The King-Ludwig-Way starts at the idyllic lake Starnberg, where the fairytale king died so tragically, and leads through the Alpine foothills over to the castles of the Allgäu region, where he spent his youth. You walk past remarkable highlights and Bavarian cultural treasures across a landscape, very much adored by this Bavarian monarch King Ludwig II which ultimately inspired him to have several castles and palaces built. On your tour little monastery towns, tranquil villages, paths past lakes and moors await you. Enjoy the fantastic panoramic views onto the Ammergauer Alps, the Zugspitze summit and the Allgäu mountains just like King Ludwig used to.
Details about hiking holidays on the King-Ludwig-Way
Lakes, nature reserves, small villages, monasteries and beer gardens: you will meet the Bavarian lifestyle every day on the King-Ludwig-Way. And tranquil nature too, because the hiking route takes you to the most beautiful places in the region. The eight-day, very leisurely hiking tour really makes you want to sit down and relax in unspoiled nature. It’s great that there are numerous fantastic panoramas in the foothills of the Alps.
Highlights of the King-Ludwig-Way at a glance:
Distant views of famous peaks: Although you are hiking through the hilly Alpine foothills, you can see the Ammergau Alps, the Zugspitze and the Allgäu mountains in the distance.
Castles, monasteries and pretty towns: Where King Ludwig felt particularly at home, he left his mark to this day – like in Neuschwanstein or Hohenschwangau. You can feel at home in the small villages of Bavaria.
Bavarian Lakes: The Starnberger See and the Ammersee are among the most popular breathing places in Bavaria. On the hiking route you can admire the lakes from panoramic viewpoints.
Useful information about the King-Ludwig-Way
On the first day you can soak up the flair of Lake Starnberg. After your own journey to Bernried, you will have enough time to explore the place – for example the Bernried Abbey or the famous Expressionist collection in the ‘Museum of Fantasy’. The next seven days are spent under the spell of the fairytale king! On leisurely hikes that are between 13 and 21 kilometres long, you hike from Lake Starnberg to the terminus in Füssen. All hikes lead alternately along hiking and forest trails. So it’s ideal if you want to enjoy a walking holiday with your dog. Thanks to Eurohike’s luggage transport, you don’t have to worry about your suitcases. They are brought to the next hotel when you change accommodation.
Are you looking for a leisurely hiking tour with lots of culture and cuisine? Then the King Ludwig Way is made for you! If you have questions, the competent Eurohike team is always by your side!
The tour leads you through the nature reserve along the banks of Lake Starnberg via the Ilka cave with its stunning view onto Lake Starnberg all the way to the Deixfurter pond. Short train ride to Starnberg to the start of the King Ludwig Trail in the Maising Gorge. Along pretty Bavarian villages with inviting beergardens you head for Andechs monastery with its own brewery. Through the gorge of the Kiental to the Ammersee to Herrsching and in a comfortable boat trip to Dießen. Then a short bus ride to Herrsching and a cosy boat trip to Dießen.
From Dießen the path leads you across beautiful meadows and past the castle chapel and after that into the stunningly peaceful Stiller forest. Via hilltops with marvellous views you reach Wessobrunn, home of the well-known ‚grey duke’ (historic belfry) and the natural landmark ‚Tassilolinde’. In the distance you get a glimpse of the Zugspitze summit.
Today you explore the Alpine foothills, very typical for Bavaria with its sleepy little villages and the remote moor areas. Prepare for a steep ascent onto the Hohen Peissenberg mountain, a magnificent spot with weather station and breathtaking panoramic views over the Alps from the Großvenediger all the way into the Allgäu region. Onwards now downhill to Hohenpeissenberg and your tour continues through by train forests and across fields all the way to Peiting.
From Peiting onwards to the untamed and romantic Ammer ravine. Several little bridges and footbridges take you through a ravine above the river Ammer all the way to Rottenbuch. There an especially ornate monastery church awaits you. Then across hills and meadows with glorious views onto the Alpine mountain range, you arrive at today’s day finish.
