On September 9th I will be renting a car at the Munich train station and driving to Neuschwanstein to explore the area and the castle. I am looking for suggestions on sites to see on the drive back to Munich. I am considering Fussen and Linderhoff Palace. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
I'd recommend stopping for a picnic lunch and walk in the countryside at the Wieskirche. We we took visitors to Neuschwanstein we always stopped in the way there or the way back.
DJ
Your return trip will take you past the Starnberger See. This is where Ludwig II of Bavaria met his end. Maybe a cruse around the lake with time, or cruse just one stop and walk back to the car? A beer and coffee along the way...
A stop at the lakes are always a good idea! Andechs is also a possibility but you can't really have the full experience if you are driving.
DJ
If you do Linderhof on the way back to Munich, the best way to get to it from Füssen is probably through Reutte in Austria. After Llinderhof, visit nearby Oberammergau.
However, my suggestion would be to spend more time in Füssen and not to have time left over. There is more to see in Füssen than just Neuschwanstein. The other castle there, Hohenschwangau, is also interesting. Although also not that old, it was a real home, where Ludwig grew up, longingly looking at the Schwanstein, dreaming of building his own castle there. Some people find it more interesting than Neuschwanstein. In addition to the castles, there is the Museum of the Bavarian Kings. If you have more time, walk around the pedestrian streets in the town of Füssen itself. Some people like the alpine slide (Sommerrodelbahn) at Tegelberg, just east of the castles, although there are other slides in Germany - it's nothing unique to Füssen.
If you don't want to stay in Füssen and want to see some attractive scenery, drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and take the Alpenstrasse back towards Munich through Krün, Walchensee, Kochelsee, and Bad Tölz.
If you have a clear day, drive up to Hohenpeissenberg for a stunning panoramic view of the alps. Wieskirche, Oberammergau and Ettal Monastery are also lovely. As are Mittenwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen but they will take up more of your time if you are hoping to hit several places rather than just one or two.
Andechs is another great option. I'm not sure what the previous poster meant by 'you won't get the full experience' since you have a car, unless they are talking about drinking lots of beer. I've been there by car, bus and foot and think the experience is great either way. Then again I'm the kind of person who is just as happy with a radler (roughly 1/2 the alcohol content of regular beer give, or take) or soft drink as I am with a beer.
The drive through Reutte to Linderhof is lovely and worth the detour in my opinion. In fact, Linderhof is a much better 'castle' experience than Neuschwanstein, in my opinion as well. If it were me, I'd suggest touring Hohenschwangau and skipping the tour of Neuschwanstein in favour of finding a great view of the exterior of Neuschwanstein - Mary's Bridge or St. Colomon Church just outside Schwangau (follow Colomanstrasse (ST2016) from the castle parking lot towards Schwangau for 2.5km, St. Colomon will be on the left) are great options. I'd then devote more time to Linderhof and/or some of the other suggestions you have received.
