Schwangau: The Land of Swans

Have you ever been to flourishing spring in summer?

Even if it’s the end of June ‒ there’s no need to wait for the next year to find delight in jasmine and linden blossoming.

Why Schwangau?

Remember delicious Milka milk chocolate? The views in Schwangau, a quaint village located exactly on the edge of the Alps, provide you with gorgeous views as advertised. You’ll definitely fall in love with the village beauties. Some of its treasures can be found while strolling around through flowered meadows. The hay is being dried and wood is tidily stocked up near old and new farmhouses which perfectly fit into this land.

Its voice is the magical mixture of distant cowbell sound accompanied by humming bees, singing birds and crickets. Everything around you is just going vibrant. 

How to get from Memmingen Airport?

We used the Bavaria Ticket (a day ticket covering all regional trains and nearly all other local public transport in Bavaria) to get to Buchloe (by bus), then ‒ to Fussen (by train), then ‒ to Hohenschwangau (by bus). It took us about two hours. You can find preferred routes and Deutsche Bahn timetable information here. 

Warm Hospitality: Haus Alpenrose

While staying up in the property located in the heart of the Bavarian countryside, you’ll be showered up with cordiality. Room decoration (woodwork, embroidery, ceramic heater) provides you with connection both to nature and to Bavarian culture.

 The most spectacular hikes
Wanna glide, hike or take a great family adventure? An ideal starting point is the Tegelbergbahn. It takes you to a height of 2,150 meters. Usually one-way ticket fare is 13,30 € for an adult and 6,70 € for a child, but we were lucky to get 50% discount due to the one-off event.

Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles

Just imagine what life was like for Bavarian kings and dive into myths and legends visiting a romantic royal residence of King Ludwig II, Hohenschwangau, situated really close to the ticket office. You’re likely to encounter a really big queue there, so the best variant is to buy tickets before 9 a.m., when crowds of tourists are taken by bus to Hohenschwangau.

What sticks in memory is two fountains in the courtyard, the spiral staircase, the billiard room (where the audio-guided tour begins); the queen’s and the king’s apartments; the Hall of Heroes; a room for Richard Wagner; striking wall paintings, a rich collection of authentic furniture, and lots of swans decorating rooms. You’ll listen to the legend of the swan to understand the meaning of this motive during the tour. The castle itself is very cozy. I wouldn’t mind staying there for a couple of days.J

One of the most popular European castles, Neuschwanstein, attracting annually about 1.3 million visitors, is the most stunning from distance. You can take the most spectacular photos of it in a 10-minute walk from the castle from Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) if you dare. We were disappointed by never-ending undisciplined chain crowd of tourists, especially Asian ones, who probably have never heard of private space. But the view from there is absolutely breathtaking.

Neuschwanstein is a dream built on stones. Just imagine 600 candles being lit up for you as a royal person staying up on the mosaic floor of the Singers' Hall, the largest room of the palace ornamented with golden chandeliers. An artificial cave, illuminated with different colours, makes much of an impression as well.

The Alpsee and the Schwansee: the sense of inner peace

Find tranquility nearby the lake which will definitely make your heart beat faster with the clearest water you’ve ever seen ˗ Alpsee (Alp Lake). It took us about 2 hours (with stops for taking photos and some breaks) to walk around the lake. It’s really worth seeing: enchanting mountain views, an amazing family of swans, mighty foliage and local smiling passers-by greeting you in German. It’s exceptionally pleasant to take a break sitting on one of numerous benches around the lake.

 Schwansee (Swan Lake) is much smaller but also wonderful for nature lovers. Go find pink water lilies before the sunset and feel healing herbal scents. 

Three days in a row we dined at a moderately priced restaurant Schlossbrauhaus sitting at the outside terrace with great view of the mountains. Traditional German food (like pork knuckle and Bavarian pasta) was delicious and made up for the only disadvantage of the restaurant ˗ its slow service. My husband found seasonal beer served there excellent.

Walking to Fussen, we visited the waterfall with amazing malachite water ˗ The Lechfall. 

I can’t help but wonder the natural beauty which helps you to keep your mind off any anxiety. The beauty that evokes and electrifies the senses. I will miss this land.