Around the Alpine Lake in Hohenschwangau

During a winter hike around the Alpsee, which lies in the common territory of Schwangau on the Austrian border, Allgäu holidaymakers can look forward to wonderful landscape impressions in a fairytale snow landscape as well as unforgettable views of the world-famous royal castles that stand here around the water. The tour lasts about an hour and a half and is also suitable for families with children.

If you spend your winter holiday in the Allgäuer-Königswinkel, you can make many delightful excursions into the wonderful landscape, where the beautiful sides of the cold season can be really enjoyed. A great idea is, for example, a winter hike around the Alpsee, which inspires with varied nature impressions and grandiose views of the snowy mountains as well as the world-famous royal castles. The Alpsee belonging to the municipality of Schwangau has a circumference of approx. 4,7 km and is considered one of the most beautiful and clean lakes in Germany. In summer, the bathers frolic here on cozy lying meadows and in winter the water is a popular meeting place for skaters who turn their turns in front of the breathtaking Alpine panorama.

The ideal starting point for a winter hike around the Alpsee is the Alpsee car park in the Alpseestraße in Hohenschwangau. There is plenty of parking available here. The tour takes the hikers just below Hohenschwangau Castle, which runs between 1832 and 1837 commissioned by Maximilian II. It emerged from the ruins of Schwanstein Castle and served the royal family as a domicile for much of the year. Maximilian's son and Neuschwanstein creator Ludwig II. He spent much of his childhood and youth at Hohenschwangau Castle. A yellow sign leads the hikers to the Alpsee circuit, which can be mastered in about an hour and a half. Before that, they also pass the Museum of the Bavarian Kings, which conveys all kinds of interesting facts about the Bavarian kings and their castles within a modern, luxurious ambience.

The hike around the Alpsee leads through a quiet, magical snow landscape. Again and again there are wonderful views over the water of the lake on the snowy Allgäuer mountains. During the tour, the hiking friends also reach beautiful viewpoints, which allow a magnificent view of both royal castles. Especially the Neuschwanstein, also called fairytale castle, presents itself in winter, when it is framed by snowy forests and mountains, simply breathtakingly beautiful. Interesting is the Marian monument that the wanderers pass, because it was built at the favourite site of Queen Marie, the wife of Maximilian II and mother of King Ludwig. Through a snowy grove it continues on the cold soothing winter air towards the bathing establishment, which 1900 It was built around. Shortly behind the Alpseebad, the hikers arrive again at a great viewpoint, where they have a first-class view over the water of the Alpsees to the Royal Palaces and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings. After about an hour and a half, this delightful winter hike ends again at the starting point in Hohenschwangau.

A winter hike around the Alpsee promises great natural impressions and is a lot of fun. Of course, after the hike there is still the possibility to visit the royal castles or the museum. The castles are open to visitors throughout the winter, except on some holidays. Tickets for the visits, which are only in the form of a 30-minütigen Guided tours are available at the Hohenschwangau Ticket Center.