Discover Schwangau

If you’re looking for a hotel in Schwangau, it helps to consider the area’s different attractions: royal castles and a museum, trails, lakes and the Kristall Therme. These highlights give you concrete points to consider when deciding what to focus on as you plan your trip.

Royal Castles and Museum

The Museum of the Bavarian Kings traces the history of the Bavarian royal family across 16 exhibition rooms on two floors. The exhibition includes original artefacts and interactive museum technology. You can visit the museum independently, with or without an audio guide. Neuschwanstein Castle is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “The Castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria.” Hohenschwangau Castle has been preserved as an extraordinary architectural monument of the Romantic period.

You cannot drive your private car to visit the royal castles. Use only the paid P1 to P4 car parks in the Hohenschwangau valley. For visits to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, the rule for the wider Ostallgäu destination is that visits are possible only as part of a guided tour. This clearly distinguishes an independent museum visit from a visit to the castles.

Lakes and Thermal Baths

At Lake Forggensee, you can choose from sailing, rowing, stand-up paddleboarding and swimming. The lake covers around 17 square kilometres; SUPs, pedal boats and kayaks are available to rent, and related courses are also offered. In Ostallgäu, one- or two-hour trips with the Forggensee shipping company are available from June to mid-October. If you’re planning a trip, check the timetable in advance.

On the southern shore of Lake Alpsee is the Alpseebad, a natural outdoor swimming area with a wooden jetty, a floating island and extensive sunbathing lawns. Kristall Therme Schwangau offers a different kind of aquatic experience: alongside its six sodium bicarbonate and brine pools, there are five saunas and a steam bath. The thermal baths also include relaxation areas, a restaurant, a café and a pool bar; from there, you can enjoy views of Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle. This information can help you consider a lakeside stay and a visit to the thermal baths as distinct options.

Hiking and Cycling

Schwangau has more than 120 kilometres of hiking trails. Options range from easy walking paths to half-day and full-day hikes, as well as challenging mountain tours. One specific option is the certified “Neuschwansteinblick” circular trail, which follows flat paths from Schwangau to Hohenschwangau. At the Schwangau Tourist Information Office, children and adults can get a hiking pass free of charge, featuring tours of varying difficulty levels. Trail conditions and seasonal availability may vary.

Schwangau is also located on the Lechweg long-distance hiking trail. The route runs for 125 kilometres along one of Europe’s last wild river landscapes, from the source of the Lech near Lake Formarinsee in Lech am Arlberg to the Lechfall waterfall in Füssen. This means local hiking trails are complemented by a long-distance route with clearly defined starting and finishing points.

A well-developed network of cycling paths spanning more than 90 kilometres extends across the area surrounding the destination. It leads to places suited to families, leisure cyclists, e-bike riders and mountain bikers. Here too, trail conditions and seasonal availability may vary. When comparing your options, consider the different activities and distances without treating hiking and cycling as the same thing.

Discover more destinations: Horn, Roßhaupten, Füssen, Unterthingau, Obergünzburg, Nesselwang, Buchloe, Pforzen.

Back to the main travel overview: Ostallgäu.