Through lonely forests and idyllic moorland to the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site "Kirche in der Wies". Via the popular Brettlesweg through forests and colorful flowering meadows to the Welfenmünster in Steingaden and by bus to your stage destination Buching.Through lonely forests and idyllic moor regions onwards to the world famous UNESCO world heritage ‚Kirche in der Wies’ (church in the meadow). Via soft hilltops, through forests and meadows covered in colourful flowers and distant views onto the Allgäu Alps and the King-Ludwig-country on Lake Forggensee to your Day 6 finish Buching.
Across nature reserves along and past Lake Hegratsried and then either continue on the path along Lake Forggensee to Füssen or uphillalong the Pöllatbach to the most stunning castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau on past the idyllic Lake Schwansee. Then and along the Kalvarienberg into the historic market town of Füssen.
You walk on walking paths or forest trails as well as on asphalted paths. For tours through the Alpine foothills with a walking time of 4 to max. 6 hours, stamina and a good basic fitness level is required.
Detailed travel documents 1x per room (German, English)
App for Navigation and GPS-data available
Service hotline
Optional extras:
Return transfer by minibus to Bernried- on Lake Starnberg (every day), costs EUR 75 per person, EUR 29 per dog, reservation is necessary, to be paid for in advance.
Infos
Arrival / Parking / Departure:
Arrival in Munich and then a 45 mins train journey to Bernried on Lake Starnberg.
Munich airport.
Parking: limited hotel parking spaces free of charge, no reservation required.
Return train journey from Füssen to Bernried, duration approx. 3 hours (2x change trains).
Things to note:
Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price
Train ride Bernried – Starnberg, approx. € 6 per person
Train ride Peißenberg – Peiting, approx. € 5 per person
Bus ride Steingaden – Buching, approx. € 5 per person
Special dates on request
Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!
Contact & booking
Do you still have questions about the tour? We are happy to help and look forward to your inquiry.
"I will help you with the planning of your holidays with advice and action"
This was our 3rd walking trip with Eurohike. As expected, everything was planned beautifully. Only thing we had to do was to walk from one hotel to the other. Directions were precise, especially now we had GPS on our phones. It was nice that they provided optional routes where available that were easy to follow as well (we took optional walk on our last day because of crummy weather). The only bad thing about this trip was the weather! It rained every single day! But, nobody has any controll over that. So, overall, we rate this trip with 5 stars, and will definitely use Eurohike again for our future European trips!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 stars
Andreas Schmitt |22.09.2022
Super organisierte Wandertour
Das Alpenvorland mit den wunderschönen grünen Wiesen und den herrlichen Blick auf die Berge
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 stars
Sabine Fahlbusch |22.09.2022
Schönes Alpenvorland mit tollem Panorama
Schöne individuelle Wanderung von Ort zu Ort mit super guten Unterlagen von Eurohike. Viele Möglichkeiten zum Abkürzungen oder Verlängerungen mit vielen Tipps. Wanderwege ein Teil zuviel Asphalt
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Frans S. |09.08.2022
König- Ludwig- Weg is a Highlight!
