This is the place to find the updates on our travels: where we've been and (in due course) a little bit about the places.
Gallery quick links:
Rossfeld, Eagle's nest and the Berchtesgaden National Park
After the Ammergau Alps, our journey took us some 350km due east (including a detour to Munich due to a closed road) to the Berchtesgaden Valley, pretty much along the German/Austrian border. This picturesque alpine region in the Bavarian Alps is part of the broader Berchtesgaden National Park in southeastern Germany.
The reason for choosing this location was to take in some more Alpine scenery and to visit the Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) which is a building situated atop the Kehlstein, a rocky promontory above Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden. Completed in 1938, it was commissioned by the Nazi Party for official and social functions and was visited by Adolf Hitler on at least fourteen documented occasions. Now it is a prime tourist location attracting 250-300 thousand visitors over each summer season.
Following a week of hot sunny days, the weather turned to rain for some of this visit - and was apparently the same across most of Europe. With a little help from Google AI however we constructed a plan which fitted the best of the weather, taking in the Eagle's nest, a scenic Alpine drive, a bus trip to Salzburg (60 minutes away across the Austrian border) and a boat trip on the Königssee. The gallery is here.
Salzburg
For a trip to southern Germany, it may seem odd to include a day-visit to Salzburg (Austria) but the borders in this part of the world are open and transport links connect various destinations in both countries, including Salzburg. In fact, visitors to Shonau am Konigsee (our destination in Germany) are provided with a guest card which gives free local transport (including rail transport to Salzberg) or to the border by bus. A further payment of 7 Euros enables a return bus journey all the way: a round trip of 60km.
With the assistance of AI, the main sights of Salzburg are relatively easy to see in one day. They include:
Much is made of the city being the setting for the Sound of Music with tourists wanting to see the iconic locations such as Mirabell gardens (where the 'do-Re-Mi' song was performed) for themselves and of being Mozart's birthplace with the composer lending his name to a variety of goods from chocolates (the round marzipan balls) and fashion to (of course) music. And in May, there were a lot of tourists, many doing the traditional group tour led by a loud guide carrying an umbrella. On this particular occasion, the umbrella was needed as it poured - not unusually for Salzburg we understood from a waiter. The gallery is here.
Königssee
Our accommodation location is called Schonau am Königssee and indeed, nestled in the Berchtesgaden National Park, Königssee is famous for its emerald-green alpine water, dramatic fjord-like cliffs, and pristine environment. In fact, we were surprised to find that outside of our village location the lake boasts a very significant tourist centre offering lake boat rides, a fairly large number of tourist shops and restaurants, a cable car and a permanent artificial ice track for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton (whatever that is!)
The lake itself is enclosed on all but one side by high mountains. It spans 8 kilometers in length, 1.2 kilometers in width, and reaches a maximum depth of 190 meters - reputedly Germany's deepest lake. At the far end (Salet) there is a waterfall considered to be Germany's highest. The lake was carved out by massive glaciers during the last ice age and since 1909, only electric-powered boats, rowing boats, and pedal boats are permitted to preserve water quality.
Having decided to stay in the area, we were determined to see the lake but the weather forecast on our designated day was cloudy in the morning with thunderstorms in the afternoon. There are 2 possible tickets: one to Salet at the end of the lake and one to a location with an isolated church (St. Bartholomew) about 2/3 of the way (35 minutes). At €29 to Salet return, the tickets are not cheap, so given the weather forecast we opted for an early start to St. Bartholomew only.
On the morning at 7am, the entire valley was shrouded in cloud/fog but by 8am, it started to clear and in fact it turned into a bright sunny day with no rain or thunderstorms in sight. Whilst it is another tourist machine, the pictures of the lake were worth it and can be seen here. Included in this gallery and some images from the nearby villages of Schonau and Ramsau with its picturesque church.
Following a request, I an providing links to the galleries in this blog up front as well as in the text below:
From Würzburg to Füssen is about 305km due south and Füssen in the Allgäu region was chosen because it is considered to be the romantic soul of Bavaria and for its proximity to the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles (see previous blog). The journey there was punctuated by direction signs to fascinating town names such as Nesselwang, Fuggerstadt and Wolfschlugen.
Füssen is actually a popular tourist destination in its own right with a compact and well-preserved pedestrianized Old Town (Altstadt). The skyline is dominated by the Hohes Schloss (High Castle), the former summer residence of the prince-bishops of Augsburg, a remarkable piece of architecture with painted decorations on the outside walls and free to visit.
Füssen is surrounded by a number of small towns so rather that stay in the centre, we booked accommodation about 8km away in the town of Hopfen am See which as its name suggests is built around a picturesque lake and is a magnet for German holiday tourists and cycling, swimming and camping activities. A nice touch is that visitors to the area are given a free card which provides free local bus transport.
The sights of Füssen can be seen here
Hopfen am See can be seen here
Places which include our hub in Hopfen am See, the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, the town of Füssen with origins back to the year 750 all tend to be included in an area called the Ammergauer Alps. Our last place of visit in this area was Oberammergau, best known for its 10-year cycle passion play. Another picture postcard town in the region, it is also celebrated for its painted houses and woodcarving crafts.
The difficult-to-find tourist office (because there is no sign which actually says 'Tourist Office') is very helpful once located and provides a useful walking map of the main sights around the town, including many of the old painted houses and the stunning interior of the St. Peter und Paul Catholic church. A half day is sufficient to see most things and earlier in the day is better to avoid the tourist coaches which appear later.
An early start also allows a visit to the nearby Wieskirche. This church with perhaps an even more stunning interior is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As its website states: "The sanctuary of Wies, near Steingaden in Bavaria, is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared."
