Füssen, Germany: Suspension Bridges and Fairytale Castles

As soon as I found out that one of Stephen’s friends was in Fussen, Germany, I was sold on a weekend trip. It was a win-win situation – a new country for my list and a chance for him and his buddy to reunite! When I think of Germany, I think of delicious German food, hiking, and towns with unique German architecture.  And, it’s safe to say that all of my expectations were met for this weekend trip!

Visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty has been on my bucket list for months now, thanks to the numerous Instagram posts in my feed. This fairytale-like castle is one of the most visited places in Europe, and for good reason. Continue reading about our weekend in Fussen, Germany, and pictures to see why this is one of the most sought-out tourist attractions.

Driving to Germany

Stephen had to work a 24-hour shift the night before, so I drove while he slept most of the way. Did I mention how much I love driving versus flying? There’s just so much uncertainty with flights and delays! Anyways, for anyone planning on driving, the tolls between Vicenza, Italy, and the Austrian border were around 20€. Once in Austria though, you must purchase a vignette, which is basically a tax for driving on their roads. It will set you back about 9€ and can be purchased at a gas station once you cross the border. When you get on the Austrian highways, you must pay a one-time toll of 9,50€. The 4.5-hour drive was absolutely lovely on a Saturday morning at the end of March. As we drove higher into the Austrian Alps, we could see the snow-capped mountain peaks. Photographic scenes surrounded us everywhere we looked.

Tip: For those not looking to drive, you can also take the train to the Füssen Train Station. It is located near the center of town. 

Taking Our Adventure to New Heights

Fussen, Germany is just a few miles from the Austrian border. We picked up Stephen’s friend from the train station, grabbed a bite to eat, then backtracked to Austria to a suspension bridge that we had passed en route. I had never crossed a suspension bridge before and for the most part, I don’t have a fear of heights, so I really wanted to add this experience to my list!

Highline 179, a suspension bridge, connects Ehrenberg Castle (Ehrenberg Ruins) to Fort Claudia. It stretches 406 meters long and is 114 meters high. For 4€, park your car, and then purchase a 4€ ticket either from the ticket machine or inside the office, if they are open. There are different routes you can take up to the bridge. We went the Ehrenberg route because, of course, we wanted to explore these medieval ruins. Castles are Stephen’s favorite things, and now I’ve taken on the same love of them.

Related Post: Top 10 Castles to Visit Within an Hour of Vicenza

A short, but steep hike up the side of the hill led us to Ehrenberg Castle, which was built in 1296. The further into the castle you traveled, the more you realized how much there was to explore. Even though the base of the castle was constructed in the 13th century, the upper levels of it weren’t finished until the 18th century. I could wander amongst the castle walls forever, climbing around and admiring the different viewpoints. Some spots required climbing a wall, or a ladder, which the kids that were there loved doing. From inside of Ehrenberg Castle, there are perfect views of the snow-capped Bavarian Alps with the suspension bridge hanging below. 

Once done exploring the castle, I mustered up the nerve to cross Highline 179. I felt like I was going to blow away up there on that bridge with the wind raging so hard. Not to mention the fact that Stephen was rocking the bridge back and forth — on purpose, of course. I did my best not to look down and was brave enough to stand still to get pictures along the way as well as admire the views around me. It was a thrilling experience and now I’m excited to conquer longer and higher suspension bridges!

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Accommodations in Fussen, Germany

It was finally time to check into our adorable hotel, Gastehaus Stefanie. This place exceeded my expectations. The lady who greeted us, whom I assume to be Stefanie, was incredibly friendly. Our room had a king bed and a twin bed, with an absolutely superb view from the balcony. We could see the Alps all around us. We stayed kind of off the beaten path where it wasn’t very touristy, which we prefer, and I felt very safe. There was a lake nearby, but it was dried up for the time being. There were still people out walking, riding their bikes, little girls on ponies, horseback riders…it had all of that small town charm that I love. Our breakfast each morning was fantastic, and the hosts came around to check on each table to see if we needed anything. I couldn’t recommend this place enough. It would also be wonderful for a romantic getaway.

