Füssen
After four exciting days in Munich, I drove about 90 minutes southwest towards Füssen (Fuessen) with a short stop in Murnau (Staffelsee).
It has been about 25 years and I was anxious to visit Füssen, which is nestled near a cluster of majestic Bavarian mountains and a view to several castles where King Ludwig II had lived
Füssen was a good starting point for my excursions and explorations around the Schwangau and Allgäu region. I was able to visit Oberammergau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the Linderhof Palace and the Ettal Abbey and Wieskirche Chapel within a one hour drive.
I had booked an adorable Hotel in town. I basically could not miss the Hirsch hotel on the right side of the street, it is bright pinkish red on the outside. The hotel was built a century ago in a ‘Jugendstil’ style that looks decorative and elegant.
My room was unique and had a theme reflecting the history or culture of Bavaria. In the evening I relaxed and took a drink on the rooftop terrace where I could see the mountains, the “Hohes Schloss” castle and below the Altstadt Füssen.
I passed over a bridge with a sparkling river and drove into the enchanting 700 year old town of Füssen in the South Bavarian mountains. After checking into Hotel Hirsch, I freshened up and stepped outside.
I crossed the road and strolled through a small pathway in the medieval town wall passing by an Italian Restaurant. Walking through a Passage, I immediately was greeted with cobblestoned streets and rainbow colored pastel-toned houses with shops on the ground floor.
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Füssen old town, Altstadt 
Hospital Curch of the Holy Spirit in Füssen 
Apotheke, Drugstore in Füssen 
Gasthof am Forggensee 
Forggensee Wurstplatter 
Forggensee Festspielhaus Theater 
Forggensee 
Hang gliding at the Forggensee 
Wieskirche, Allgäu 
Ettal Abbey
While walking and looking, I stumbled upon gothic houses, baroque churches and even a town castle. I took lots of pictures of facades of the buildings that were in wonderful colored in different shades.
I took my time and let myself drift through the old town and the small alleys, took a seat outside with an ice cream at the Café named after the castle “Hohes Schloss”. A little later I had coffee at the Füssener Kaffeerösterei in the Ritterstraße. There are many cafes like this.
One evening I took a ride to the nearby Forggensee, enjoyed the stunning panoramic view with a “Hausmacher Brotzeit”
In summer the Forggensee is a popular spot for walkers and cyclists. On the other side of the lake are boat rides that are offered for tourists. The musical Ludwig II is being performed on the banks of the Forggensee at the Ludwigsfestspielhaus Theater
Just as I was driving to the town of Füssen, I saw the majestic Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castle to the left built into the mountain. The beauty was breathtaking!
I have been at the Neuschwanstein Castle before, this time I did not go inside. This castle is considered one of the most visited tourist attractions in all of Bavaria, if not all of Germany. Walt Disney was inspired by this castle and recreated it it in his Disney Theme Park, the Magic Kingdom.
I had a rental car, but I found out at the Hotel reservation that you can rent a bike as a combination ticket with entry to Neuschwanstein Castle, also you could drive to the parking lot yourself, or pay about € 6 to take the bus. From Füssen you can reach the castle with bus line 78 towards Schwangau or line 73 towards Steingaden/Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The stop is Hohenschwangau/Alpseestrasse.
On the third day, while I was exploring the area, I saw paragliders near the Tegelbahn cable car. This place looked like a popular meeting spot for hiking, and mountain climbing. After we started to ascend with the cable car, I got the stunning view of Neuschwanstein castle. I thought to myself, this is seriously worth the trip alone. When I reached the top, I was greeted with panoramic views of the stunning Bavarian mountains and landscape for a short time until some rain clouds covered my view.
After just 4 days of exploring, Füssen became one of my most loved towns in all of Germany. I made a little video of one of my day trips in the area:
At the Berggastätte Tegelberghaus I had Germknödel, also called Dampfnudeln. See Recipe below
Dampfnudeln or “Steamed sweet Dumpling”
Ingredients
- 4 cups white flour
- 1 pack active dry yeast
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup milk
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup butter (melted)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup butter for baking in the pan
- 125 ml milk for pan
- 1 tbsp sugar for pan
- Vanilla Sauce (Dr. Oetker, Amazon)
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast and sugar in lukewarm milk.
- Add the flour, salt, melted butter and 1 egg.
- Mix all ingredients well, let the yeast dough rise in a warm place for at least an hour or more.
- Shape the dough into a roll as thick as a fist (diameter approx. 2 3/2 inches or 7 cm), cut off equal parts and shape into round dumplings.
- Flatten a little and let it rise again.
- Put sugar, butter and the milk in a pan with a high rim and a lid.
- Drop the dough pieces into the pan and cook over medium heat with the closed lid for about 30 minutes.
- The lid must never (!) be lifted, otherwise the steamed “Dampfnudeln” or Dumplings will collapse!
- It is finished when the liquid is completely evaporated, and the bottom of the dumpling is brown.
- Remove and serve hot with with warm vanilla sauce (poppy seeds), applesauce or a red berry sauce
Notes
Now it’s time to savour this steamed yeast dumpling with some Vanilla sauce, applesauce or a red berry sauce.
English
German
Japanese
Spanish
French
Italian
Chinese (Simplified)
Arabic