Have you ever had one of those unexpected travel surprises? When on a whim you decide to go check out a place and it ends up being delightfully fantastic? That is how I felt about our unplanned afternoon in Füssen, a historic town at the edge of Bavaria and the end of the Romantic Road. Settled way back in the days of the Roman rule, Füssen’s pastel-colored buildings, artful frescos, cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes and eateries, and medieval churches and castles offers enough old world charm to make any visitor fall in love with her nostalgic beauty. Located only 3.5 kilometers from Schwangau and Ludwig II’s epic castle, Neuschwanstein, Füssen is a wonderful place to visit or base your trip in Bavaria. Had we known about Füssen, we definitely would have planned on more time there.
We arrived at our hotel Landhotel Huberhof in the lush countryside outside of Schwangau mid-afternoon on a Saturday. The village was alive with Germans on holiday riding bikes, eating and drinking beer in the outdoor beer garden and taking in the fresh country air. It was a glorious Saturday afternoon in late June and we certainly didn’t want to waste it. We had already spent the morning flying to Munich from Paris and then driving an hour and a half to reach Schwangau. It was time to get out and explore our surroundings.
After unpacking our belongings, we decided to go check out the neighboring town of Füssen. My father had passed through Füssen years ago on a driving trip through the heart of Bavaria and remembered it was a neat town. We had no expectations or pre-conceived notions about what we would find. We simply knew that the town is much bigger than tiny Schwangau and thought it would be worth a visit. Little did we know, we would discover a real treasure of a city.
The stunning countryside surrounding Schwangau.
Heading towards Füssen, we can see the magical Neuschwanstein, off in the distant foothills.
Füssen is less than a ten minute drive from Schwangau located just west of the Lech river that empties into the large lake, Forggensee. After we found parking and struggled with the meter (not knowing that on Saturdays parking is free), we headed on foot towards Altstadt, the Old Town and heart of Füssen. As we were walking we began to notice a few people dressed up in medieval clothing. Some men were wearing long capes and lederhosen (shorts made of leather) and the women adorned dirndls (a traditional German outfit which consists of a bodice and skirt or a pinafore dress, a low-cut blouse with short puff sleeves, full skirt and apron). At first I brushed it off and thought perhaps they worked at a tourist restaurant or theater in town that required the costume. But as we got closer into the center of town, we saw more and more people dressed in clothing from medieval times. We joyfully realized that we had come on the day of a traditional folk festival. Best of all, it was completely free.
Folk festivals occur all throughout Bavaria and many began way back in the Middle Ages continuing on even today. Füssen’s folk festival included multiple parades, marching bands, shows and all sorts of people dressed in tracht, the local costume they wore on a daily basis over 700 years ago. It was pretty cool to just walk into a live local celebration. It felt as if the entire town was there attending, sitting out at the lovely open-air restaurants and enjoying the show. We watched for a little while but I was really interested in also exploring the town itself. Unfortunately we only had a couple of hours however it gave me enough reason to want to come back again someday and stay longer. Here are some of the highlights of our afternoon in Füssen and what I liked best about this charming traditional Bavarian town.
Altstadt (Old Town)
The heart of Füssen is in Altstadt, the Old Town. Lined with quaint cobblestone streets, brightly colored, traditional Bavarian buildings graced with frescos and a couple of lovely churches and castles, Altstadt is stunning. There are plenty of places to grab an indulgent traditional German meal, a mug of beer or a decadent pastry at one of Füssen’s many bakeries. Old Town is the place to sit down, relax and watch the world go by, one of my most favorite pastimes in Europe. There are tons of beautiful shops and boutiques as well. My favorite store of was a German boutique shop filled with exquisite hand-made Cockcoo clocks, some upwards of a thousand Euros. At the top of the hour, over a hundred Cockoo clocks all went off at once and I couldn’t help but smile. They were lovely.
There are so many places it eat, the choices are endless
The Folk Festival
I looked everywhere online but could not find the exact name or any information on the folk festival we saw in Füssen. When I asked at our hotel, the owner Marcus told us it happens every year in late June. After further research I discovered that folk festivals are a huge tradition throughout Germany and each Bavarian town has their own festivals throughout the year. Oktoberfest is by far the most widely celebrated festival of all. Check out this website to learn more about upcoming festivals in Bavaria: www.bavaria.by
The architecture
I was mesmerized by Füssen’s charming beauty. Most of the buildings date back to the 14th century and were constructed using timber framing which was common in that era. I can imagine the town still looks lovely on a rainy day given the brightly colored buildings.
There is no shortage of stunning frescos and decorative signs hanging off the sides of the buildings. I kept looking up and was rewarded with these beauties.
Castles and Churches
Hohes Schloss, “The High Castle”, sits majestically above Füssen beckoning visitors to check it out. Built from 1486-1505 in gothic style, the Hohes Schloss was the past summer residence of Lord Bishop of Augsburg and is a top attraction in Füssen. Sadly we did not have enough time to visit but I’ve read it is definitely a must-see when visiting Füssen.
As we walked along the narrow streets of Old Town, we rounded the corner and I saw one of the most magnificent churches imaginable. The Spitalkirche Heilig Geist was rebuilt in Rococo style from 1748-1749 after the original church was burnt down. It is a masterpiece and I’m so glad I opened up the big wood door to take a peak inside.
By five o’clock it was time to head back to Schwangau. We had a big day ahead of us. In the morning we would get up early and fight the tourist crowds to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, the reason why we came to Schwangau. With a bottle of wine in hand purchased at a local wine shop, we were on our way back down the cobblestone streets to our car. All in all, it was an excellent afternoon and I sincerely hope someday to come back and spend some more time in Füssen.
