Romantic Road Part III : Schongau, Schwangau & the Castle Route to Füssen.

The landscape around me has changed. I can no longer see the “Romantic Road” stretch as far as the horizon, flat as it was before in Nördlingen, around Augsburg or Landsberg. Rugged mountain ranges have given way to straight lines. The gently rising Alpine foothills bring a smile to my face. Mountains always make an Austrian like me feel home. When Schongau on the Romantic Road talks about life by the mountain river Lech, and how it has shaped the economic development of an entire region, I immediately think of the source waters of this riverbed in neighbouring Tyrol. But first of all, our captain calls: “All aboard, and up we go floating on the river!” A giant wooden raft of about 20 tons, that is.

Schongau by the Lech river has developed a “historic city tour” of a kind …

… featuring Anna, who talks to us about her life by the river dressed in traditional clothes and making us time-travel through her engaging storytelling …

… as the landscape passes us by, we get caught up in fairy-tales, legends and stories of old …

… lucky that today, being on the river is a quiet business thanks to the river dam a few kilometres downstream.

From Schongau, follow the Romantic Road further south to see the famous castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.

In the evening, riding my e-bike rented from Hotel Weinbauer, I manage to leave the curious crowds behind and catch a most undisturbed glimpse of Neuschwanstein Castle. All you have to do is follow local bike guide Silvia Zeilmeir. She knows exactly which restaurants to head for, which forest path leads to the best view over the Alpsee and the castles, and where the park of Schwangau offers the most extensive panoramic view of the Alpine foothills beyond. Thank you so much, dear Silvia, for this wonderful evening together!

E-biking let’s go …

… catching a picture-perfect look of the Alpsee lake and Neuschwanstein Castle in the back …

… lovely turquoise waters …

… do not miss Schwangau park either, offering more of these beautiful views around …

… and do try a serving of the local mushrooms when in season, called “Pfifferlinge” …

… the following morning, you may opt for an easy hike across the Kalvarienberg hill …

… from where you can see the old town of Füssen in the distance: Well worth the climb for having a view like this!

Füssen finally hails the end to my journey along the Romantic Road in Southern Germany.

Inside the old town, you can even stop at a gate that has an inscription indicating the official end of the Romantic Road. It’s a bit like being on a pilgrimage: People, places and stories all come and go. One day you will reach the end and tell yourself: I am happy to have made it and at the same time sad that it is over.

It’s a good thing that the city of Füssen sweetens the farewell: A small town with a historic flair, whose old town centre is worth discovering.

Looking across Füssen …

… has you dive into history once more …

… checking out the local history library museum …

… “Ende der romantischen Straße” (End of the Romantic Road) in Füssen …

… do make sure you spoil yourself to a beer & burger menu before you go, such as here at the Hotel Hirschen.

And just because it’s worth taking the extra look along the “Romantic Road”, I’ve made this short travel video for you to enjoy:

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmcasdBXxmY” width=”800″]

If you wish to see even more travel photographs from my road trip along the Romantic Road in Germany, you can check out my Flickr photo gallery here:

Disclaimer: I have been invited by the German National Tourist Board and the Romantic Road to go on this trip to Würzburg. All opinions are my own.