ROMANTIC ROAD © LonelyPlanet serendipity, after all,istheessenceofevery great romance). turing offonspontaneoussidetripsletsyouexperiencetheroad’s trueserendipity (and perhaps themostmagical timeofalltovisit. sipping asteaming December mugofgluhwein(mulledwinewithsugarandspice),makes snow-covered tree woodentoys,while stallssellingnutcrackers, ornamentsandhand-carved butsodoesthearea’sthe Christmasmarkets, lure: openfires, mistyvalleysandfew, ifany,crowds. Sure, visitornumberspickupduring thatextendfestivals throughoutthesummer. andconcerts Coolerweatherhasitsownal- andcyclingversions oftheentirehiking RomanticRoadroute. perspective byscalingmedievaltowersandtownwalls. Foragreater challenge,there are ian SwabiaandtheAllgäuinsouth.Alongway,youcangetacompletely different andBavar-; ittraverses FranconiaandawedgeofBaden-Württemberg inthenorth, this fabledroadismore thanjustonelongphotoopportunity. ofvillages,citiesandcastles.Romantic Roadstringstogetheranenchantingcollection But Winding fromWürzburg’s vineyard-ribbonedhillstoFüssenatthefootofAlps, Road Romantic 252 No matter whattimeofyearyou’re point.Ven- here, theroadproperisonlyastarting Spring bringsthearea’s programmeof beergardenstolife off ajam-packed andkicks The ofsouthern 350km-longroadcutsthroughaculturalandhistoricalcross-section

„ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS

Piecing togetherAugsburg’s still-thriving Diningalfresco onfreshly caughtfishonthe upon Sniffing,sipping andstocking Catching anorgan recital intheethereal GlimpsingLudwig II’sfantasypalace, Maximilianmuseum andindustrialtraditions atthe artistic charming island, Constance’sharbourside promenadeofLake Würzburg superb white winesinandaround vibrant Ottobeuren basilica dominatingthepastoralvillageof mountain mist like adreamymountain mistlike mirage Neuschwanstein (p258) (boxed text, p280 ) ( p283 ), risethroughthe ( p273 ) (p286) Schloss Gemütlichkeit (cosiness).Lingeringatfairy-lit, Ottobeuren Lindau Würzburg Neuschwanstein Schloss ROMANTIC ROAD

B23

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Wieskirche Buchloe Harburg River Monheim Schongau B2 am Lech Gersthofen Naturpark Gunzenhausen Altmühltal Augsburg Treuchtlingen Pfaffenwinkel Landsberg Neusäss Altenstadt Pommersfelden Reutte Füssen

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, often referred to as the Romantic Road referred , often A good first stop is the info-packed stop is the info-packed A good first Hikers can tackle can the Hikers With its gentle gradients and ever-changing gradients and ever-changing With its gentle Trains serve the route’s most (but not all) of Most people travel the Romantic Road from the Romantic Road from Most people travel Getting Around Around Getting

changes to the route were in the works at the were to the route changes writing, with several towns currently time of be bypassed. served to by the bus mooted the way. However, check routes and pick- routes the way. However, check Touring, as up/drop-off points with Deutsche bus, runs one coach daily in each direction be- direction daily in each bus, runs one coach passing throughtween Frankfurt and , along most Romantic Road towns and villages Europabus .de) TOURS TOURS the From April to October English-language website www.romanticroad website English-language week- for a recommended p22 See.de. also driving itinerary. long through each township en route. Allow three Allow three route. en township through each at a brisk pace, or the full route weeks to hike the way. four if you plan to sightsee along through meadows, fields and forests, as well as through meadows, fields and forests, Road cycling route cycling route Road stock detailedTourist offices cycling advice, and hotels ‘bicycle-friendly’ including lists of facilities. storage public- information about scenery, the Romantic Road also makes an scenery, the Romantic Road also makes trip, with its own signposted ideal bike signs are posted along the length of the the length of along the posted signs are note driving, take However, if you’re route. towns listed and upcoming road numbers of and few as signs are throughout this chapter, some stretches. between in far For convenience and flexibility, the ideal way and For convenience the Romantic Road in depth is by to explore Strasse’ ‘Romantische Brown-and-white car. round for places not reached by train, but by train, but round for places not reached these slow and complicated. can be tedious, major stops. There are also local buses year- are stops. There major north to south, which is how we’ve covered covered is how we’ve north to south, which just as well the it in this book, but it works way round. other an additional handful of castles and churches castles and churches handful of an additional main route. the off just signposted single ‘road’, it’s actually a series of interlink- it’s actually a seriessingle ‘road’, of Würzbug and Füssening roads connecting via and cities, along with towns villages, 25 key Germany’s first tourist routes and remains and remains Germany’s tourist routes first today. Althoughits most popular billed as a In 1950, the Romantic Road became one of of became one Road Romantic the In 1950, lonelyplanet.com distance hiking route distance