It is always challenging to take good shots of church interiors, partly because the light is usually low but often punctuated by bright window areas, especially if the sun is shining outside; partly because other tourists are wanting the same shots; and partly because the architecture is usually tall and narrow forcing a thin portrait format which often does no justice to actually being there. For the churches in both Oberammergau and Wieskirchen, the art extended all the way over the extensive ceiling so I experimented with a number of stitched shots. See what you think in the Oberammergau gallery here.
Another 305km drive south took us to Hohenschwangau on the Austrian border. This place name will be unfamiliar to most but it is home to the Neuschwanstein Castle which Disney used as the model for its castle in its theme parks. This is the land of Bavarian kings and Leopold II in particular (who was the commissioner of this castle) together with his friend and famous composer Richard Wagner - creator of the bridal march and many popular operas of the time.
These days, the town and local area is a very well frequented holiday destination with visits to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles operating as well-oiled tourist (i.e. revenue making) machines, owned by the German state of Bavaria, with very tight controls over local parking and traffic movements. Tours often sell out weeks in advance and are timed to the minute! Inside the castles, photography is prohibited (I suspect that there is a strong commercial reason for this as well as the fact that photographs would slow the tour groups) and the opulence that the kings of this period lavished on themselves is to behold!
Photographically (from the outside), Neuschwanstein Castle is THE image to capture and we made a very keen start to catch the early morning light. The castle is reached via private road with shuttle buses which start at 8am and we managed to get the first one. The classic view is from a pedestrian bridge some distance away called Marienbrücke and at this time, the sun had just started to illuminate the castle without illuminating the whole valley.
These views and those of the sister castle Hohenschwangau, can be seen here.
Rising sharply from the Bavarian Alps near Schwangau, Tegelberg mountain is famous for sweeping views of the Alps towards Austria as well as the area surrounding Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles including the towns of Schwangau and Füssen, world-class paragliding, and varied hiking routes. The intermediate ascent via the Tegelburgbahn cable car takes you to 1720m and the peak, marked by a large steel cross is another 200m higher.
A more front-facing view of the Neuschwanstein Castle in particular can be seen from the area around the cable car base station and very dramatic views on the way up (clean glass in the cable car permitting). After about halfway up though, the castle is hidden from view by one of the massive rocky ridge lines.
Climbing to the very top of the Tegelburg with the steel cross is claimed to take about 20 minutes according to the signs but by hiking standards, it is steep with steel ropes along some sections for assistance and precipitous drops either side. It took me an hour but the 360 degree views from the top were stunning and can be seen in the gallery here.
A 165km drive north-east from Heidelburg took us to Würzburg - a slightly smaller city than Heidelburg at 130,000 inhabitants and somewhat older, having been founded in 704AD. Like Heidelburg, it boasts a very well regarded university, and although its city centre is rather more compact, it's culture is equally vibrant with a great many cafes and restaurants in the central squares and streets. It also has its own tram system.
Würzburg sits on the river Main and like Heidelburg it has a central bridge (Altebrücke) which connects to the old part of the city and a fortress which overlooks the city, albeit on the opposite bank. The pedestrianised bridge is very much a centre of local culture for students, locals and tourists alike where one of the traditions is to drink local German wine (e.g. Silvaner) on the bridge, to chat or maybe listen and dance to music. Restaurants at both ends of the bridge sell wine starting at €6 for 25cl.
Also like Heidelburg, there are many iconic academic and religious buildings to be seen at every turn, but the highlight is the Residence, an enormous palace with UNESCO listing which served as the proclamation of grandeur for the prince-bishops of the region from the first half of the 17th century. Much of it was destroyed during the second work war but it has been painstakingly restored and its breathtaking ceiling frescoes are again on display.
The Würzburg fortress (Marienberg Fortress) is best reached by car or public transport as the route, although being just 1km from the Altebrücke, is steep. The location gives great views over the city of Würzburg but has otherwise much less to display given the shift in power to the Residence during the 1700s.
Images of Würzburg can be seen here.
Compared to the small towns which dot the Neckar river, Heidelburg is a big old city (with 160,000 residents today and founded in 1196). It has a well-defined old part (Altstadt) which covers about 3km along the river between Karl's Tor and the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke with the famous Alte Brücke in between. The Altstadt is dominated by Heidelberg castle which itself spans some 500m and sits 100m above the river. The 'hill' above that (Königstuhl) is a total of 450m above the town and the summit offers a panoramic viewpoint over the entire Neckar valley, the city, and the Rhine plain.
In terms of what to do, there is a well-specified walking route around the old city which takes in more than 30 of the major sights, though it is easy to become overwhelmed with one famous building after another. The Altstadt in particular is replete with cafes and restaurants and as you move further east beyond the Alte Brücke, particularly along the Hauptstraße, these give way to shops with familiar brand names.
That trail aside, the dominant attraction by far is Heidelburg Castle. It's possible to walk up a path to make the visit but there is a great funicular railway which can take you there instead and the price of the train includes entrance to the castle. For a little more, the funicular railway connects with a second railway to take you all the way to the top of Königstuhl which at €17 return total (May 2026) is reasonably priced compared with other funicular railways and gondolas around Europe.
One can easily spend a couple of hours at the castle and its grounds. In contrast, there is little to do at the Königstuhl peak unless you are fond of mountain biking through the view from the top is something to tick off your 'to-do' list.
Across the valley on the opposite side from Altstadt is a path known as Philosopher's Walk, so called as it provided a tranquil route for students in the 18th and 19th centuries to stroll, reflect and relax. At 100m above the river, it also provides great views of Heidelburg and the castle and I was able to take a blue-hour shot of the castle and town from this location. Today though, the trees along the route are very mature and good viewpoints are relatively few in number.
Views of Heidelburg including the Altstadt centre, the castle and the panoramas from Königstuhl peak and Philosopher's Walk, can all be seen here.