Walking down the lovely cobblestone streets of Füssen
If you go:
I found this brilliant website on all things Bavaria that has information on the various cities, festivals, culture, dress and gastronomy. www.bavaria.by We stayed in the outskirts of Schwangau, however, Füssen is just as conveniently located to the area’s main tourist attractions as well. It all depends on what kind of place you are looking for.
Looks and sounds magical. I’ve had accidental findings like this and they’re so much fun, much better that when you expect something like this and are terribly disappointed!! 🙂
janet
Yes so true. It was a pleasurable find! We really loved this town. So charming.
Such a fabulous place! I suspect Bavaria is full of little gems like this, Nicole. On a visit to Wroclaw in Poland, a couple of years ago, we went to visit a village at the border. Zgorzelec in Poland, Gorlitz on the German side, was very similar to this in many respects. 🙂 🙂
Yes I just love all these charming towns Jo. I could spend months traveling around Europe checking them all out. Love them so much. This town did remind me of some I saw in Romania and I can see how the ones you mention in Poland have a similar old world charm.
A perfect introduction to Bavaria, what heartfelt memories you are creating.
Thank you Sally! Yes I am so glad we were able to do this trip with my dad and kids. I’m sad my husband couldn’t go but it was special sharing this time with my dad too.
Oh you make me want to go to Bavaria! For Neuschwanstein, and obviously now for Füssen. What a lovely town. And bonus to get there for a festival!
Alison
Have you been to Bavaria? I was really in love with it and Austria. I could spend some serious time in that part of the world. I really love the mountains. Everyone hikes too! I saw hiking couples well in their 80s and lots of women hikers too. I fit right in in Austria.
No, I’ve never been. Neuschwanstein has been on my list for soooo long!
It is lovely! Of course when I went years ago there were not very many people. Not like the loads of tour buses this time but still it is special and a sight to see!
Wow! Thank you for bringing back memory of Altstadt. The costumes, the food, the cobblestones and the magnificent castle of King Ludwig II, I remember them all vividly. It’s so refreshing to read your blog and reminisce the past.
Thank you so much! I am really glad you enjoyed the post. I really fell in love with this town. So pretty and what a delightful surprise.
Beautiful photos of an amazing little town. Been to Fussen a couple of times and it just seems like a hidden gem that most people don’t know about. Such a special town. Great post.
Thank you so much! I am so glad we decided to check Fussen out. I loved it. There were no tourists either when we were there which I really like too. I think most people just go to see the castles but I truly enjoy the towns and seeing the culture of how the locals live.
Your entire experience here is one of deja vu for me! We stumbled into a folk festival in Salzburg last fall (ours, I learned later, was for St. Rupert’s Day and rivaled an Oktoberfest celebration) and I took many similar photos. Your town here does look exceptionally charming (reminds me very much of Tallinn, Estonia), and it seems you were not plagued with a horde of wobbling, slightly inebriated people, as we were in Salzburg that day!
Fun! I can imagine how awesome the festival must have been in Salzburg Lexi. I love Salzburg. Such a beautiful town. We did not have lots of stumbling drunks but then again we left early. Perhaps had we stayed later?!
How fun Nicole! This happened to us in Provence one year and was such a wonderful surprise to have come upon by accident. Serendipity for sure! A beautiful little town 😊
Yes I love to happen upon these kinds of travel surprises! 🙂
What a fabulous find Nicole. Especially arriving during a festival. It’s these kinds of unexpected gems that really are the treasures of travel.
On another note I wanted to let you know that the links on your Gravatar are not working. When I clicked on them I went to yahoo.com.
Thanks Sue! That is strange about the gravator Sue. I double checked and inside WP it is right in the dashboard. I will keep checking to see if I can figure out how to fix it.
Wow – what luck to have stumbled upon a traditional folk festival that afternoon! I only knew of Füssen because my parents mentioned it being close to Neuschwanstein Castle. They traveled along the Romantic Road on their honeymoon so I imagine this was the last stop of that journey. Füssen’s Old Town looks utterly charming and I especially love the Rococo church!
Wow your parents went to Neuschwanstein on their honeymoon! My husband proposed to me there. It is a romantic place indeed!
How lucky you were to stumble on the Folk Festival as it’s such a fun way to get a glimpse of the history and culture!
Yes it was really special Marilyn! The kids especially enjoyed it.
I remember seeing the road signs to Füssen on my way to Neuschwanstein and understood that it was the closest city to the hilltop castle. My cousin who drove us all the way from Nuremberg didn’t stop by the city though, but I remember there was a beautiful river running on our right side heading to Schwangau. Looks like quite a ‘discovery’, Nicole! I would love to go back to that part of Germany (and visit Füssen for sure) with a proper camera in hand.
It was beautiful Bama and the perfect introduction to our trip as we headed into Austria, a place I loved! 🙂
This is the first time I am hearing about Füssen and I’ve been obviously missing a lot. That architecture and landscapes are truly astonishing. Is Füssen a good day trip destination when in Bavaria?
It is a lovely town and if you plan on seeing Neushwanstein you can use Füssen as your base. There is a lot to do in that part of Bavaria so it would be great to spend a few days there.
Füssen looks like a lovely little village. How fortunate that you were able to experience a local festival. We often just seem to miss them as we travel. Lovely photos Nicole!
Thank you LuAnn! I really enjoyed this special find. Wish we always had more time and were not so rushed when we traveled but better to travel than not. 🙂