Neuschwanstein

Train Munich Hauptbahnhof to Füssen(2 hours)

A Bayern-Ticket covers regional trains and local buses for up to five people travelling together for about 29 EUR total, valid after 9AM on weekdays — far cheaper than individual fares

Check in and ask for the guest card(45 minutes)

Many Füssen and Schwangau properties issue a free KönigsCard or local guest card covering buses and some cable cars. Always ask at check-in — nobody offers it unprompted

Füssen old town walk(1.5 hours)

The painted baroque high street, the Hohes Schloss with its trompe-l'œil facade (museum around 6 EUR) and the St Mang Basilica. This is where the Romantic Road ends

Lechfall waterfall(45 minutes)

A ten-minute walk south of the old town, where the Lech drops over a weir into a turquoise gorge under a footbridge. Free, floodlit in the evening, and almost entirely missed by castle day-trippers

Dinner in Füssen(2 hours)

Zum Hechten on Ritterstraße for Allgäu Kässpatzen and schnitzel, roughly 15-22 EUR a main. The village kiosks up at Hohenschwangau cannot compete

Bus 73 or 78 to Hohenschwangau(10 minutes)

From outside Füssen station, roughly 3 EUR or free on the guest card. Aim to be at the Ticket Center at least an hour before your first slot

Hohenschwangau Castle tour(1.5 hours)

Ludwig's yellow-washed childhood home, about 21 EUR or roughly 32 EUR on a combination ticket. A gentle 20-minute walk uphill from the ticket centre; the rooms are original and lived-in with Wagner's piano still in place. Quieter and, for many visitors, more atmospheric than its famous neighbour

Shuttle bus up to Marienbrücke(30 minutes)

About 3.50 EUR, fair weather only, dropping you at the bridge rather than the castle. The iron footbridge over the Pöllat Gorge gives the postcard shot — check the day's status at the ticket centre, since ice, snow and high wind close it without notice

Neuschwanstein interior tour(30 minutes)

A strictly timed guided tour, around 21 EUR plus booking fee, covering the Throne Hall, the Singers' Hall and Ludwig's swan-motif bedroom. No photography, no large bags. Only 14 of the 200 planned rooms were ever finished — Ludwig lived here 172 days before he died

Walk back down and dinner in Füssen(2.5 hours)

The descent takes 25 minutes and is unlit after the last tour. Eat back in town — Restaurant Ritterstub'n does a good-value Bavarian menu around 14-18 EUR

Alpsee lake circuit(1.5 hours)

A free, flat 5 km loop around a drinking-water-clear lake directly below the castles, about 90 minutes and remarkably quiet ten minutes from the ticket queues. The best low-angle castle reflections are from the eastern shore

Alpsee swimming beach(1 hour)

Public swimming area at the northern end, free, with water peaking around 20°C in August. Rowboat hire is available in summer

Tegelberg cable car(3 hours)

A five-minute gondola from Schwangau to 1,720 m, roughly 25-30 EUR return, running about 9AM-5PM. The summit terrace looks straight down on both castles and the Forggensee; it is one of Germany's busiest paragliding launch sites, so expect a steady stream of canopies off the ridge

Colomanskirche meadow at golden hour(1 hour)

A lone white pilgrimage church standing in an open meadow on the Schwangau side, with both castles and the Alps behind it. Free, no ticket, no crowd — arguably the best photograph of the whole trip

Wieskirche(45 minutes)

A UNESCO-listed rococo pilgrimage church stranded in an alpine meadow 25 km north, about 30 minutes' drive. Free (donation welcome), open roughly 8AM-8PM in summer. Go before 11AM — that is when the Munich coach tours arrive

Oberammergau village(2 hours)

Famous for its Passion Play, staged every ten years since 1634, and for Lüftlmalerei — the elaborate painted facades on half the houses in town. The woodcarving workshops are the real draw; Pilatushaus has carvers working in the open

Lunch in Oberammergau(1 hour)

Ammergauer Maxbräu at Hotel Maximilian for house-brewed beer and Schweinshaxe, around 18-24 EUR

Schloss Linderhof(2.5 hours)

The only palace Ludwig II actually finished and lived in — small, gold-drenched and set in formal gardens with the Venus Grotto, an artificial cave with a lit lake and a shell-shaped boat. Around 10-12 EUR, higher with the grotto; the park closes earlier than the palace

Ettal Abbey on the way back(45 minutes)

A vast baroque Benedictine abbey five minutes from Linderhof, free to enter, with a distillery and brewery attached. The dome fresco is worth the stop even after a day of gilt

Forggensee boat cruise(2 hours)

Bavaria's fifth-largest lake, an artificial reservoir that is drained every winter and refilled in June — so cruises only run roughly June to October, from Füssen for about 14-19 EUR. The castle sits on the skyline the whole way

Pöllat Gorge trail(1 hour)

The walkway up the gorge below Marienbrücke, free when open — but it closes for long stretches for rockfall and restoration work, and entirely in ice. Check at the Ticket Center before walking over

Free afternoon in Füssen(3 hours)