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A Fairytale Castle (or just Neuschwanstein Castle)

The Neuschwanstein Castle was located only 4 km from our hotel! The next morning, we set out pretty early to head to the castle. There were hardly any cars in the parking lot, besides a couple of tour buses unloading groups. Below the castle is essentially a small town; the village of Hohenschwangau. There’s pretty much everything you could need including restaurants, shops, hotels, and the tourist/ticket office. You’ll follow the signs to the ticket office, where you can purchase tickets from a range of options. You can just visit the Neuschwanstein Castle, or you can visit the Neuschwanstein Castle and the Hohenschwangau Castle together. For more information, visit the website here. We stuck to the fairytale castle, and with a discount card provided at our hotel, it was 12€ per person.

I recommend getting there first thing in the morning, or you risk all tickets being sold out and not being able to enter. You can only visit the castle by way of a guided tour and they have certain times and languages.

From the ticket office, the hike up to the castle is quite some ways. Usually, there is a shuttle, but because of winter weather, the only alternative to hiking was by horse carriage. As we were willing and able, we hiked to the castle and very much enjoyed the views along the way. Once we arrived at the base of the castle, I was breathless (partially from the hike, but mostly because of the vast size of the castle). From far away it seems decent sized, but it wasn’t until I was standing right below it that I realized just how magical and great it was. We waited for the screen in the castle courtyard to show our tour number, and when it did, we enthusiastically scanned our ticket and walked in to join our guide.

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Built around 150 years ago, this castle stands so new compared to others we have visited recently, especially in Italy. It has been a while since I’ve been in a castle that was, for the most part, still intact and decorated. And gosh was it beautiful.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria, also known as the “Fairytale King”, resided in this castle before he died a mysterious death at the age of 41. He was never married, and you can probably infer for yourself why, considering his nickname. Most of the castle was never completed on the interior, but the parts that were are marvelous. Between the paintings, frescoes, chandeliers, and the number of swans and swan structures throughout the castle, it truly was like walking through a fairytale. King Ludwig’s bedroom chambers were the most spectacular of them all, and his gothic style bed structure is simply indescribable. His love for swans and their symbolism is shown throughout the castle, particularly in his bedroom where his sink has a swan spout. The chandelier in his throne room is made of brass and weighs almost 2,000 pounds. One thing that struck me as odd was the fact that there were no portraits of him in the castle, which is peculiar for a King. The gothic style of the interior and many parts of the castle reminded me in some ways of the architecture and building styles in Paris , which just happens to be one of my favorite cities to date.

I highly recommend visiting this castle and taking a guided tour, no matter what you may have heard from others. Experience it for yourself and see if it’s worth it, which of course I definitely thought it was. The pictures truly don’t do it justice. The only downside of visiting in March is that there was still plenty of snow on the ground, so the Marienbrücke, the bridge with the best views of the castle, was closed because of bad weather.

If you find yourself hungry along the way, there are plenty of shops selling “donuts” and gluhwein! We ate lunch on the way down at Schlossrestaurant Neuschwanstein, which doubles as a hotel. They have delicious German food – sausage, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut. Yum!

Other Things to Do Around Town

While on our trip to Füssen, we explored as much as we could apart from castles and suspension bridges. St. Coloman Catholic Church is a must-visit. It’s a beautiful church in the middle of a field, with nothing but the Alps and Bavarian countryside in the background. This is a perfect place to take photos and you can visit inside of the church as well.

A popular place in Füssen is the Lech River and Lechfall – waterfall. There is a bridge where you can cross the waterfall. I’ve never seen such turquoise water in my entire life. Tons of hiking trails start from the waterfall and you can even meander down to the lake to get a closer view.

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It was a short, but very wonderful weekend trip. Stephen got to catch up with his friend, and we also got some one-on-one time with nature. On the drive home, we just HAD to stop at a lake that we passed in Austria on our way up to Germany. Fernsteinsee has one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve seen (or maybe they’re just all this magical). There wasn’t a soul around because it was a slightly dreary day. Above the lake sits a castle, a hotel, and a restaurant. We walked along the side of the lake to snap a few pics and the whole time we had a swan friend who watched our every move. Just us and the swan on a Monday morning for a stroll along the lakeside. It was quite majestic.

I’d go back to Füssen in a heartbeat. There was so much to do, whether you visit in the summer or the winter. They have everything from skiing and hiking to mountain biking and camping. There were plenty of ski lifts around if you weren’t able to hike to the top of a mountain and still wanted to get great views. I recommend this place to anyone looking for that small-town feel, especially if you want to see Neuschwanstein Castle!

Fun fact: We ended up moving to Germany a few years after this post! See our adventures in Germany here!

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