Füssen, Germany

Füssen

After we got our fill of the castles, which felt like we were in Disneyland, we headed for the very charming town of Füssen

Pedestrian-centre-with-the-towers-of-the-castle-and-monastery-rising-above-the-old-town-and-the-foothills-of-the-Alps-behind-them

Füssen is at the end of the Romantic Strasse in southern Bavaria (or the beginning if you are travelling in the less usual direction). This 700-year-old city is such a pretty and picturesque little town with the Alps rising behind it, set between two lakes. It’s a great base to visit the nearby castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Many people see the castles but often overlook the town. However, while you are in the area, we recommend that you visit. It is only a small town, and half a day is probably all you need.

The town of Füssen is also part of the Alpine Trail, which we had initially planned to travel, but we are now saving that for another time, although we did go to Lindau next, which is at the start of the Alpine Trail.

We found a stellplatz called “Füssen Mobil,” which was located on the grounds of a caravan shop. It was located in a small out-of-town shopping area, featuring a Lidl and an Aldi supermarket. There was another stellplatz just 500 metres along the road, which we didn’t look at as we felt pretty safe and happy where we were. We had to go into the gym across the road to pay, which seemed strange. The cost was 13.50 euros per night, including electricity.

Beautiful River at Fussen

The next morning, we woke up to a lovely blue sky and no sign of the heavy clouds from the previous week, so we cycled the 20-minute journey into Füssen. We so enjoyed the experience as the whole area is served by an extensive network of cycle paths, some of which run alongside the shores of the lake.

The route was truly breathtaking, with a spectacular backdrop of high mountain peaks, lush forests, castles, and lakes. The colour of the water was a blue-green, and so clear that you could see right through to the bottom; in fact, the colour almost looked fake. I have read that the water is so clean that it is safe to drink. They have stringent regulations to maintain that level of cleanliness.

Fussen Old Town

Once we arrived in the town, we locked our bikes up in a bike rack and continued exploring the city on foot. Again, we were not disappointed with this wonderfully quaint Bavarian village, which felt so cosy, with its colourful houses, cobbled pedestrian streets, baroque churches, restaurants and many shops selling typical Bavarian items.

Fussen Horn Blowers

In one of the streets, we were greeted by musicians in traditional medieval costumes playing musical instruments, as well as many people walking about in traditional dress, making it all very colourful.

The artwork on many (if not most) of the buildings is worth seeing.

We were spoiled for choice with restaurants, but in the end, we settled for a lovely little restaurant in the pedestrian area for lunch, featuring pizza and wine. (not too much wine though, as I didn’t want to go falling off my bike again).

Füssen is small enough that a car is not needed. There is a bus to the castles, as well as trains to Munich and Augsburg. The old town is also easily accessible on foot. Direct trains leave about every two hours. Other options require changing trains along the way. You can walk to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles via some marked roads; travel times posted on the signboards are comfortable over-estimates.