The rest slot of the week. The Lech riverside path, a café on Reichenstraße, the Museum der Stadt Füssen in the former monastery (about 6 EUR) if it rains — Füssen was Europe's oldest lute-making centre and the collection is better than it sounds

Sunset at Schwansee(1.5 hours)

The smaller, quieter lake west of Hohenschwangau, free, with a 2 km loop and a swimming spot. Ten minutes' drive from Füssen and usually empty

Drive or bus to Reutte(30 minutes)

About 25 km via the B179. Bus 74 runs from Füssen station a few times a day; check the return time carefully, as evening services are sparse

Highline 179 suspension bridge(1.5 hours)

A 406 m pedestrian bridge slung 114 m above the valley between two castle ruins, around 10-12 EUR. It moves underfoot in wind and is not for anyone with a serious head for heights problem

Ehrenberg castle ruins(2 hours)

A 13th-century fortress complex on the ridge, free to walk, with the Fort Claudia ruin opposite. Twenty-five minutes uphill from the bridge car park; the views back to the Tyrolean Alps are the payoff

Lunch at the Salzstadel, Ehrenberg(1.5 hours)

The reconstructed salt warehouse at the base of the complex — Tyrolean Gröstl and Kaiserschmarrn, around 14-20 EUR

Plansee on the way back(1.5 hours)

A deep turquoise alpine lake ten minutes east of Reutte, ringed by forest with a lakeside road and free parking. The clearest water within an hour of Füssen and barely a German tourist in sight

Morning viewpoint from the Tegelberg valley station car park(1 hour)

Free, no ticket, and an unobstructed early view of Neuschwanstein against the Alps with the morning sun behind you. Fifteen minutes from Füssen by car or bus

Last coffee on Reichenstraße(45 minutes)

Kurcafé Füssen for a proper Bavarian Kaffee und Kuchen — the Prinzregententorte is the local order

Train Füssen to Munich(2 hours)

Departures roughly hourly, change at Buchloe. Allow at least 3 hours between arriving at München Hbf and your flight — the S-Bahn to MUC adds another 45 minutes

Departure from Munich Airport(1 hour)

S1 or S8 from München Hbf, about 45 minutes, covered by an MVV airport ticket around 13 EUR

Train Munich Hauptbahnhof to Füssen(2 hours)

A Bayern-Ticket covers regional trains and local buses for up to five people together at about 29 EUR total, valid after 9AM on weekdays

Check in and ask for the guest card(45 minutes)

Many Füssen and Schwangau properties issue a free KönigsCard or local guest card covering buses and some cable cars. Nobody offers it unprompted — ask

Füssen old town walk(1.5 hours)

Painted baroque high street, the Hohes Schloss with its trompe-l'œil facade (museum about 6 EUR), and the St Mang Basilica. This is where the Romantic Road ends

Lechfall waterfall(45 minutes)

Ten minutes' walk south of the old town, where the Lech drops over a weir into a turquoise gorge under a footbridge. Free, floodlit at night, missed by almost every day-tripper

Dinner at Zum Hechten, Füssen(2 hours)

Allgäu Kässpatzen and schnitzel on Ritterstraße, roughly 15-22 EUR a main

Bus 73 or 78 to Hohenschwangau(10 minutes)

From outside Füssen station, roughly 3 EUR or free on the guest card. Be at the Ticket Center an hour before your first slot

Hohenschwangau Castle tour(1.5 hours)

Ludwig's yellow-washed childhood home, about 21 EUR or roughly 32 EUR combined with Neuschwanstein. A gentle 20-minute walk uphill; the rooms are original and lived-in, with Wagner's piano still in place

Shuttle bus to Marienbrücke(30 minutes)

About 3.50 EUR, fair weather only. The iron footbridge over the Pöllat Gorge is the postcard shot — check the day's status at the ticket centre, since ice, snow and wind close it without notice

Neuschwanstein interior tour(30 minutes)

A strictly timed 30-minute guided tour, around 21 EUR plus booking fee: Throne Hall, Singers' Hall, the swan-motif bedroom. No photography, no large bags. Only 14 of 200 planned rooms were ever finished; Ludwig lived here 172 days

Walk down and dinner in Füssen(2.5 hours)

The descent takes 25 minutes and is unlit after the last tour. Restaurant Ritterstub'n back in town, 14-18 EUR for a Bavarian menu

Alpsee lake circuit(1.5 hours)

Free, flat 5 km loop around a drinking-water-clear lake directly below the castles, 90 minutes, and remarkably quiet. Best low-angle castle reflections from the eastern shore

Alpsee swimming beach(1 hour)

Free public swimming area at the northern end, water peaking around 20°C in August, rowboat hire in summer

Tegelberg cable car(3 hours)

Five-minute gondola from Schwangau to 1,720 m, roughly 25-30 EUR return, about 9AM-5PM. The summit terrace looks down on both castles and the Forggensee, and paragliders launch off the ridge all afternoon

Colomanskirche meadow at golden hour(1 hour)

A lone white pilgrimage church in an open meadow on the Schwangau side with both castles and the Alps behind. Free, no crowd, and arguably the best photograph of the trip

Wieskirche(45 minutes)

