60km (37 miles) NW of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 92km (57 miles) S of Augsburg, 119km (74 miles) SW of Munich

This little town at the southern terminus of the Romantic Road in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps is a workhorse compared to the show ponies down the road, the castles at Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. But Füssen is more than just a jumping-off point and makes quite an attractive showing on its own with a cluster of gabled houses sheltering on medieval lanes beneath the Hohes Schloss, a fine Gothic castle. If you’re arriving by train, you’ll be traveling in good historic company: Richard Wagner used to take the train down here to visit his patron, King Ludwig II. And should you need reminding that this is an old town, the main shopping street, Reichenstrasse, follows the main street of a Roman garrison, Via Claudia.