Schwangau or Fussen?
 

I'm putting the finishing touches to my itinerary for my Germany trip in mid-October. My trip includes a 2-night stop in the Alps, to take in Ludwig's castles, Oberammergau, Linderhof, Kloster Ettal and the Wieskirche. My problem is I can't decide whether to stay in Schwangau or Fussen. What I'm looking for on this trip is variety--I'll also be making stops on the Bodensee, in the Black Forest, the Neckar Valley and in Rothenburg--so my question is, which village will give me a taste of the real essence of the Bavarian Alps? <BR> <BR>Or should I be staying somewhere else? <BR> <BR>Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I would not stay in Fussen for a "taste of the real essence of the Bavarian Alps." My personal preference would be Garmish-P -- a few miles from the Zugspitz, very alpine-sports oriented, very friendly people, very much into traditional Bavarian dress. A second choice would be Mittenwald -- somewhat more traditionally Bavarian, but more touristy in my opinion. As you probably already know, Garmish-P is a very easy drive to Oberammergau, Linderhof and Kloster Ettal. A longer drive, but still a day trip, to Newswanstein. Staying in Mittenwald would probably add 1 hr driving time to most of these locations, and Mittenwald is easily visited from Garmish-P.

Neither give taste of the real essense of the Bavarian Alps as the previous post stated. Both have look of growth to accomodate massive modern tourists on tour busses and cars. I believe the castles are lit at night, so Schwangau has something little more in this sense.

For a wonderful hotel stay, go to Hotel Jagerhaus in Schwangau. We stayed in a room in the front from which out of one window you get a view of Neuschwanstein Castle, and out of the other window is the Hohenschwangau Castle!!! Great during the day, but unmatchable at nite! <BR>This town is very busy during the day but at nite especially at that time of year, you may have it almost to yourself! <BR>Get that room and you will always remember that view. <BR> <BR>Don't forget to go to Marien bridge when you go to the castle. The view of the castle and some of the views on the way to the bridge are fantastic. <BR>Also, going to the top of Zugspitze and looking "down" on the Alps on the German/Austrian border is something you should not miss. <BR> Have a great trip

Zoe, <BR>I don't know that Schwangau, Fussen or Garmisch will give you a true taste of the typical Bavarian village. You'll get the taste of a Bavarian village overrun by tourists, crowded with tourist buses and with a booming industry that caters to the tourists. If you want the flavor of a small village, population under 1,000 including cows (whose bells will awaken you each morning as they're paraded through town on the way to pastures) take a look at Hohenfurch just off the Romantic Road about 4km north of Schongau. It has a charming family owned inn with a superb restaurant, perhaps a dozen houses all bedecked with window boxes, a frigid, crystal clear, trout laden stream paralleling the main (and only) road, a bakery, grocery store and small dairy. Its parish church is embellished with ornate Bavarian Baroque decor and is probably the only thing in town in common with and typical of the Fussens of the German Alpine world.

Listen to Wes and stay in Hohenfurch. I did and I'll never forget it. It was the highlight of my last trip. It's close to the Royal Castles, Wieskirche and Oberammergau. The rooms are huge and cosy, the food is great, the innkeepers extremely helpful and the village itself captures the true essence of Upper Bavaria. It's so quiet in the early morning that it's almost eerie. The price is unbelievable. Our family of four shared a room that could've slept 2 or 3 more for only 140 DM per night. Ask for the "Pfaffenwinkel" room. It includes a refrigerator and stove.

I somewhat disagree with the comments on Garmisch versus the tiny town. We get to that area quite a bit. It is more a matter of personal preference. If you want a few shops to look in and things to do at night, go for Garmisch. It is a great area. If you want peace and quiet and nothing else, do the small towns. We have done both and both have their advantages and disadvantages. All of the castles you mentioned are reached easily by staying in Garmisch. In fact, all but Neuschwanstein are closer to Garmisch. Nice place to stay in Garmisch is the Hotel Hilleprandt. Good luck. Enjoy the trip! <BR>

I beleive Zoe asked for help in finding a place to stay that captured the essence of Bavaria. From what Doug and Wes said it sounds like the place they're talking about is exactly what Zoe wants.

My absolute, absolute favorite place to stay in the Alps is in Pfronten at Burghotel Falkenstein. Pfronten is a tiny village near Fussen. We found B.H. Falkenstein through Karen Brown's Charming Inns and Itineraries of Germany several years ago. We travel in Germany often and this is the one place we return to over and over again. The hotel is located 1200m up on top of a mountain outside of Pfronten. The owners, Toni and Herta Schlater have become friends of ours and we keep in touch through e-mail. They will come and pick you up if you are afraid to drive up their beautiful mountain with its one lane, snow covered, twisting road. The view from the deck and dining room of the hotel is spectacular. Right outside is the ruins to Falkenstein Castle, where Ludwig was to build his Traumschloss, his Dream castle. He had laid the water pipes when he died. I just can't say enough about these people and how nice they are and what a great chef Toni is!! The rooms are decorated beautifully and the dining room is great too!! They should pay me a commission. Just kidding!!! We have also stayed in Fussen at the Zum Hechten which I thought was nice. We have always enjoyed shopping in Fussen. The first time we were there, a flea market was going on. I thought it was a good way to meet local people. My other recommendation, which has nothing to do with this post, is to stay in Aying, near Munich if you are going in that direction. It is 12km se of Munich. An extremely small village with nothing but a wonderful brewery, beautiful Bavarian inn, and fantastic restaurant all rolled in to one package. Brauerie Gasthof Aying. My husband was sold on this place the first time we walked in to the room and there was beer on the nightstand beside the bed!!! <BR>One last note: when we traveled on the Bodensee I wasn't too thrilled to go to the Zeppelin museum in Fredrichshafen, but my husband wanted to go. I wouldn't hesitate to go back there. Great history. <BR>Lori <BR> P.S. If you are interested in addresses, etc. please email me.

i agree with the recommendation of the burghotel falkenstein in pfronten. the hotel is wonderful, the ride up is a little hairy! we had to abandon our car in a snow storm and walk the rest of the way up. toni, the owner, rescued our car for us though. i can't wait to return for another visit.

Ditto with us. We will never try to drive that road again....Scary, but well worth it!!! <BR>Lori

Thank you to everyone for the excellent and detailed replies. I will take a look at all these options and make my chioce. You have all convinced me not to stay in Schwangau--I did worry that it would be overrun with tourists. Pfronten and Hohenfurch both sound lovely....now I can't decide between them...so I guess I still have a problem!

Just to give you another choice, try Ruette, Austria! It is just across the border from Fussen and Neuschwanstein is just "right around the corner"! It was a very nice place to stay.