Help! Mittenwald and Fussen

you can check driving times at www.viamichelin.com and train times at www.sbb.ch/en

Mittenwald and Fussen are within 30 minutes driving time of each other. Personally, I'd pick one of the two. If you will have a car, Mittenwald is the obvious choice. Fussen's only advantage is its close proximity to Schwangau if you don't have a rental car. Otherwise, the town is a bit of an overpriced tourist mecca. There are plenty of better places to stay (like Mittenwald) that are within easy driving distance of the castles at Schwangau.

Hi Linda,
As I recall, Mittenwald to Fussen is about an hour and a half drive. As far as "overpriced tourist mecca", I don't agree. We've stayed there twice, although both times in October, we never felt it to be overcrowded. Actually, not really crowded. Touristy, I can see that, but that's not always a bad thing. My opinion...your plan sounds great. There's a lot to see and do using both Mittenwald and Fussen as a base. Also, Mittenwald is more of a "village" and Fussen more of a town.

Paul

Actually instead of staying in Fuessen we stayed in Horn-Schwangau and liked it very much. It's about a 20 minute bicycle ride into Fuessen. We got an extremely nice 2 bedroom apartment with breakfast included in Horn at the Hotel Helmerhof for around 80 Euro per night. Horn is one of our favorite destinations in Germany.

Actually, now that I think about it, the driving times between Mittenwald and Fussen are a bit longer than a half hour. But certainly, no longer than an hour.

There are train connections from Mittenwald through the Ausserfern to Reutte (AT) and Pfronten (DE). From either town you can take a short bus ride to Füssen or Hohenschwangau.

Although that train line, the Ausserfernbahn, goes through Austria, it is run by German Rail. You can use a Bayern-Ticket (up to 5 people, €27) or a Bayern-Ticket-Single (1 person, €19) for the train and most buses.

There is also a bus route from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Füssen/Hohenschwangau. There might be a change of buses in Oberammergau and the bus stops briefly at Wieskirche.

We have stayed twice in Schwangau -- and have loved it. Doesn't have the village feel of either Mittenwald or Fussen, but has the GREAT opportunity for outdoor hikes. The German families we met in Schwangau were using it as a base for fitness vacations, rather than castle visits, and were biking and hiking everywhere. We even found a great inn with a full roster of family activities.

I agree with Tom above. Pick one of Mittenwald or Fussen and spend more time in Munich and Salzburg, you won't regret it.