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Hiking through the favorite landscape of the Bavarian kings – for pleasure hikers and castle fans.
Following in the footsteps of Bavaria's fairy tale king Ludwig II., you pass through the forested area between Füssen and the Säuling massif. With its shaded sections, this route is also doable on hot summer days. The first part of the hike leads over the Füssen Old Town and the Stationsweg to the Calvary Hill summit, where you can enjoy the view of the town and the castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. A real insider tip is the hidden Schwansee with its orchid meadows halfway to the royal castles. Off the town of Hohenschwangau, a detour to the Marienbrücke is worthwhile, offering the best photo view of Neuschwanstein Castle. Back in the town of Hohenschwangau, you ascend a stairway into the courtyard of Hohenschwangau Castle, then pass the Berzenkopf and continue along the Alpenrosenweg to the Lechfall near Füssen. From the Maxsteg, you have the best view of the Lechfall, where the river has carved its way out of the mountains through a narrow gorge. The trail of senses in Bad Faulenbach (with balancing path and barefoot trail) continues to be exciting before the route finally ascends to the Baumgarten at the High Castle.
Author’s recommendation
Treat yourself to a break just a few minutes after Schloss Hohenschwangau on one of the resting benches along the Berzenkopfweg. The view and silence are truly worth it.
Tickets for the castle tours are only available online or at the Ticket Center, Alpseestraße 12 in Hohenschwangau.
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Tips and suggestions
www.fuessen.de/aktiv-in-der-nature
www.fuessen.de/tips-hiking
www.fuessen.de/hiking
Did you know?
... the royal traces of Calvary Hill Füssen ...
Approximately at the same time as the reconstruction of Schloss Hohenschwangau, work began on a Calvary Hill on the Hutlerberg near Füssen. The royal family, residing not far in Hohenschwangau, also learned of this project and visited the Calvary Hill regularly. Crown Prince Max of Bavaria, the later King Max II. and father of the fairy tale king Ludwig II., helped the initiator of the Calvary Hill, city pastor Johann Baptist Graf, with the mediation of a particularly revered relic, a cross particle, which found its way to Füssen in 1842. To honor this relic with dignity, a small burial chapel was built below the three crosses, whose eternal light was visible all the way to Schloss Hohenschwangau.
A few weeks before his death, on Good Friday 1886, King Ludwig II. visited the Calvary Hill alone and prayed quietly at all its stations. An eyewitness reported: “Suddenly, when I came to the next station, I saw the king deeply absorbed in prayer. (...) Before the monarch turned away from the station, he raised his face to the cloud-covered sky. For a long time, a despairing look marked by sadness and pain remained fixed in the direction where he seemed to seek God. Then he wiped his face with his hand to hide his tears.”
... the royal traces of Schwansee Park ...
Below Schloss Hohenschwangau, Crown Prince Max, the later King Max II. and father of fairy tale king Ludwig II., had a park laid out in the English style. Already during the first work in 1838, 5,000 trees and shrubs were planted. But special flowers, herbs and grasses also found their way into the new facility. Paths were also laid out, running through the entire area. The royal family was always to be found here during their stays in Hohenschwangau. They strolled through the extensive park or enjoyed afternoon tea here.
... the royal traces of Alpsee ...
The clear mountain lake at the foot of the Alps below the castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein already exerted a great attraction on the royal highnesses and their guests in the 19th century. “The boat trip over the lake surrounded by great Alps (...) this and everything at and from that place belonged to the moments of life that the individual preserves forever.”, wrote the poet Hans Christian Andersen after visiting Hohenschwangau in his thank-you letter to Ludwig's father, King Max II.
Ludwig and his little brother Otto also loved swimming in the lake or crossing it in rowboats. “The weather is wonderful, pleasant for outings, riding, fishing, and bathing. We fish every day, one day one of us fishes in Alpsee, the other in Schwansee; I catch a pike almost every day; (...) I now always read while fishing, which can be very well combined. (...)”, wrote the young Prince Ludwig in a letter.
Queen Marie, Ludwig's mother, also loved the crystal-clear mountain lake. In the summer months during her lifetime, it was quite possible to find the queen fishing on the lake shore. The Marienmonument still commemorates her today. A memorial stone erected at her bathing spot.
... the royal traces of Schloss Neuschwanstein ...
Shortly after King Ludwig II. ascended the Bavarian throne, the desire matured to build a castle on the hill opposite Schloss Hohenschwangau: “I intend to have the old castle ruins (...) rebuilt near the Pöllatschlucht in the style of genuine German knight’s castles, and I must confess that I am very much looking forward to living there someday (...)”. The foundation stone was already laid in 1869 in the absence of the then only 24-year-old Ludwig II. Throughout the entire construction phase, the royal client did not miss the chance to visit the construction site personally as often as possible. Despite some interruptions, the work steadily progressed over the following seventeen years.
Only a single guest was granted the honor to visit Schloss Neuschwanstein during Ludwig’s lifetime. The king surprised his mother on her 60th birthday with a private tour of his “new castle.” In total, Ludwig II. was only allowed to live in Schloss Neuschwanstein for 172 days. He was practically living on a construction site, as the work was still in full swing. Due to his mysterious death in 1886, there was a complete construction stop. To this day, Ludwig II.’s fairy tale castle remains unfinished.
... the royal traces of Schloss Hohenschwangau ...
