Fussen 2008

We had just spent four nights in Salzburg and were now driving to Fussen to spend one night before heading back to Munich to fly home.  We had originally planned to do either Zugspitze or Wendelstein on our way to Fussen but it was pretty cloudy, and conventional wisdom says it is not worth going to either one unless it is a clear day.   So we decided it would not be worth the time or the money – we will just have to save it for the next trip! Instead we stopped in Oberammergau for lunch. We had a nice lunch there and enjoyed strolling through the town.

From there we drove the Romantic Road to Fussen. Wow! This was definitely some of the most beautiful scenery we saw on the trip. The beautiful green hills and valleys with the backdrop of the mountains was just spectacular!! I was quite awed on the entire drive. We arrived in Fussen about 3:30pm and checked into Hotel Zum Hechten (review here).  We explored the town, which was extremely charming. They were having their annual KaiserFest (another Medieval Festival) so many people were wearing period costumes and we were able to see a nice procession with trumpets after dinner.

For dinner we decided to eat at Zum Hechten’s restaurant as many people on Fodors had recommended it. I have to say it was definitely our most disappointing meal of the trip. Just kind of “blah” and I regretted that we had not picked one of the other restaurants in town.

FUSSEN – CASTLES

The next morning we had a nice breakfast (much better than the dinner) in a wonderfully large breakfast room with two of the nicest servers.

It is best to make reservations before you arrive.  You can make them on this website:  http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/admiss.htm  Even if you make a reservation you still must pick up your tickets at the ticket center located near the castle.  We woke up early to pick up our tickets for the castles. We had reservations for the 9:45/11:45 times, but arrived so early we were able to get on the 9:15/11:15 tours. We walked up to Hohenschwagau and really enjoyed the tour there.

 

The tours for each castle are about thirty to thirty five minutes each. From there we walked back down and then decided to take the bus up to Neuschwanstein and Mariensbrucke. Personally, I was really glad we took the bus. We did walk down from the castle but I think walking up would have really pooped us out (and I walk regularly- but why get all hot, sweaty and tired??). The views at Mariensbrucke (Mary’s Bridge) were spectacular and I encourage everyone to stop there.

I have to say I do not agree with those who say it is not worth going inside Neuschwanstein. We all really enjoyed the tour inside, and thought it was well worth the half an hour.

 

We decided to stop at one of the restaurants right near the castles for lunch before heading back to Munich for our last night. We were not expecting much, but to our surprise we all really enjoyed our lunch of potato pancakes, weisswurst, consommé, steak and some delicious spaetzle mixed with onions and sauerkraut. It was the restaurant in Hotel Lisl Jaegerhaus. From here we drove to Munich which was about one and half hours. The new BMW Museum had opened while we were traveling in Prague and Salzburg and Michael and Stephen were anxious to get there. We drove there and my parents took the U-bahn into the city and we prepared to meet them for dinner. The BMW museum was pretty cool and had some neat exhibits, but I actually think the guys preferred their time in the BMW Welt and Michael particularly enjoyed the interactive exhibits there.

We met my parents for dinner in Munich and ate at Augustiner am Dom again. Then drove over to the airport where we stayed at Hotel Kempinski Airport. It is literally right across from the airport. You could walk to certain gates, but our gate was a bit far and they recommended we use their complimentary shuttle service, which we did. We had an uneventful flight home, which we are always happy about!!

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3 responses to “Germany, Czech Republic, Austria: Planning and Hotel Reviews 2008”

  1. We’re planning a 10-day Eurotrip next April and Munich and Prague are on the list! Maybe we’ll be checking out these hotels as well!:)

  2. Ashwin says:

    Found your blog through fodors, enjoyed all the pages. I too have been on a similar trip recently..loved all the places especially Munich. It seems you haven’t been to Turkey, which is a gem. I too hope to travel atleast as much as you do in the future.

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