Fuessen or Reutte

Hi Cheryl, I'd go with Fuessen. We stayed twice at the Hotel zum Hechten. A good luge ride (Sommerrodelbahn) at Tegelberg, is just a few minutes from Neuschwanstein. The Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak, on the border of Germany and Austria, is accessible from either Ehrwald, Austria or Garmisch, Germany. Paul

I concur with Paul's advise to stay in Fussen. We stayed at the Hotel Kurcafe which was very nice. They also have a wonderful bakery!! We enjoyed the hotel, but that is not what impressed me the most. Our stay was in 2000. Late in the evening of September 11, 2001, I received the most heartfelt sympathy letter by e-mail from the owner expressing his distress at the events of the day. He had stayed up most of the night e-mailing all of his American customers. I still have that e-mail somewhere. That part of Germany and Austria is very enjoyable. If you have not seen information about Schloss Linderhoff, look it up. It is in the same area as Neuschwanstein, easy to find and visit, and well worth your time. It is in the rococo style, super elaborate in white and gold!
Have a great trip.

If you have a car, I would stay in Garmisch or Erhwald/Lermoos. Reutte is not worth considering.

Fuessen, definitely. Even better, Hohenschwangau. My only time in Reutte was to drive through the town out of curiosity, and I was and remain mystified as to why Rick is so high on it. If you are there to visit the castles, you might as well stay close enough to see them, especially at night, which would favor Hohenschwangau. Staying there would also enable you to get a jump on the crowds, tour the castle(s) early and have time left for a driving tour the rest of the day. Don't miss Wieskirche, which you would have to do if stay in Reutte. It would be stretch to do Garmisch the same day, but that's a call you would have to make. That would be easier to pull off if you spend the first night in Fuessen or Hohenschwangau and the second in Garmisch.

We stayed at Gasthaus zum Schluxen in Reutte. I chose it as a splurge so my kids could enjoy the animals - as it was listed as a working farm. The hotel is really nice and the service is great. It also offers a good restaurant. As a farm, however, it's really not. There are some reindeer across the street that you can feed through the fence and some animal cages behind the hotel (that the management didn't allow the kids near). Other than that, it's not a farm - just a very nice (albeit expensive) hotel. I wouldn't recommend either Fuessen or Reutte as a destination, they are simply convenient places to sleep before (or after) seeing Neuschwanstein. I do think it's a good idea to stay the night before, so you can arrive first thing and beat the year-round crowds at the castles.

Another vote for Lermoos which is located in a valley with fantastic views of the Zugspitze. There's a great luge ride in the next town called Biberwier. Lots of walking and great places to stay. If you want recommendations on lodging, send me a personal message.

I went through Reutte in 2009 and was not impressed with the town, at least the part within walking distance of the rail station. I was on my way to Pfronten, which is a short distance to the west of Reutte, just over the border into Germany. Pfronten is a much nicer town and has easy access to Füssen by bus. In fact when you stay at an accommodation in Pfronten and pay the Kur tax, you get a pass the covers the bus to the castles.

I drove to Reutte and thought I might stay there.... then, I drove on. Rick must have had a really good time there to have such a strong attraction to it. I found it to be a bit plain and dreary looking. There are so many other charming places to stay, so I would not go out of my way to stay there, despite Rick's recommendation. I usually like most places he recommends, but don't see it on this one.

WE stayed at the Hotel Kurcafe as well! Loved it & Fussen.

I totally agree with Roy, I'd recommend staying in Hohenschwangau. We wish we had but didn't know ahead of time that was possible. We stayed at Hotel Kurkafe as well. Thought it was just ok. Staff was not friendly and did not like our room.

thank you everyone We are staying in Hohenschwangau for the night
now just need to get to Garmisch or somewhere in that area for 2nd night

Hi Cheryl, We love staying in Mittenwald 20 minutes from Garmisch. By the way, the drive from Fuessen to Garmisch is under 1:30. If you wanted to, you could visit "Mad" King Ludgwig's Linderhof palace on the way. The interior here is so much better than Neuschwanstein's in my opinion. We stayed twice at the Pension Schwalbennestl. Nothing fancy, but nice enough and great views overlooking Mittenwald and the mountains. http://www.schwalbennestl.de http://www.worldisround.com/articles/324763/index.html Paul

It's not much of a drive from the Castles to Fussen and then to Ruette. We had a late lunch in Ruette - hiked up to the Erhrenberg ruins and then had dinner in Parchenkirchen. I would HIGHLY recommend the ruins. They've only been discovered in the last 12-13 years. It's a pretty amazing hike! Next time we are going to stay in the Garmisch area. It's gorgeous!

Regarding the Ehrenburg ruins. Amazing hike is right! It's an amazingly steep uphill climb (maybe we choose a back way up), not dangerous though - just steep. The hike behind Neuschwanstein (past Marienbrueke) is also nice, but there are dangerous cliffs there (and signs warning "danger of death"). The ruins at Ehrenburg are a little too ruined, I prefer Rheinfels, but really good views from up there. It's been at least five years since I was there. I heard they were clearing the trees from around the newer castle, even further up the hill, but I haven't been there since then.

Cheryl, We stayed in Reutte for 3 nights and when we arrived in the city, I thought that we had may a huge mistake. however, we hiked to the Ehrenberg ruins which was a fabulous hike (even though it was raining). We hiked for a day in the mountains for an entire day: hiking up and then spending the day on the mountain and then taking the gondola back down. We spent a day at the touristy (but incredible) castles in southern Germany. A car is a must. Our B and B was Das Beck, and the owners were great. They lent us their hiking poles and drive with us to the location and were the gondola came off the mountain where we parked our rental car and then drove us to their recommended trailhead. It was truly a great experience, especially if you like to hike.