UNESCO-listed rococo pilgrimage church stranded in an alpine meadow 25 km north, 30 minutes' drive. Free with donation welcome, roughly 8AM-8PM in summer. Arrive before 11AM, when the Munich coaches land

Oberammergau village(2 hours)

Home of the Passion Play, staged every ten years since 1634, and of Lüftlmalerei — the painted facades on half the town. Pilatushaus has woodcarvers working in the open

Lunch at Ammergauer Maxbräu(1 hour)

House-brewed beer and Schweinshaxe at Hotel Maximilian, 18-24 EUR

Schloss Linderhof(2.5 hours)

The only palace Ludwig II finished and actually lived in — small, gold-drenched, set in formal gardens with the Venus Grotto, an artificial cave holding a lit lake and a shell-shaped boat. Around 10-12 EUR; the park closes earlier than the palace

Ettal Abbey(45 minutes)

A vast baroque Benedictine abbey five minutes from Linderhof, free to enter, with its own brewery and distillery. The dome fresco earns the stop

Forggensee boat cruise(2 hours)

Bavaria's fifth-largest lake, drained each winter and refilled in June — so cruises run only roughly June to October, from Füssen for 14-19 EUR. The castle sits on the skyline throughout

Pöllat Gorge trail(1 hour)

The walkway up the gorge below Marienbrücke, free when open. It closes for long stretches for rockfall and restoration and entirely in ice — check at the Ticket Center first

Free afternoon in Füssen(3 hours)

Rest slot one. The Lech riverside path, a café on Reichenstraße, or the Museum der Stadt Füssen in the old monastery (about 6 EUR) if it rains — Füssen was Europe's oldest lute-making centre and the collection is better than it sounds

Sunset at Schwansee(1.5 hours)

The smaller, quieter lake west of Hohenschwangau — free, a 2 km loop, a swimming spot, and usually empty

Drive to Reutte(30 minutes)

About 25 km on the B179. No border formalities, but check whether your hire agreement permits Austria and whether a vignette is needed for the motorway sections

Highline 179 suspension bridge(1.5 hours)

A 406 m pedestrian bridge slung 114 m above the valley between two castle ruins, 10-12 EUR. It genuinely moves in wind

Ehrenberg castle ruins(2 hours)

A 13th-century fortress complex on the ridge, free to walk, with Fort Claudia opposite. Twenty-five minutes uphill from the bridge car park

Lunch at the Salzstadel, Ehrenberg(1.5 hours)

Reconstructed salt warehouse at the base of the complex — Tyrolean Gröstl and Kaiserschmarrn, 14-20 EUR

Plansee(1.5 hours)

A deep turquoise alpine lake ten minutes east of Reutte, ringed by forest, with a lakeside road and free parking. The clearest water within an hour of Füssen

Drive Füssen to Oberstdorf(1.5 hours)

Via Pfronten and Sonthofen on the B309 and B19, a genuinely scenic run along the Allgäu ridge

Breitachklamm gorge walk(2 hours)

About 8-10 EUR, open year-round. A 2.5 km walkway bolted into the rock through the deepest gorge in central Europe, with the water 150 m below the rim. It closes after heavy rain or rockfall — check breitachklamm.com the night before. In deep winter the ice formations are the draw

Lunch in Oberstdorf(1.5 hours)

Oberstdorfer Dampfbierbrauerei for house steam beer and Allgäu Kässpätzle, 14-20 EUR. The town is car-free in the centre

Nebelhorn cable car(2.5 hours)

Up to 2,224 m for a panorama that takes in over 400 alpine peaks on a clear day, roughly 40-45 EUR return. The Gipfelstation walkway is the highest via ferrata access in the Allgäu

Drive back to Füssen(1.5 hours)

Leave the summit by 4:30PM in shoulder season — the last descent is earlier than most people expect

Drive or train Füssen to Garmisch-Partenkirchen(1.5-2 hours)

By car via Reutte and the Fernpass, or the regional train through Austria — the rail route crosses the border twice and a Bayern-Ticket does not cover it, so buy through

Partnachklamm gorge(2 hours)

About 9 EUR, open year-round, entered from the Olympic ski stadium. Seven hundred metres of tunnel and ledge cut through a 80 m gorge with the river hammering below. Waterproofs matter more than you think — you get wet regardless of the weather

Partenkirchen's Ludwigstraße(1 hour)

The older, prettier half of the town, with painted facades and far fewer souvenir shops than the Garmisch side

Dinner at Gasthof Fraundorfer(2.5 hours)

Ludwigstraße institution with nightly Bavarian music and Schuhplattler dancing from about 7PM. Touristy, unashamedly so, and a good night out. Book ahead; mains 16-24 EUR

Zugspitze cog railway and cable car(4 hours)

Roughly 65-75 EUR return in summer. The classic circuit goes up by the Zahnradbahn cog railway through the mountain to the glacier plateau, then the Gletscherbahn to the summit, returning by the Seilbahn Zugspitze cable car to Eibsee — one of the steepest cable car spans in the world

Summit platform and the Austrian border(1 hour)