Just a few weeks after his birth, the newborn Prince Ludwig, the later King Ludwig II., spent his first stay on land in his father’s castle. The royal family loved the summers at Schloss Hohenschwangau in rural seclusion. “Otto and I are healthy and happy. We go on nice walks every day (...), pick flowers, catch fish in the Alpsee, and chase after butterflies. (...),” wrote the young Prince Ludwig in a letter. For Ludwig’s mother, Queen Marie, Hohenschwangau was also a place of refuge and strength. After the death of her husband, King Max II., Ludwig II. fulfilled her wish and made it her widow’s residence.
The castle on the edge of the Alps can look back on a long history. Parts of the former Schwanstein castle date back to the 12th century.
Not only King Ludwig II., his parents, and his brother lived here. Ludwig's uncle and successor on the throne, Prince Regent Luitpold, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren also lived in parts of the castle until the 1980s.
... the royal traces of Marienbrücke ...
In the year of their wedding in 1842, Crown Prince Max, the later King Max II. and father of Ludwig II., had a wooden footbridge built over the Pöllatschlucht for his newlywed wife Marie. The bridge was named “Marienbrücke” after the gift recipient. From here, you could enjoy a magnificent view of the ruins of the Vorder- and Hinterhohenschwangau castles, the site where Marie's son Ludwig II. would build his castle Neuschwanstein many years later. But the wooden construction soon became dilapidated and had to be completely renewed several times. Only Ludwig II. had the wooden footbridge replaced by an iron-steel construction that still enables hikers to cross the Pöllatschlucht today.
Roadbook
The starting point is the Tourist Information Füssen. Cross the Sebastianstraße in front of it at the pedestrian traffic light and pass through a small passage near the restaurant La Perla to the Schrannenplatz. First keep right and then left to go through Brunnengasse and across Brotmarkt to reach Lechhalde. Go down Lechhalde on the left, then cross the Lech River over the Theresienbrücke. At the end of the bridge, turn right into Tiroler Straße and walk about 200 meters until you reach the Frau-am-Berg Church on the left-hand side opposite. Follow the Stationsweg to the summit of Calvary Hill. This begins directly at the entrance of Frau-am-Berg Church. Descend on the other side of the Calvary Hill platform and follow the signpost "Three Castles Path" down Calvary Hill on a root trail. After about 5 minutes, you reach a gravel road, which you follow to the left. At Schwansee, first follow the wide road a few meters until after 150 meters, turn right onto the narrower footpath. Follow this footpath to the eastern shore of Schwansee, from where you follow the signpost Fischersteig to the left. The ascent via Fischersteig brings you to the paved Fürstenstraße, which you follow to the left to Hohenschwangau. You pass Hohenschwangau, passing the Alpsee, the Bavarian King's Museum, and the Ticket Center. About 200 meters after the Ticket Center, before the snack bar, turn right onto the parking lot. Between the parked cars hides the entrance to the Pöllatweg. Here turn immediately right uphill and later join the paved road to Schloss Neuschwanstein. Follow this to the left. You will later pass directly by the castle and follow the road until the turnoff to the "sled run" comes on the right. If you want a nice photo of Neuschwanstein, you should definitely plan a detour to the Marienbrücke at this point. Follow the sled run down until you turn left onto Neuschwansteinstraße, which takes you directly in front of Hotel Müller in Hohenschwangau. Between Hotel Müller and the kiosk to the left runs the hiking trail up to Schloss Hohenschwangau. Cross the courtyard of the castle and approximately 50 meters after the gate arch, turn right onto the hiking trail marked "Fischersteig/Alpenrosenweg". After about 10 minutes' walk, you reach the point where Fischersteig and Alpenrosenweg cross. Then follow Alpenrosenweg to the left. At the first junction, turn right and then follow the signpost "Königssträßchen" and later "Lechfall". You cross another service road next to Königssträßchen before descending to the Lechfall on the left following the hiking trilogy sign. Don't miss the turnoff of the hiking trail at the small shelter (which looks like a large mushroom). Upon reaching the main road, cross it to get to the Lechfall with Maxsteg. The path takes you over Maxsteg onwards toward Bad Faulenbach. You briefly follow Ländeweg before turning left into Schwärzerweg. Shortly after, cross the stream to the right, passing the parking lots to Alatseestraße. Here, turn right and shortly thereafter left onto the steeply ascending street "Am Kobel." This leads into a forest road – follow the signpost for Unterer Kobelweg towards Baumgarten. Crossing the bridge at Morisse you enter Baumgarten, which leads you to the High Castle. Through the gate at the eastern end of Baumgarten, you reach the old town. Keep left and hike through Reichenstraße back to the Tourist Information Füssen.
Calvary hill of Füssen
Lechfall waterfall and panorama plattform
Public transport
From the long-distance train stations Ulm, Augsburg and Munich, you will find regular train connections to Füssen. The starting point of the route at the Tourist Information Füssen is about a 5-minute walk from the station.
From Hopfen you can reach the starting point by line 56 to Füssen (station).
From Weißensee you can reach the starting point by line 71 to Füssen (station).
Directions
You can reach Füssen directly via the A7 motorway as well as federal highways B 310, B16, and B17.
Parking
The parking guidance system in Füssen offers you several parking options. The paid parking garage P5 City / Sparkasse is located in close proximity to the Tourist Information.
Coordinates
Book recommendations for this region:
Recommended maps for this region:
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
User Questions