This wandertrip goes not only through a wonderful landscape with beautifull views, but gives access to beautifull churches and cloisters.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 stars
Ulrich Lichtenberg |06.06.2022
Interessante Wanderung mit kulturellen Highlights
Sehenswerte Kirchen in Steingaden und Rottenbuch. Stadtbild in Füssen sehenswert. Weg durch das Ammertal landschaftlich interessant, aber z. T. sehr schlammig, einige Stege ohne Geländer.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Kati B. |30.04.2022
Traumhaftes Alpenvorland
Positiv: - gute Organisation (Koffertransport, Unterbringung, Essen vor Ort möglich, nette Gastgeber) - gute Streckenführung und passende Länge der Tagesetappen für "Flachland-Wanderer" - alternative Optionen wurden angeboten, auch mit der Möglichkeiten zum Bus fahren - ansprechende Präsentation der Reiseunterlagen Negativ: - Beschreibung in den Reiseunterlagen teilweise zu viel Text, aber ohne konkrete Angaben ("dem logischen Straßenverlauf folgen", "kurz nach... abbiegen") - Kartenmaterial im Booklet nicht ausreichend, um danach wandern zu können. Extra Karte wäre wünschenswert gewesen, nicht jeder kann GPS
ValerieHaringanswered:
Lieber Gast, vielen Dank für Ihr Feedback - detaillierte Unterlagen sind eines unserer größten Anliegen, wir werden diese gerne überprüfen und ggbf. entsprechend ergänzen, vielen Dank!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 stars
Manfred P. |01.10.2021
Erholsame und gemütliche Tour
Auf dieser Wanderreise im Herbst habe ich vor allem die Ruhe, die Panoramablicke und die Schönheit der Natur genosse. Danke einer reibungslosen Organisation konnte ich mich vollkommen auf die Wanderungen und die schönen Landschaften konzentrieren. Auch die kulturellen Sehenswürdigkeiten wie das Museum der Phantasie war sehr spannend. Die Kombination aus Bewegung, Kultur, Erholung und leckerem Essen war super.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 stars
Carsten Neustadt |02.11.2020
Bayern im Herbst
Goldener Herbst - hätte es sein können, war es leider nicht, kalt, trüb und regnerisch, paasiert, kann keiner was dafür. Buchung und Wandertourenführer, sogar Buspläne, nahezu perfekt organisiert. Danke dafür. Eigentlich müsste der König-Ludwig-Weg nicht in Bernried sondern in Schloss Berg beginnen (oder enden). Aber Bernried war es wert, einen Tag dort zu verweilen, Buchheim Museum der Phantasie, ein Muss und der Schlosspark Höhenried ist ebenso sehenswert. Die Wanderungen an sich sind eher weniger spektakulär, oft asphaltierte Wege, bei Regen allerdings nicht schlecht. Froh waren wir über die Alternativen, z.B. den Brettl-Weg und die Empfehlung, einen Abstecher zu Schloss Linderhof zu machen, machbar, trotz x-mal umsteigen. Corona verhinderte leider Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau war aber auch interessant, waren froh, auch in Füssen noch eine Zusatznacht gebucht zu haben. Wir hatten letztlich einen sehr abwechslungsreichen Urlaub bei einstelligen Temperaturen aber ohne Biergärten und durch Corona maskiert. Unterkünfte waren alle ok. Hotel Seeblick in Bernried sogar mit Spa, was an einem Regentag sehr gut tat.
ValerieHaringanswered:
Wie schön zu hören, dass es Ihnen - trotz des schlechten Wetters - so gut gefallen hat. Hoffentlich schenken Sie uns auch nächstes Jahr wieder Ihr Vertrauen um Ihren Urlaub zu organisieren!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Uwe Herold |17.10.2020
Unser Einstieg in die Wanderwelt
Diese Wanderung war sowohl von der Fitness, der Landschaft und von der neuen Erfahrung wirklich ein Gewinn. Die Streckenführung war sehr schön ausgewählt, wunderbare Landschaften wurden uns gezeigt, sanfte Hügel führten uns an den Städten vorbei, kleine Ortschaften boten mit Dorfbrunnen und schöner historischer Bausubstanz ein besonders Bild. Besonders hilfreich war das perfekte Kartenmaterial mit fast metergenauen Wegangaben. In Kombination mit den GPS-Tracks als Zusatzangebot gab es nicht einen Fehllauf. Dafür ein besonderes Lob an Eurohike. Die Unterkünfte waren bis auf ein Mal guter Standart, meist war das Abendessen im Hause möglich, wofür wir nach 25-27 km Wanderung auch dankbar waren. Die Häuser waren auch in Corona-Zeiten als positiv zu bewerten. Einmal gab es Kaffe und Brötchen auf Zuteilung, das wäre nicht nötig gewesen. Die Streckenführung gerade am 3. Tag durch die Ammerschlucht war anspruchsvoll, hier waren wir am Abend "platt". Wir möchten diese Tage aber nicht missen, sie waren ein wirklicher Gewinn und bei einer guten Grundkondition empfehlen wir sie gerne weiter.
