Hello, I will be in Munich for 3 days in April, and will be spending one of the days visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle. I would like to see the castle later on in the afternoon but would like to know if there are any great towns to visit on the train along the way (maybe spend a few hours, eating, shopping and walking around). Any suggestions? I was wondering if Schwangau or Fussen could be the stop. Thanks!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33512 posts
No, not really.
Füssen (note the umlaut over the "u" makes it a different letter and belongs there or you can simplify and put an "e" after the "u", Fuessen, both yield the same result) is the end station on the train line and well worth seeing in itself. From there you take a bus to near the Neuschwanstein palace. A lot of people refer to Neuschwanstein as a castle but it isn't one. It was built as a folly - a fantasy - by old mad king Ludwig and never really lived in, and it has never been a defensive fortification. It was built so that he could indulge himself and the composer Wagner in their 19th century fantasies. Picturesque though. You would do well to reserve a time for your tour ahead (very short tour, not much to see, very crowded queues and very popular).
Schwangau is much less fantastic and nearby. You will have plenty to do without stopping on the way.
Posted by
Green Bay
20977 posts
Kaufbueren is a quaint town that still has portions of the old city wall and ramparts intact you can walk along.
Get a Bayern Ticket, 25 EUR 1st person and 6 EUR for each additional person up to 5 traveling together. Must travel after 9 am M-F, all day weekends. To get an earlier start M-F, buy one-way MVV ticket to Munich-Pasing and you can take the 8:52 train from Munich. It will stop at Munich-Passing at 9:00 am, and then the Bayern Ticket will be legal.
The train stops in Fuessen, so that will be part of the deal. Then take a local bus (included with the Bayern Ticket) to Neuschwanstein.
Posted by
Bavaria
2457 posts
Another possibility is to leave the Füssen train at Kaufering and to transfer for a short ride (approx. 5 km) to Landsberg am Lech, a medieval town beautifully situated at the east bank of the Lech river. For every train arriving from Munich there is a little shuttle train to L. waiting at the Kaufering station.
BTW, dont confuse Kaufering with Kaufbeuren, which @Sam was referring to.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19238 posts
When I started reading this thread I was going to mention Kaufbeuren (note spelling, with an 'f'), but someone else did first. I've never stopped there, but I've been past it and seen some small bits of the wall that are still standing.
I've occasionally seen the Bahn show the trip from Munich to Füssen changing trains in Kaufbeuren. Except for the connections that change in Buchloe, most have a stop at Kaufbeuren.
There website is at www.kaufbeuren.de.
Landsberg am Lech is also a nice place to stop, although I wouldn't exactly call it "on the way". There are a few parts of the town wall still standing. The prison where Hitler wrote the first part of Mein Kampf is there. There are also the remnants of a labor camp, a satellite of Dachau, just outside of town. The factory part was underground. I don't think it exists any more, but the buildings where the laborers lived were above ground. I haven't seen it. There might only be memorial plaques to mark the spot today.