Lechweg - Stage 8 - leisurely - Pflach to Füssen

On this last section of the trail, you leave the Lech and hike along forest and woodland paths over the Kniepass to the Sternschanze. It is part of the Ehrenberg castle complex as a forward fortification. Here you can enjoy a beautiful view of Oberpinswang. Those who leave the Lechweg and stop at the Schluxen farmstead in Unterpinswang can follow in the footsteps of King Ludwig. King Ludwig II. was often a guest here. From Schluxen you reach the Lechweg again via Fürstenstraße. After a short stretch on forest roads, the Lechweg now leads along woodland paths towards Alpsee and thus onto Bavarian soil. You pass the Israelit, a long, slightly overhanging rock face. Soon, the Alpsee gleams through the leaves of the trees. First, Hohenschwangau Castle comes into view, then Neuschwanstein Castle. Follow the Alpsee circular trail past the Marian monument. If your legs are tired, the café and restaurant Alpenrose am See await on the opposite shore. Then the Lechweg leads above Schwansee via the Alpenrosenweg to Kalvarienberg, the last ascent of the Lechweg. The view rewards your efforts: over the roofs of Füssen, the view extends far into the Alpine foothills with its many lakes or back to the royal castles and to Tyrol. The descent to the Lechfall follows - the end point of the Lechweg.

Surrounded by impressive high mountain peaks but also gentle hills, the town of Füssen lies at an altitude of 800 meters. It is a hub of the Allgäu hiking trail network. Here the "Romantic Road", the "Maximilian Way", the "Via Alpina" and the "Via Claudia Augusta" converge. Around 200 kilometers of marked hiking trails lead to more than ten bathing lakes, the royal castles, the Forggensee shipping service, dairy farms or breweries.
Füssen has more than 700 years of town history. The medieval alleys of the old town, the town wall and many Baroque churches invite you to stroll and marvel. In 1562, the first lute makers' guild in Europe was founded in Füssen – the town developed into the cradle of commercial lute making. Today, the municipal museum houses one of the most beautiful collections of historic lutes and violins in Europe. Also on display at the museum is the Füssen Danse Macabre by Jakob Hiebeler. Above the old town rises the High Castle with its late medieval trompe-l'œil paintings in the courtyard. The former summer residence of the prince bishops of Augsburg now houses a state painting collection and the municipal picture gallery.