The summit terrace straddles the border, so you can walk between Germany and Austria at 2,962 m. Four countries are visible on a clear day. It is 15-20°C colder than the valley in every season — take a jacket even in August

Eibsee circuit walk(2 hours)

A free 7 km loop around a turquoise lake at the foot of the mountain, with small islands and clear shallows. Rowing boats hire for around 20 EUR an hour, and the swimming in August is bracing but doable

Dinner in Garmisch(2 hours)

Zirbel or Colosseo in the centre — a Bavarian menu around 18-25 EUR after a long day at altitude

Mittenwald village and the violin museum(2 hours)

Painted houses under the Karwendel wall, and a violin-making tradition dating to 1684 that still supports working luthiers. The Geigenbaumuseum is about 6 EUR and genuinely interesting even if you do not play

Coffee on the Obermarkt(1 hour)

Café Kaffeerösterei Mittenwald, with the mountain filling the end of the street

Walchensee and Herzogstand(3 hours)

A 30-minute drive north to a turquoise lake at 800 m. The Herzogstand cable car (about 20 EUR return) plus a 40-minute ridge walk gives the classic view over both Walchensee and Kochelsee. Or simply swim and do nothing — rest slot two

Dinner back in Garmisch(2 hours)

Braustüberl on Fürstenstraße for Bavarian food at prices the ski crowd has not yet inflated

Train Garmisch to München Hbf(1.5 hours)

Roughly hourly and covered by a Bayern-Ticket after 9AM on weekdays. Return the hire car at the Munich station branch to avoid airport drop-off fees

Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel(1.5 hours)

The Neues Rathaus carillon performs at 11AM and noon year-round, plus 5PM March to October — 43 figures, 15 minutes, and honestly a bit slow, but the square around it is the city's heart. Climb the Alter Peter tower next door (about 5 EUR, 306 steps) for the best rooftop view in Munich

Viktualienmarkt(1.5 hours)

The permanent open-air market since 1807 — Obatzda, Weisswurst, cheese and fruit stalls, and a beer garden in the middle where you may bring your own food but must buy the drinks

Residenz and Hofgarten(2 hours)

The Wittelsbach city palace, about 10 EUR for the residence museum or 17 EUR combined with the Treasury. The Antiquarium — a 66 m barrel-vaulted Renaissance hall — is the single most impressive room in Bavaria, Ludwig's castles included

Dinner at Augustiner-Keller(2.5 hours)

The most local of the big beer halls, ten minutes from the Hauptbahnhof, with a 5,000-seat chestnut-shaded garden. A Mass of Edelstoff and a Schweinsbraten, roughly 25 EUR

Schloss Nymphenburg(2.5 hours)

The Wittelsbach summer palace, tram 17 from the Hauptbahnhof. Around 8-15 EUR depending on the combination ticket; the Gallery of Beauties — 36 portraits Ludwig I commissioned of women he admired, commoners included — is the reason to go. The 200-hectare park behind it is free

Lunch at the Palmenhaus(1 hour)

In the Botanical Garden beside Nymphenburg, in a glasshouse, around 15-20 EUR

Englischer Garten and the Eisbach surfers(3 hours)

Larger than New York's Central Park and free. The standing wave under the Prinzregentenstraße bridge has surfers on it year-round in wetsuits — it is genuinely dangerous and genuinely mesmerising. Walk up to the Chinesischer Turm beer garden

Free evening(3 hours)

Rest slot three. A beer garden bench, no itinerary, no castle

Train Munich to Prien am Chiemsee(1 hour)

Roughly hourly from München Hbf, about 20 EUR return or covered by a Bayern-Ticket. From Prien, the Chiemsee-Bahn steam tram or a 20-minute walk gets you to the boat pier

Boat to Herreninsel(30 minutes)

Chiemsee-Schifffahrt ferries run every 20-30 minutes in summer, roughly 10-12 EUR return. The lake is 80 km² and the crossing is part of the pleasure

Neues Schloss Herrenchiemsee(2 hours)

About 10-11 EUR on a guided tour. A deliberate copy of Versailles, with a Hall of Mirrors 98 m long — longer than the original — lit by 2,000 candles for the annual concerts. Ludwig spent nine days here in total. Two-thirds of the building is bare brick behind the finished facade

Fraueninsel and lunch(2.5 hours)

The smaller neighbouring island, with an 8th-century Benedictine convent still in use, a free-standing campanile, and no cars. The nuns sell their own marzipan and liqueur; Inselwirt does whitefish from the lake for around 18-22 EUR

Return to Munich(1.5 hours)

Last ferries back to Prien run early in shoulder season — check the timetable at the pier when you arrive, not when you want to leave

Deutsches Museum or a final beer garden(2.5 hours)

The world's largest science and technology museum, on an island in the Isar, around 15 EUR — or skip it entirely for a last Weisswurst breakfast at the Viktualienmarkt, which by Bavarian rule must be eaten before noon

Souvenir shopping(1 hour)

Dallmayr on Dienerstraße for coffee and delicatessen, Ludwig Beck at Marienplatz for the department-store version, or the Viktualienmarkt stalls for Obatzda spice mixes and mustard

