Want a fairytale walking holiday, then visit Tegelberg located in the Alps of Bavaria, south of Munich, Germany. This trip is suitable for moderate level hikers.

Stay in the town of Schwangau. Start your walking holiday by walking along a local road for about two kilometers to the base of the mountain. The cows spend the night in town and head out into the fields in the early morning and returning about 5 p.m. causing all traffic to stop and wait for the herd to cross. Best vantage point is the outside patio with great beer on the main road.

If you want to see the famous castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein built by King Ludwig purchase your tickets for the English language tours at the base of the mountains and plan to take most of your first day for this. Another great castle build by King Ludwig is the nearby Linderfhof, his summer home, and also worth a visit.

For the hike take the steep walk up the mountain to Neuschwanstein which takes 40-60 minutes. There is a café near the top to relax. Just past the castle follow the hiking trails to the Marienbrucke (bridge) which provides an excellent view of the castles, Schwangau and lake below.

Continue along the trail over to the Tegelberg where there is a panoramic restaurant and plenty of hang gliders to watch. From the top take the three hour hike back down the mountain which offers amazing scenery at every turn. Expect to take about 7-8 hours to complete the entire hike.

On your third day you could take the cable car up Tegelberg to walk along one of the trails departing from the panorama restaurant.

These are other great hikes in the Bavarian Alps can be found in Walking in the Bavarian Alps

With the fairytale castles, fine beer, amazing scenery a walking holiday in Tegelberg, Bavaria makes for a great vacation.