Fussen Germany – Explore the Romantic Bavarian Town

Fussen Germany, one of the tourist attraction Bavarian town nestled at the foot of the Alps, the district of Ostallgäu, 1 kilometer from the border of Austria. Mostly it is known as one of the towns to visit next to the most visited castle in the world, Neuschwanstein Castle.

This Bavarian town lies on the shores of the Alpine River Lech. Fussen is known for its old town romantic streets, violinmaking industry, and its medieval townhouses sit alongside impressive Baroque churches.  Often called the Romantic soul of Bavaria.

According to Fussen information, it has more than 15 thousand population in town. Most tourists tend to ignore visiting this small town after their Tour of Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle.

Fussen Germany is also known for the Hohes Schloss and its Basilica and former Benedictine monastery of St Mang.

One of the most picturesque romantic German holiday destinations, the romantic road (Romantische Straße), from Fussen to Würzburg) starts here. We have visited half a day in this place but I truly recommend you should take a few days to explore the Romantic Road. It is indeed one of the most desirable tourist attractions in Germany.

Encircled by rolling hillsides and green fields, the peaks of the Alps rise dramatically south of Fussen. The scenery is just superb, especially in summer accompanied by good weather not too cold and not too hot.

What to do in Fussen

Hiking, mountain biking, and trekking from Neuschwanstein Castle to Fussen Germany, there are a lot of things that you can do in this over 700-year-old town on the edge of the Alps.

Visitors can always look deeper into the history and culture of Fussen Germany through its museums (guided in different languages). The first thing to do when you reach Fussen is to go directly to its tourist information center and from there, start your adventure.

Wander around the medieval town center with its colored gabled houses, adorable façade of old houses, and shops that uniques styled and decorated.

St. Mang’s Abbey (Benediktinerkloster St. Mang)

St. Mang’s Abbey or  Fussen Abbey was founded over 1100 years ago, known for its beautiful choir and orchestra Sunday Masses and historic organs.
It is the home of the oldest fresco in Germany, dating to the year 980, has been around for most of modern history. Originally founded by a hermit and his brother.

The Benedictine monastery became one of the most powerful institutions in a politically and socially complex area before being deconsecrated by Napoleon in 1802.

The Heritage Museum in the Benedictine Abbey St. Mang – The abbey itself is a museum, including the baroque artwork of the halls and the carved medieval cloister.

You can also see the exhibition of historical violins and lutes, enjoy the baroque halls, and don’t miss the Fussen Totentanz (dance of death) in the St. Anna chapel. The Totentanz painting by Jakob Hiebeler is the oldest “dance of death” cycle preserved in Bavaria.

Visit the High Castle

Right next to St Mang’s Abbey, you’ll find the Hohes Schloß or High Castle. It is the former summer residence of the Lord Bishops of Augsburg and one of the largest and best-preserved late-gothic castle complexes in Swabia.

These days, it’s home to the local tax office, the state art gallery, and a tower intact with the dungeon. The interior of the castle is in excellent condition and offers a quick history of building styles from the 15th to 19th centuries.

In the palace courtyard, the facades are adorned with impressive, 500-year-old illusion paintings.

Don’t miss to look for the Gothic wooden ceilings in the Knight’s Room and take in the view of the Allgäu from the Veitskapelle, the highest castle chapel in Germany.

Adore the Beautiful Gabled Houses

One of the features that Fussen Germany is proud of is its Gabled houses. Front-gabled buildings are considered typical for German city streets in the medieval gothic period.

While later Renaissance buildings, influenced by Italian architecture are often side-gabled. As we were wandering in the center, the colorful gabled houses stand out among other buildings.

Thus, If you’re going to visit Fussen, make sure you’ll roam around the city center and see all these magnificent gabled houses cause they are worth visiting.

Shopping in the Center

Rambling around Fussen center won’t be exasperating if you’re doing it with pleasure. Hence, when we say visiting a new town or village, it also means shopping!

Shopping in Germany is very convenient, in terms of prices they are lesser compared to other neighboring countries. We have experience in hand how cheap souvenirs, accessories, and other grocery products.

I would recommend you to go and do your grocery shopping in any german markets/supermarkets cause they are remarkably cheap.

Try Germany Food

Another way to enjoy your visit to Fussen Germany is to try their food. If you walk around, you will surely see a lot of restaurants, cafés, and bars. When you’re taking a break in between your tour, the ideal thing to do is try some german food.

There is some specialty cuisine like pork knuckles, pork roast, rouladen, trout, and fishes (from local lakes and rivers), Schupfnudeln, and Käsespätzle or other choices.

For quick breaks, ideal to take are bagels sandwiches or if you have a sweet tooth, then take desserts.

Getting to Fussen Germany