König-Ludwig-Weg, 6. Etappe: Prem - Füssen

Prem is left on the way to the southwest. The route initially runs along the shore, then with beautiful mountain views until shortly before Berghof. As you ascend past the houses, there are beautiful views as far as Buching and the Ammergau peaks, then the dark moorland water of the Kühmoos lake invites you to take a swim.

At the top, a road with a wonderful view of the Alpine panorama leads to Greith, then downhill to the romantic Hegratsriedsee lake, where you can also take a break for a swim. The trail continues through blooming moorland meadows towards the mountain range, the Bannwaldsee lake and Neuschwanstein Castle come into view, and a little later Brunnen is reached, which has a beautiful bathing beach on the Forggensee lake.

At the Mühlberger Ach, the route crosses the B17 and leads to the Tegelbergbahn cable car area. Here it is worth taking a short detour to the Roman baths and other excavations at the valley station, where there is also a kiosk. The white battlements of Neuschwanstein are getting closer, at the sawmill you can decide whether to turn off straight away to Hohenschwangau or climb up through the Pöllat Gorge to the castle. Further uphill, the magnificent view of Hohenschwangau Castle between Alpsee and Schwansee awaits, followed by the Marienbrücke bridge, which spans the Pöllat Gorge in a breathtaking way and offers the most famous view of Neuschwanstein.

For the Königsschlösser including the Museum of the Bavarian Kings at Alpsee, you should plan an extra day, especially the tickets for the castle tours in the Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau must be purchased in advance. During the guided tours, you will also learn everything you need to know about the "Fairytale King", who spent his youth at Hohenschwangau Castle and, as King Ludwig II, had Neuschwanstein built on the rock above the Pöllat Gorge from 1869.

From Hohenschwangau, the path winds through the Schwansee Park to the lake of the same name, where there are also bathing spots, followed by the ascent to the Kalvarienberg. From the roof of the chapel, you have a wonderful panoramic view of the mountains, castles and lakes as well as Füssen below, to which a path leads down. Cross the Lechbrücke bridge to reach St. Mang's Monastery and walk through the old town to Kaiser-Maximilian-Platz, where the King Ludwig Trail ends.

Füssen is considered one of the oldest settlements on the northern edge of the Alps and is full of sights that are best explored on a guided tour of the town. The High Castle occupies the site of a former Roman fort and was for a long time the summer residence of the prince-bishops of Augsburg; today it houses the State Gallery.

The Benedictine monastery of St. Mang was built around 840/850 from the missionary cell of St. Magnus. Magnificent baroque rooms have been preserved and the convent buildings house the museum of the town of Füssen. A special collection of historical plucked and stringed instruments by Füssen masters is a reminder of the cradle of European lute and violin making, after the first lute makers' guild was founded here in 1562. The oldest of its kind in Bavaria, the "Füssener Totentanz" from 1602, is preserved in the Annakapelle chapel.

In addition to the old town, the Lech Falls, where the river plunges into a narrow gorge, is also worth a visit. Behind it, there is an approximately 480-metre-long treetop walk in the Lech floodplains, and white boats set off on excursions across Lake Forggensee from Füssen's boat harbour.

Equipment:

Hiking without luggage

Royal service - just enjoy, no ballast. Your luggage will be transported to the hotel reserved for you by the tour operator. You can discover the magnificent Bavarian Alpine foothills without a care in the world.

The King Ludwig Trail is offered in four variants with 6-9 overnight stays, the LechErlebnisWeg with 6 overnight stays. The package deals with accommodation, luggage transport and hiking maps can be booked at:

• Feuer und Eis Touristik GmbHTM, Südliche Hauptstrasse 33, 83700 Rottach-Egern, Tel. 08022-66364-0, [email protected], www.feuer-eis-touristik.de/wanderreise-koenig-ludwig-weg
• Alpenland-Touristik, Postfach 101313, 86833 Landsberg a. Lech, Tel. 08191-308620, Fax 08191-4913, www.alpenlandtouristik.de, [email protected]

Further information and links: If we have chosen the alternative route, we will get from Trauchgau to Füssen on the 5th stage. The detailed description can be found here

Hiking map Pfaffenwinkel, scale 1:40,000, HW-Verlag, nominal fee 1 EUR, available from the Pfaffenwinkel tourist office, www.pfaffen-winkel.de