S-Bahn to Munich Airport(45 minutes)

S1 or S8 from München Hbf or Marienplatz, about 13 EUR on an MVV airport single. Allow three hours before an intercontinental departure

Departure from MUC(1 hour)

Terminal 2 for Lufthansa and Star Alliance, Terminal 1 for most others — check before you board the S-Bahn, since the two are a shuttle ride apart

Train Munich Hauptbahnhof to Füssen(2 hours)

A Bayern-Ticket covers regional trains and local buses for up to five people together at about 29 EUR total, valid after 9AM on weekdays

Check in and ask for the guest card(45 minutes)

Many Füssen and Schwangau properties issue a free KönigsCard or guest card covering buses and some cable cars. Nobody offers it unprompted

Füssen old town walk(1.5 hours)

The painted baroque high street, the Hohes Schloss with its trompe-l'œil facade (museum about 6 EUR), and the St Mang Basilica. This is where the Romantic Road ends

Lechfall waterfall(45 minutes)

Ten minutes' walk south of the old town, where the Lech drops over a weir into a turquoise gorge under a footbridge. Free, floodlit at night, and skipped by nearly every day-tripper

Dinner at Zum Hechten, Füssen(2 hours)

Allgäu Kässpatzen and schnitzel on Ritterstraße, 15-22 EUR a main

Bus 73 or 78 to Hohenschwangau(10 minutes)

From outside Füssen station, roughly 3 EUR or free on the guest card. Be at the Ticket Center an hour before your first slot

Hohenschwangau Castle tour(1.5 hours)

Ludwig's yellow-washed childhood home, about 21 EUR or roughly 32 EUR combined. A gentle 20-minute walk uphill; the rooms are original and lived-in, with Wagner's piano still in place

Shuttle bus to Marienbrücke(30 minutes)

About 3.50 EUR, fair weather only. The iron footbridge over the Pöllat Gorge gives the postcard shot — check the day's status at the ticket centre, since ice, snow and wind close it without notice

Neuschwanstein interior tour(30 minutes)

A strictly timed guided tour, around 21 EUR plus booking fee: Throne Hall, Singers' Hall, the swan-motif bedroom. No photography, no large bags. Only 14 of 200 planned rooms were finished, and Ludwig lived here 172 days before he died

Walk down and dinner in Füssen(2.5 hours)

The descent takes 25 minutes and is unlit after the last tour. Restaurant Ritterstub'n in town, 14-18 EUR

Alpsee lake circuit(1.5 hours)

Free, flat 5 km loop around a drinking-water-clear lake below the castles, 90 minutes, and quiet ten minutes from the ticket queues. Best low-angle reflections from the eastern shore

Alpsee swimming beach(1 hour)

Free public swimming area at the north end, peaking around 20°C in August, with rowboat hire in summer

Tegelberg cable car(3 hours)

Five-minute gondola from Schwangau to 1,720 m, roughly 25-30 EUR return, about 9AM-5PM. The terrace looks straight down on both castles and the Forggensee; paragliders launch off the ridge all afternoon

Colomanskirche meadow at golden hour(1 hour)

A lone white pilgrimage church in an open meadow with both castles and the Alps behind it. Free, no crowd, and probably the best photograph you will take here

Wieskirche(45 minutes)

UNESCO-listed rococo pilgrimage church alone in an alpine meadow 25 km north, 30 minutes' drive. Free with donation welcome, roughly 8AM-8PM in summer. Get there before 11AM, when the Munich coaches arrive

Oberammergau village(2 hours)

Home of the Passion Play, performed every ten years since 1634, and of Lüftlmalerei, the painted facades on half the houses. Pilatushaus has woodcarvers working in the open

Lunch at Ammergauer Maxbräu(1 hour)

House-brewed beer and Schweinshaxe at Hotel Maximilian, 18-24 EUR

Schloss Linderhof(2.5 hours)

The only palace Ludwig II finished and lived in — small, gold-saturated, with the Venus Grotto, an artificial cave containing a lit lake and a shell-shaped boat. Around 10-12 EUR; the park closes before the palace does

Ettal Abbey(45 minutes)

A vast baroque Benedictine abbey five minutes on, free to enter, with a brewery and distillery attached

Forggensee boat cruise(2 hours)

Bavaria's fifth-largest lake, drained every winter and refilled in June, so cruises run only roughly June to October — from Füssen, 14-19 EUR. The castle is on the skyline throughout

Pöllat Gorge trail(1 hour)

The walkway up the gorge below Marienbrücke, free when open. It shuts for long stretches for rockfall and restoration, and entirely in ice — ask at the Ticket Center before walking over

Free afternoon in Füssen(3 hours)

Rest slot one. The Lech riverside path, a café on Reichenstraße, or the Museum der Stadt Füssen in the old monastery (about 6 EUR) — Füssen was Europe's oldest lute-making centre and the collection is far better than it sounds

Sunset at Schwansee(1.5 hours)

The smaller lake west of Hohenschwangau — free, a 2 km loop, a swimming spot, and usually empty

Drive to Reutte(30 minutes)

