Love Life All Over Again: Best Things To Do In Fussen, Germany

1. Feel like Royalty at the Neuschwanstein Castle

In English, the Neuschwanstein Castle means “New Swanstone Castle.” It s a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace that sits ever so cozily on Hohenschwangau’s rugged hill, just above the village. The palace pays homage to Richard Wagner, renowned German composer, theater director and conductor who is primarily known for his operas and music dramas. Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, bought the palace out of his fortune. The Neuschwanstein Castle is also famous for being in films such as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “The Great Escape.” The castle in Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” is also inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Address: Neuschwansteinstraße 20, 87645 Schwangau, Germany

Website: Schloss Neuschwanstein

2. Go on a bicycle tour in Forggensee

The bike trail along Lake Forggensee is one of the best experiences any cyclist can have. It is 32 kilometers (19 mi) long and it has a lot of places to take a break and either eat or even swim! The coolest part about this trail is that cyclists will always have the breathtaking view of the Bavarian Alps. Anyone who goes on a biking holiday will definitely have the ride of their lives. Kid-friendly bike tours as well as routes for easy-going cyclists are readily available.

Bicycle Tours in Forggensee

Address: District of Ostallgäu, Bavaria, Germany

Website: Cycling in Forggensee

3. Trek Alatsee just for the thrill of it

Any weary heart will hear Lake Alatsee’s enchanting invitation for a refreshing morning trek. What is special about this lake is that its layers of water never intermix. It is one of nature’s splendid mysteries! The lake is also known by the locals to hold “Hitler’s gold.” Divers who have tried to go for a swim here mysteriously disappear, perhaps because of the toxic organisms living beneath. Nonetheless, going trekking along Lake Alatsee is always refreshing as hikers traverse through rolling hills, streams and brooks. It is also great for some exercise!

Lake Alatsee

Address: Ostallgäu, Bavaria, Germany

Website: Trekking in Alatsee

4. Understand what Medieval-Gothic feels like at Hohenschwangau Castle

The Hohenschwangau Castle was built in the 12th-century and was under the care of the Knights of Schwangau until the 1500s. There was a time that the castle was almost in ruins due to war but in the 1800s Prince Maximillian reconstructed it. It was a home to the royal family and until today that nostalgic gothic and medieval feel lives on, making Fussen a bit more proud than other towns. The Museum of the Bavarian Kings is also located below the castle featuring the museum’s up-to-date technology that showcases the Wittelsbach dynasty.

Hohenschwangau Castle

Address: Alpseestraße 30, 87645 Schwangau, Germany

Website: Hohenschwangau Castle

5. Know how it feels to live a lavish and extravagant private life at Linderhof Palace

The Linderhof Palace is near Bavaria’s Ettal Abbey. It is actually the smallest of three palaces King Ludwig II built. What greatly inspired the Linderhof is none other than King Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles. The Linderhof prides itself with the Hall of Mirrors which is the king’s living room. It also has a Music Room that is home to the aelodion (a piano and a harmonium together) which is found in the Western Tapestry Chambers. Of the palace rooms, the Audience Chamber is most dainty with its yellow and lilac cabinets.

Perhaps, the loveliest and most enchanting area in the Linderhof is its gardens. Walking along its baroque and Italian renaissance gardens instantly sparks some romance. What is also fascinating is that a 300-year-old linden tree still remains – a true testament of the test of time. It is in this very garden where Ludwig enjoyed breakfast. The Venus Grotto is also one place worth the visit as well as Hunding’s Hut and the Gurnemanz Hermitage, where Ludwig would contemplate every Good Friday. Spending a few hours here will really change anyone’s perspective on what a home should feel like.

Linderhof Palace

Address: Linderhof 12, 82488 Ettal, Germany

Website: Linderhof Palace

6. Have some quiet time at Lake Hopfensee

Hopfensee is a lake found north of Fussen in Ostallgäu. As one of the warmest foothill lakes in Bavaria, it is the most ideal place to just lay back, relax and do some soul searching. Camping here for a night or two promises to be refreshing and therapeutic. The lake is also known for family picnics, swimming, boating, sailing and wind surfing, especially in the month of May.

Lake Hopfensee

Address: Bayerisch Schwaben, Bavaria, Germany

Website: Lake Hopfensee

7. Appreciate a monk's peaceful life at Ettal Abbey

Ettal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and Baroque church found in the village of Ettal near Oberammergau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. A community of monks live in this peaceful abbey and the monastery runs a number of companies for finances. These shops include a brewery, a bookstore, a distillery, an art publishing house, hotel, and a cheese factory. One of its famous products is Ettaler Kloster Liqueur. It is an herbal liqueur of yellow and green herbal varieties.

Ettal Abbey

Address: Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz 1, 82488 Ettal, Germany

Website: Ettal Abbey

8. Get dumbfounded by Lechfall

This man-made wonder is found at the southern outskirts of Fussen. Its historical gorge was carved out of years of water-flow from an Ice Age Lake. When the water flows, it cascades over five tiers leaving its visitors mesmerized. Walking around the falls is always a good way to shut off the busyness of the world, especially with that delightfully haunting whooshing sound of its cascading waters.

Lechfall

Address: Tiroler Str., 87629 Fussen, Germany

Website: Lechfall

9. Throw your cares away and go skiing at Alpspitzbahn

Experience the Allgäu summit at Alpspitzbahn Nesselwang, one of the best ski resorts in Fussen located in the Ostallgäu. This gentle and breathtakingly serene hilly landscape makes it easy to have the best R&R experience ever. Snowboarding, skiing, hiking and spending some time at mountain huts are among its best things to do.

Skiing at Alpspitzbahn

Address: Alpspitzweg 5, 87484 Nesselwang, Germany

Website: Skiing at Alpspitzbahn

10. Get some history at the Fussen Heritage Museum

Also known as the Benedictine Monastery of St. Mang, the Fussen Heritage Museum houses the valuable works of art and important artifacts that are about a thousand years old. It was formerly an abbey that was both a spiritual center and the center of Fussen’s government and culture. The museum is a work of baroque art itself with its magnificent halls – the Prince Hall, the domed Colloquium, the Chapter Hall and the Anna Chapel. Unforgettable sculptures, frescoes and oil paintings in the museum are made by Germany’s best artists including Andrea Maini, Anton Sturm, Franz Georg Hermann, Paul Zeiller and Jakob Hiebeler.

Fussen Heritage Museum

Address: Lechhalde 3, 87629 Fussen, Germany

Website: Fussen Heritage Museum

Fussen, Germany: a lost soul's best friend

Fussen, Germany has practically everything any lost soul needs to get the zest back in the humdrum of life. It’s really sort of like a lose-yourself-to-find-yourself experience that anyone would need to go through sooner or later. Just be sure to bring a little black notebook with you everywhere you go to jot down every life-changing Fussen inspired insight.