ValerieHaringanswered:
Vielen Dank für Ihre nette Bewertung! Schön, dass Sie so einen tollen Urlaub mit Eurohike verbracht haben! Hoffentlich folgen noch viele weitere!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Elke S. |09.10.2020
Sehr schöne Wanderung :-)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Renate Mendt |28.09.2020
Wir waren sehr zufrieden mit Allem!
Es war eine schöne Überraschung, jeden Tag eine wirklich schöne Unterkunft und freundlicher Empfang. Ein Heft mit Hülle für jeden wäre nett gewesen. Sehr zufrieden!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Jose Garrido |02.09.2020
Excellent service!
The tour was wonderful! I particularly wish to highlight 1) the flexibility shown by Eurohike when we needed to change the tour originally booked due to covid, 2) the quality of the hotels in which we stayed and 3) the excellent luggage transport service.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Dick Slob |16.08.2020
Walking in the beautiful area of Bavaria!
Every day the mountains become closer and closer. The landscape changes during the week.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Debbie Keffer |27.10.2019
Amazing trip along King Ludwig's Way
The highlight for us with this trip was the fact that for most days, we were hiking with a view of mountains, which got larger each day. The trail was well signed and for the most part, on very good surfaces. One hike through a river gorge provided a bit more challenge, but it was beautiful. This part of the country was gorgeous and we felt so lucky to be spending our days hiking there. We even got to appreciate some fall colour. Our final day, we chose the easier lakeside walk into Füssen and were pleased with how beautiful it was. Then, the next day, we walked the last bit of trail in reverse to visit the two castles and take the cable car up at Tegelberg. It worked out perfectly - I highly recommend staying an extra night in Füssen! One note for North American travelers - very few places accept credit cards so ensure you have lots of Euros on hand to purchase meals.
Bavaria is an immaculate place, stunning in all ways. Would definitely book through Eurohike, fantastic service and the hotels we stayed in on the King Ludwig trail deserve 6 stars, beautiful and the people were lovely. Would definitely return to Bavaria without a doubt.
ValerieHaringanswered:
Dear Jacky, thank you so much for your marvelous feedback! We are so happy to hear, that you have very much liked your walking trip in beautiful Bavaria. We would be very happy to welcome you once again on one of our numerous walking trips!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Willy De Jonge |05.08.2019
Perfect!
Beautiful walks, not too heavy, GPS tracks provided by Eurohike make it super easy to find route, good accomodations, perfectly organised. Just perfect.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Robert Bullock |27.09.2018
Great Walk. Can't wait to do another one.
I wanted to combine 2 things I love. Walking and Europe. This holiday did both. Having both paper maps and also the GPS map on the phone was a great combination.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Sally Webb-Jones |12.07.2018
Relaxing walk, thanks to Eurohike's organisation
Gentle walking through lovely pastoral scenery, well marked routes and easy to follow walking guide. Being on the St James Way was an unexpected bonus. Well paced for points of interest and options for watering holes. Variety of landscapes.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 stars
Monika Krächan |04.07.2018
Schöne Wanderungen bei teilweise Regen
Unsere Wanderung auf dem König-Ludwig-Weg vom Starnberger See nach Füssen war angenehm. Wir hatten überwiegend trockenes Wetter bei angenehmen Wandertemperaturen. Lediglich an einem Tag hat es bei nur 11° Außentemperatur fast den ganzen Tag geregnet. Die Wege waren gut zu gehen, ich persönlich hätte mir mehr Wald- und Wiesenpfade gewünscht. Viele Passagen gingen über asphaltierte bzw. geschotterte Wege. Wir konnten die Ruhe und den Weitblick auf die Ammergauer Alpen, die Zugspitze und die Allgäuer Berge genießen und werden bestimmt wieder eine Wanderreise mit Eurohike unternehmen.