About 25 km on the B179. No border checks, but confirm your hire agreement allows Austria and buy a vignette if you will use the motorway

Highline 179 suspension bridge(1.5 hours)

A 406 m pedestrian bridge slung 114 m above the valley between two castle ruins, 10-12 EUR. It moves underfoot in wind, noticeably

Ehrenberg castle ruins(2 hours)

A 13th-century fortress complex on the ridge, free to walk, with Fort Claudia opposite. Twenty-five minutes uphill from the bridge car park

Lunch at the Salzstadel, Ehrenberg(1.5 hours)

The reconstructed salt warehouse at the base — Tyrolean Gröstl and Kaiserschmarrn, 14-20 EUR

Plansee(1.5 hours)

A deep turquoise alpine lake ten minutes east, ringed by forest with a lakeside road and free parking. The clearest water within an hour of Füssen

Drive Füssen to Lindau(2 hours)

Via Kempten on the A7 and A96, roughly 150 km. Park on the mainland at the P5 lot and walk the causeway — island parking is scarce and expensive

Lindau island old town(2 hours)

Maximilianstraße's painted merchant houses, the stepped-gable Altes Rathaus and the Mangturm watchtower. Free to wander; the harbour entrance with the Bavarian Lion and the New Lighthouse is the classic photograph

Lunch on the harbour promenade(1.5 hours)

Valentin or the Bayerischer Hof terrace for Bodensee whitefish (Felchen) with the Alps across the water, 18-28 EUR

Boat to Bregenz or Mainau(3 hours)

Bregenz in Austria is 20 minutes by ferry with a cable car up the Pfänder for a view of the whole lake; Mainau, the flower island near Konstanz, is a longer run but spectacular in spring. Ferries roughly 10-25 EUR depending on the leg

Drive back to Füssen(2 hours)

A long day — consider an overnight in Lindau instead if you would rather not do four hours of driving in one go

Drive Füssen to Oberstdorf(1.5 hours)

Via Pfronten and Sonthofen on the B309 and B19, a genuinely scenic run along the Allgäu ridge

Breitachklamm gorge walk(2 hours)

About 8-10 EUR, open year-round. A 2.5 km walkway bolted into rock through the deepest gorge in central Europe, water 150 m below the rim. It closes after heavy rain or rockfall — check breitachklamm.com the night before

Lunch in Oberstdorf(1.5 hours)

Oberstdorfer Dampfbierbrauerei for house steam beer and Allgäu Kässpätzle, 14-20 EUR. The centre is car-free

Nebelhorn cable car(2.5 hours)

Up to 2,224 m for a panorama taking in over 400 alpine peaks on a clear day, roughly 40-45 EUR return. Last descents are earlier than most people assume in shoulder season

Drive back to Füssen(1.5 hours)

Your last night in the Allgäu — pack tonight, since tomorrow is a moving day

Drive Füssen to Garmisch-Partenkirchen(1.5 hours)

Via Reutte and the Fernpass through Austria, or the longer all-German route via Oberammergau. The Fernpass backs up badly on summer weekends

Partnachklamm gorge(2 hours)

About 9 EUR, open year-round, entered from the Olympic ski stadium. Seven hundred metres of tunnel and ledge through an 80 m gorge with the river hammering below. You will get wet regardless of the weather

Partenkirchen's Ludwigstraße(1 hour)

The older, prettier half of town — painted facades and far fewer souvenir shops than the Garmisch side

Dinner at Gasthof Fraundorfer(2.5 hours)

Ludwigstraße institution with nightly Bavarian music and Schuhplattler dancing from about 7PM. Unashamedly touristy and a genuinely good night. Book ahead; mains 16-24 EUR

Zugspitze cog railway and cable car(4 hours)

Roughly 65-75 EUR return in summer. The classic circuit goes up by the Zahnradbahn through the mountain to the glacier plateau, the Gletscherbahn to the summit, then down by the Seilbahn Zugspitze to Eibsee — one of the steepest cable car spans in the world

Summit platform and the Austrian border(1 hour)

The terrace straddles the border, so you can walk between Germany and Austria at 2,962 m. Four countries visible on a clear day, and 15-20°C colder than the valley in every season

Eibsee circuit walk(2 hours)

A free 7 km loop around a turquoise lake at the mountain's foot, with small islands and clear shallows. Rowing boats around 20 EUR an hour; swimming in August is bracing but doable

Dinner in Garmisch(2 hours)

Zirbel or Braustüberl in the centre, 18-25 EUR, which is what a day at altitude requires

Mittenwald and the violin museum(2 hours)

Painted houses under the Karwendel wall and a violin-making tradition dating to 1684 that still supports working luthiers. The Geigenbaumuseum is about 6 EUR and interesting even if you do not play

Coffee on the Obermarkt(1 hour)

Café Kaffeerösterei Mittenwald, with the mountain filling the end of the street

Walchensee swim and Herzogstand(3 hours)

Thirty minutes north to a turquoise lake at 800 m. The Herzogstand cable car (about 20 EUR return) plus a 40-minute ridge walk gives the view over both Walchensee and Kochelsee — or just swim and do nothing. Rest slot two

