Füssen is the southern end of the Romantic Road, a sunny little town on the Lech river, a stone's throw from the Austrian border and with the Alps standing straight above its rooftops. It has about fourteen thousand people and a history stretching back to the Romans, who built a road here, the Via Claudia Augusta, to carry troops over the Alps. The old town is tidy, with arcaded streets and painted facades, and the river tumbles over a small waterfall at the edge of the centre.
Above the town stands the High Castle, once a summer residence of the bishops of Augsburg, with remarkable trompe l'oeil paintings on its inner courtyard walls that make flat surfaces look like carved stone. Next to the castle lies the Abbey of St Mang, a Baroque monastery whose church stands over the grave of an early saint. Füssen was also a major centre of lute and violin making from the fifteenth century, and a small museum in the monastery tells the story.
Four kilometres east, the real crowd-puller sits on its crag: Neuschwanstein, the fairy-tale castle that King Ludwig II began building in 1869 as a romantic retreat, and which he never finished. He died in 1886, and within weeks the castle was opened to visitors, who have not stopped coming since. Tickets are timed and sell out in summer, so book ahead, and expect crowds and a steep walk from the car park. Beside it, the yellow castle of Hohenschwangau is where Ludwig grew up, and the lakes, the Alpsee and Forggensee, are lovely.
For riders, the roads in the surrounding area are excellent. The Tegelberg road, the lanes around the lakes and the passes into Tyrol, such as the Gaichtpass and Fernpass, offer winding, scenic riding with sweeping views. In summer, the area is very busy, with coaches and tourists, and parking near the castles is limited and expensive. Early morning is the best time.
Fuel is easy in Füssen, with stations on the road to Austria, and cafes and restaurants of every kind. A Bavarian meal of roast pork with dumplings, a wheat beer on a terrace by the river, and a slice of cake is the natural end to the road.