Fussen or Ruette

Hi Jeanie, Fuessen. That's not even a question. We stayed twice at the Hotel zum Hechten in Fuessen. www.hotel-hechten.com Paul

I think either is fine. We stayed in Reutte, mostly to stay at the recommended Gasthoff zum Schluxen. It was a splurge but was supposed to be a working farm - so a treat for the kids. As a working farm, it's a bust. It did have a small herd of reindeer across the street that our kids could feed acorns to (through the chain-link fence). The other animals (mostly chickens in individual cages) were off limits. If our kids went near them, management got upset (probably worried that the chickens would get scared and not produce eggs). As a good hotel, however, it's very nice (well above my normal budget choices) but not cheap. Knowing what I know now I would have skipped it. The knowledge won't do me any good, however, because Neuschwanstein is only worth one visit - I can't imagine a return visit. Although it's an icon and worth seeing once, there are many places in Germany I would rather visit.

We stayed in Fussen and biked to the castles. An easy 3 miles if you are able.

I changed trains and had lunch in Reutte a few years ago. I was not particularly impressed by the town. The area around zum Schluxen might be nicer, but it is not very accessible without a car. If you can't find anything in Fuessen to suit your budget, I would suggest Pfronten, Germany, which is just up the train line from Ruette. You can find accommodations on the Pfronten website, www.pfronten.de. I would recommend that you stay at Gasthof Aggenstein. It's right on the town bus line that goes through town from the Steinach Bahnhof to the Ried Bahnhof. There are buses (sometimes a continuation of the town bus) from Ried Bahnhof to Fuessen Bahnhof.

The area around Gasthoff zum Schluxen wasn't really special. Basically just a suburban area with large lots(probably 5 acre minmum). There were a few cows but nothing really pastoral. The hills around the valley are nice (with many hiking trails, including to Neuschwanstein) but that's probably true of anywhere in the area.

Hi Jeanie, I don't know that I would recommend staying two nights to see the castles. Are you traveling by car or train? If by car I would spend maybe one night in Füssen and one night in Oberammergau, visit Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau. Ride the cable car up to Tegelberg for a better view of the area. Then I would drive over to Oberammergau? and stop at Linderhof Palace on the way. We did all this in one day, so you would have no problem with two days.
Prost!