Free evening in Garmisch(3 hours)

Nothing scheduled. Pack for the Austrian leg

Drive or train Garmisch to Innsbruck(1.5 hours)

By car via Seefeld, or by regional train in about 80 minutes. Buy an Austrian motorway vignette (about 12 EUR for 10 days) before you cross if driving — checks are routine and fines are steep

Goldenes Dachl and the Altstadt(2 hours)

The Golden Roof — 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles over an oriel Maximilian I built in 1500 to watch the square from. Free to look at; the museum inside is about 6 EUR. The medieval lanes behind it are compact and largely traffic-free

Nordkette cable car(3 hours)

From the centre of town to 2,256 m in about 20 minutes via the Hungerburgbahn funicular (Zaha Hadid-designed stations) and two cable cars, roughly 44 EUR return. You go from a city square to alpine tundra faster than anywhere else in Europe

Dinner at Stiftskeller or Die Wilderin(2 hours)

Stiftskeller for the classic Tyrolean beer-hall version, Die Wilderin for a modern, game-heavy menu using local producers. 18-30 EUR a main

Schloss Ambras(2.5 hours)

Archduke Ferdinand II's Renaissance castle above the city, about 12-16 EUR. It holds the world's oldest surviving museum collection — a genuine cabinet of curiosities assembled in the 1570s, complete with armour, coral and a portrait gallery of Habsburgs. Bus 4134 or a 40-minute walk uphill

Lunch in Wilten(1.5 hours)

The student quarter south of the centre, where prices drop by a third. Bierstindl or the market stalls; around 12-16 EUR

Free afternoon(4 hours)

Rest slot three. The Hofgarten, a coffee at Café Munding — Austria's oldest confectioner, open since 1803 — or the Inn riverbank with the coloured houses of Mariahilf opposite

Evening on Maria-Theresien-Straße(2 hours)

The broad boulevard with the Nordkette closing the view at the end of it. The Annasäule column and, if it is running, an open-air concert on the square

Drive Innsbruck to Berchtesgaden(3 hours)

Via Salzburg on the A12 and A10, roughly 180 km. The German Corner route through Kufstein is the alternative if you want to avoid Austrian tolls

Königssee electric boat to St Bartholomä(2.5 hours)

About 22-25 EUR return. Electric-only since 1909, so the loudest thing on the lake is the boatman's flugelhorn, played at the Echo Wall to bounce a note off the cliff seven times. St Bartholomä's red onion domes sit under a 1,700 m rock face

Walk to the Obersee(1.5 hours)

Stay on the boat to Salet, then a flat 15-minute path to the Obersee, a smaller lake with the Röthbach waterfall — Germany's highest at 470 m — dropping into it. Most day-trippers turn back at St Bartholomä and miss this entirely

Dinner in Berchtesgaden(2 hours)

Bräustüberl Berchtesgaden, the old royal brewery tap, for Schweinsbraten and dark beer at 14-20 EUR

Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest)(3 hours)

Open roughly mid-May to late October only. About 30 EUR including the mandatory special bus up a road cut into the cliff in 13 months, then a 124 m brass-lined lift through the rock. The building is now a mountain restaurant; the view over the Berchtesgaden Alps is extraordinary and the history is not softened

Dokumentation Obersalzberg(1.5 hours)

About 3 EUR at the foot of the mountain, on the site of the Nazi leadership's alpine complex. A serious, unsparing exhibition on how the regime used this landscape, with surviving bunker tunnels beneath. Do this before or after the Kehlstein, not instead of it

Salzbergwerk salt mine(1.5 hours)

Roughly 22-25 EUR. You put on miner's overalls, ride a train into the mountain, descend two wooden slides and cross an underground brine lake by raft. Salt made Berchtesgaden wealthy for 500 years and the mine still works. Constant 12°C inside

Evening in Berchtesgaden old town(2 hours)

The Schlossplatz and the abbey church, then dinner at Gasthaus Neuhaus, one of the oldest inns in the valley

Drive Berchtesgaden to Salzburg(40 minutes)

Roughly 30 km. Park at the Altstadt Garage cut into the Mönchsberg rock, about 18-20 EUR a day, and leave the car there — the old town is entirely walkable

Getreidegasse and Mozart's birthplace(2 hours)

The famous shopping lane with its wrought-iron guild signs, and the yellow house at number 9 where Mozart was born in 1756 (about 14 EUR, or 20 EUR combined with his later residence). The lane is jammed from 10AM — go early or late

Salzburg Cathedral and Residenzplatz(1.5 hours)

The early baroque cathedral where Mozart was baptised and later worked as organist — free entry, donation requested. The DomQuartier combined ticket (about 13 EUR) links the cathedral galleries, the Residenz state rooms and St Peter's

St Peter's Abbey and cemetery(1 hour)

A rock-cut cemetery of wrought-iron grave markers against the cliff, with catacombs carved into the Mönchsberg above. Free; the catacombs about 2 EUR. Stiftskulinarium next door claims to be Europe's oldest restaurant, open since 803

Dinner at Augustiner Bräustübl(2.5 hours)