TanjaHaringanswered:
Dankeschön für Ihre Bewertung! Wir freuen uns, dass Sie auch trotz Regenwetters, die Wanderreise vom Starnberger See nach Füssen genossen haben! Die von uns beschriebene Route ist der offizielle ausgeschilderte König-Ludwig-Weg. Die Wegführung verläuft somit teilweise auch auf aslphaltierten Straßen. Hier können wir allerdings wenig Alternativen beschreiben, da diese sonst von der Originalroute abweicht.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Ralph Eckard |09.06.2018
Very good
Greeting livestock along the way, listening to cowbells, open meadows nestled among the mountains, reaching each hotel after a day's hike, joining up with other hikers at supper and breakfast meals, and finally seeing Neuschwanstein in the distance as we were hiking our last day were the highlights.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Chris Shinners |12.10.2017
Excellent walk and organisation by Eurohike.
Easy booking, great organisation and travel documents. Accomodation very good. The walk itself was terrific - tracks/paths, scenery, variation .... very pretty countryside, especially enhanced by the oncoming Autumn colours.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Lisa L. |02.10.2017
Wonderful trip!
We thoroughly enjoyed the King Lugwig Way hike. Eurohike did a great job! This hike takes you though beautiful, lush Bavarian landscapes. The people were friendly wherever we stopped. It's approximately 20KM of walking per day but flat terrain so you have lots of time to visit and explore the local towns and villages.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Roger Lawrance |19.09.2017
Relaxing and beautiful walk.
Great walk. Well organised. Everything went smoothly. GPS coordinates were particularly useful. Trip notes giving alternatives and detailing public transport options was very helpful. All my enquiries both before and after I booked the trip were answered promptly and well. Fantastic service - thanks Elisabeth and crew.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Hayley Mace |19.07.2017
Lovely way to see Bavaria
Hike goes through lovely countryside. Days are a good length, all day walks but not too much. It was well organised, documents were very clear and informative. Luggage was waiting for us every day at our destination.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Christine Gross |04.06.2017
Vorzüglich
Die Reise war in jeder Hinsicht vorzüglich organisiert. Genossen habe ich die Schönheit, die Weite und Ruhe der Landschaft, die wunderschönen Häuser und Kirchen, das feine Essen in den gemütlichen Gasthöfen, die netten Begegnungen mit Einheimischen. Alles perfekt, um Körper und Seele wieder in Einklang zu bringen. Bewegung/Ernährung/Entspannung in der richtigen Dosierung. Ein großes Stück heile Welt!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
4 stars
Mario Carniel |13.05.2017
Good hiking tour
Good travel and good documentation. Wonderful to get the GPS-track files, they helped me a lot.
Eurofun Touristik GmbHanswered:
Dear Mr. Carniel, thank you for your feedback! It is good to know you had a nice time on the King Ludwig Trail. We always seek to provide written route notes as detailed as possible so you can focus completely on your hikes. However, it is always handy to have GPS-tracks with you when it comes to difficult decisions or directions are not 100% clear. We are happy to provide free GPS-tracks for all our Eurohike-Original trips by now!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Isabelle Halleux |12.09.2016
You have to walk it!
We enjoyed very much this trip, mixing nice alpine landscapes, crop fields, ponds, baroque churches and a nice history. Excellent choice of gasthausen. Very good balance of walk length and duration.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Les Hereward |28.08.2016
Bavarian Dreamscape
This was the high point of my summer holidays. A well organised route through some lovely Bavarian countryside and forest. The overnight stops were varied and interesting almost invariably of a high standard.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Paul Wickham |15.08.2016
Very content
A nice walking tour, well documented with comfortable hotels. Organisation was unobtrusive and faultless. Very pretty countryside.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
5 stars
Stephen Jones |12.07.2016
Nice walk through Bavaria!
The walk was a nice fairly walk through Bavaria. The hotels that were selected were friendly, comfortable and clean. The breakfast was a typical German breakfast with good fresh bread, yogurt, cheese and meat. More than enough food to get you going in the morning. The luggage transfer was flawless and at most hotels was delivered to our room which was appreciated at the end of the day. The travel pack direction was easy to use and the descriptions were the best we have used. We enjoyed the walk and the area!