well. I'll post what I find out, in case it helps someone else.

4sammy--Don't know about direct access in Fussen to the 9k trail, but the trail is directly accessible from the village of Hohenschwangau. Wish the map had a bit more shown on the left side. Anyway, the hiking trails on the Neuschwanstein castle side from around the Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge) are very interesting, too.