We will be traveling through Austria and Germany next year and plan to go to Neuschwanstein castle. We plan to spend two nights there so that we can go early to the ticket window (although plan to buy online ahead). Staying in Fussen would be closer to the train station when we arrive, but Schwangau looks closer to the castles. Is there any other significant reason to choose one over the other? Easier to get to castles, more to see in the time there when not at the castles, etc?? We will not have a car, so public transportation or by foot will be our only transportation. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Schwangau is definitely more rural with pastures of green grass and cows with bells...much more pleasing to me than Fussen.
There are also lots of bike paths and many of the hotels have bikes for their guests. You could bike to the ticket center if you wanted. Personally that sounds great to me. Schwangau is also serviced by the public bus which winds through the village and the ticket center. Or just have your hotel call a taxi.
Posted by
15 posts
Tim, I noticed you preferred Schwangau to Fussen. What in particular did you appreciate about it?
We were looking at Fussen as a place to explore Bavaria and enjoy the local area of where we stay.
Can you recommend accommodations there for a week for a couple? We hoped to get a vacation rental -- apartment or cottage -- so that we can have a bit more space and cook some meals.
Thank you!
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
138 posts
We loved Fussen! There are shops and restaurants with outdoor seating, a beautiful church, nice restaurants and a tower where you can get wonderful views of the city and mountains! It was just a nice little town to walk and explore. We stayed at the Hotel Sonne Fussen which was a great location for walking to everything I listed. The rooms were beautiful and they served a delicious breakfast. We really enjoyed our time there.
Posted by
613 posts
I'm not sure Schwangau really exists other than as a collection of over priced tourist trap hotels and restaurants near the castles. If you want to be close, the best room is corner from at the Hotel Lisl where you can see both castles from your room windows. Fussen is an attractive town.
We found the tour of Neuschwanstein a disappointment. Neuschwanstein is best seen from outside, from the valley below and from above at the Mairianbrucke Bridge.
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1679 posts
Schwangau is down a bit from the main attractions. On the main road running through and on the backstreets are a number of hotels and b&b's, as well as inns and a brewpub. Schwangau has a nice park and is close to a walking path along Forggensee.
The upper village, Hohenschwangau, is where the castles and swanky hotels are located. About a 30 minute walk, more or less flat. I like Fussen plenty.
Posted by
824 posts
I recently (two weeks ago) stayed at Hotel Waldmann in Schwangau. It's almost equidistant to the Hohenschwangau ticket office and the Fussen Altstadt. It was an easy 20 minute walk, via paged walking path, back & forth to Hohenschwangau and it's on the bus line between there and Fussen. I have no reservations about recommending this hotel. It was clean and modern with a nice Bavarian/Tirolean vibe, plenty of parking, and has a nice breakfast and good evening restaurant. Our room had a nice sized balcony and a great view of Schloss Hohenschwangau (and we could see Neuschwanstein through the trees). It looks like you can pick up the #73 or #78 bus at the train station and get off less than a block away from the hotel.