A monastery beer hall in Mülln where you rinse your own stoneware mug at a stone fountain, fill it at a hatch, and buy food separately from a corridor of stalls. Around 12-18 EUR all in, and the most enjoyable meal in the city

Hohensalzburg Fortress(3 hours)

About 17 EUR including the FestungsBahn funicular, one of the largest fully preserved medieval castles in Europe and never captured in 900 years. The Golden Hall, the marionette museum and the ramparts view over the Salzach are the highlights. Go at opening or after 4PM

Lunch at Zum Fidelen Affen(1.5 hours)

A locals' Gasthaus over the river on Priesterhausgasse — Austrian standards, no tourist menu, around 14-20 EUR. Book, it is small

Mirabell Palace and Gardens(1.5 hours)

Free gardens laid out in 1690, with the Pegasus fountain and the stone-dwarf garden. The Do-Re-Mi steps from The Sound of Music are here, and the Marble Hall inside — where Mozart performed as a child — still hosts evening chamber concerts, around 35-50 EUR

Kapuzinerberg walk at sunset(1.5 hours)

Free, a 20-minute climb from Linzergasse to the wooded hill on the right bank. The classic postcard view of the fortress and the domes comes from up here, and hardly anyone bothers with the stairs

Option A: Hallstatt(5 hours)

About 75 minutes' drive or a train-and-ferry combination that arrives across the lake, which is the beautiful way in. The village is genuinely lovely and genuinely overwhelmed — go for 8AM or after 5PM, park in the P1/P2 lots outside, and consider the salt mine and skywalk above the village to escape the main lane

Option B: Eisriesenwelt ice cave, Werfen(5 hours)

The largest ice cave in the world, 40 minutes south, open May to October only. Around 40 EUR including the cable car, plus a steep 20-minute walk at each end and 700 steps inside. It is 0°C in there in August — take a warm layer and gloves, no photography permitted

Lunch en route(1.5 hours)

Gasthof Simony in Hallstatt for lake fish on the water, or Obauer in Werfen if you want one seriously good meal on the trip — it is one of Austria's best restaurants and needs booking well ahead

Slow evening in Salzburg(3 hours)

Rest slot four. A coffee and Salzburger Nockerl at Café Tomaselli, open since 1700, then the Salzach bank at dusk with the fortress lit above

Train Salzburg to München Hbf(1.5 hours)

Roughly hourly on ÖBB and DB, from about 20-35 EUR booked ahead. A Bayern-Ticket covers the German section and, unusually, the whole run to Salzburg

Marienplatz and the Alter Peter tower(2 hours)

The Glockenspiel performs at 11AM and noon year-round, plus 5PM March to October. Climb the Alter Peter next door (about 5 EUR, 306 steps) for the best rooftop view in Munich

Viktualienmarkt(1.5 hours)

A permanent open-air market since 1807 — Obatzda, Weisswurst, cheese and fruit stalls, with a beer garden in the middle where you may bring your own food but must buy the drinks

Residenz and the Antiquarium(2 hours)

The Wittelsbach city palace, about 10 EUR or 17 EUR with the Treasury. The Antiquarium — a 66 m barrel-vaulted Renaissance hall — is the single most impressive room in Bavaria, Ludwig's castles included

Dinner at Augustiner-Keller(2.5 hours)

The most local of the big beer halls, ten minutes from the Hauptbahnhof, with a 5,000-seat chestnut-shaded garden. A Mass of Edelstoff and a Schweinsbraten, roughly 25 EUR

Schloss Nymphenburg(2.5 hours)

The Wittelsbach summer palace, tram 17 from the Hauptbahnhof, 8-15 EUR depending on the combination. The Gallery of Beauties — 36 portraits Ludwig I commissioned of women he admired, commoners included — is the reason to go. The 200-hectare park is free

Lunch at the Palmenhaus(1 hour)

In a glasshouse in the Botanical Garden beside Nymphenburg, 15-20 EUR

Englischer Garten and the Eisbach surfers(3 hours)

Larger than Central Park and free. The standing wave under the Prinzregentenstraße bridge carries surfers in wetsuits year-round — genuinely dangerous and genuinely mesmerising. Walk up to the Chinesischer Turm beer garden

Free evening(3 hours)

Rest slot five. A beer garden bench and no plan at all

Weisswurst breakfast at the Viktualienmarkt(1.5 hours)

By local rule Weisswurst must be eaten before noon — sweet mustard, a pretzel and a Weissbier, around 12 EUR. Or the Deutsches Museum (about 15 EUR) if you would rather end on the world's largest science collection

Souvenir shopping(1 hour)

Dallmayr on Dienerstraße for coffee and delicatessen, or the Viktualienmarkt stalls for Obatzda spice mixes, mustard and Bavarian gingerbread

S-Bahn to Munich Airport(45 minutes)

S1 or S8 from München Hbf or Marienplatz, about 13 EUR on an MVV airport single. Allow three hours before an intercontinental departure

Departure from MUC(1 hour)

Terminal 2 for Lufthansa and Star Alliance, Terminal 1 for most others — confirm before boarding the S-Bahn, since the two terminals are a shuttle ride apart