Two days is the sweet spot for this corner of Bavaria. It is enough to see the headline castles without rushing and to add one more region, but not so long that you run out of ideas. The plan below puts the timed castle tours on the first day, when you are fresh and when you can reserve a slot at your leisure, then gives you two options for the second day depending on whether you want palaces and churches or mountains and gorges.
Before you go: book the fixed points
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are visited by guided tour at a set time, and tickets sell out at weekends and in busy seasons. Reserve both for the same morning, leaving at least an hour and a half between the two start times so you are not racing between hills. Linderhof is also visited by guided tour, so if you plan to include it on day two, check the tour times in advance. Everything else on this itinerary is free or flexible.
Day one, morning: the castle cluster
Start at Hohenschwangau, where the ticket centre sits below the two castles. If you have time before your slot, the Museum of the Bavarian Kings on the Alpsee shore is a good self-paced first stop, because it explains Ludwig II and his family before you walk into their rooms. Hohenschwangau Castle comes first on the tour order because it is the lower, easier climb and the place where Ludwig grew up. Its tour is a little longer than the one at Neuschwanstein and feels more like a family home. Then head up to Neuschwanstein, either on foot on the steep paved road, by shuttle bus when the road is clear, or by horse-drawn carriage. Even with the bus or the carriage you face a steep ten-minute walk from the drop-off, so allow time. The tour inside takes about half an hour, and photography is not allowed.
Day one, afternoon: lake, town and a late view
After the castles, walk down to the Alpsee and follow the shoreline path, which is about five kilometres around and takes roughly an hour and a half. If your legs have had enough, walk only to the first benches for the classic view of Hohenschwangau above the water. In summer you can swim or rent a boat. Then ride the bus into Füssen for the evening. The old town is compact, with a pedestrian main street, a Baroque abbey and a castle above the Lech river, and it has the widest choice of restaurants in the area. If you stay in Füssen, you can walk to dinner and sleep close to the station for the next morning.
Day two, option A: the Ludwig and Baroque loop
This day works best with a car or a private driver, because the sights are scattered and the public transport links are slow. Start at the Wieskirche, the Rococo pilgrimage church standing alone in a meadow, which takes about an hour and has free entry. Continue to Linderhof Palace, the only one of Ludwig's palaces that he finished, which is visited by guided tour of around twenty-five minutes. In the cold season the park buildings and fountains are closed, so you come for the interior. Stop at Ettal Abbey for the Baroque basilica, which is free to enter, and finish in Oberammergau for a walk past painted houses and carved wooden figures. Allow about an hour between major stops, so do not add anything else.
Day two, option B: the mountain day
If you prefer scenery, move to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the morning. The Zugspitze is the headline, with a cogwheel train and cable car to Germany's highest summit, and the Eibsee at its foot is the easy lake walk. On a clear day, go up first and walk the lake afterwards, because clouds tend to build later. In the afternoon, visit the Partnachklamm gorge, which is particularly dramatic in winter. Check the weather and the live webcams before buying a mountain ticket, because the view can disappear. Most people cannot do both the Zugspitze and a full gorge walk in daylight in the short days of winter, so choose one as the main event.
Where to sleep
For a first night, Füssen or Schwangau keeps you close to the castles. If you choose option B, move on to Garmisch for the second night so you wake up near the lifts. Both Hotel Hirsch in Füssen and Hotel Das Rübezahl in Schwangau work well as bases for day one, and the Riessersee Hotel or Obermühle in Garmisch suit the mountain option.
Practical tips
Wear shoes with grip, because the castle approach is steep and paths can be icy in winter. Bring cash for small cafes and bus fares, since some rural places prefer it. The castles are closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 January, so build the plan around other days at that time of year. If you do not drive, the regional bus between Garmisch and Füssen and the trains from Munich can still get you to most of this, but allow extra time and check connections in advance.
