If you want to experience a touch of adventure while hiking through a Allgäu dream landscape, the hiking tour “On Smugglers’ Paths” is ideal.
The 10,4 km long hike leads from Füssen Weißensee along picturesque waters and mountains to the romantic Füssen old town. You will sometimes be on hidden forest paths where smugglers once secretly transported tobacco, alcohol, perfume and other goods across the border. At the end of the hiking tour, the Füssen old town impresses with its numerous sightseeing highlights.
Beautiful impressions of nature, wonderful views of the Allgäu mountains, a touch of adventure and numerous sights in Füssen's old town - the hiking tour "On Smugglers' Paths" is a real highlight that has a lot to offer. For the 10,4 km long, moderately difficult hike you need a bit of fitness and ankle-hugging hiking boots with a decent tread sole. The starting point of the hiking tour is the outdoor swimming pool in the idyllic, rural Füssen district of Weißensee. Coming from the A7, you can reach this by taking the Füssen exit and then taking the B310. You can also get to Füssen via the federal highways B16 and B17 and then on the B310 towards Weißensee. At the beginning of this exciting hiking tour, you walk a little counterclockwise along the banks of the Weißensee, whose water has a beautiful turquoise color and is surrounded by picturesque meadows, between which are the 23 hamlets that belong to the Weißensee district.
On the south bank there is a narrow forest path that takes you up to the mysterious Alatsee. This legendary and beautiful mountain lake is known nationwide as it has served as the setting for several Allgäu crime novels. There are numerous myths and legends surrounding the lake, whose water shimmers reddish under special lighting conditions, which earned it the name “bleeding lake”. Apparently ghosts also live on the banks here and tend to drag inattentive hikers into the depths. After you have hopefully successfully avoided the ghost attack, you take the climb on the banks of the Alatsee that leads to the “Zwei-Seen-Blick” viewpoint and the Hahnenkopfweg. At the Two Lakes View you can expect a magnificent view of the Alatsee, the Weißensee and the Allgäuer and Tyrolean mountains. Don't forget to take out your digital camera!
After walking on the Hahnenkopfweg for a while, the path branches off to the right over the Ländescharte, which takes you to the Austrian side. Climbing the Ländescharte is quite adventurous and at one point is even secured by ropes. You should be very careful here, especially if it has rained beforehand, as the climb can be very slippery.
When you arrive on the Ländeweg you can see the former storage and binding areas of the raftsmen on the banks of the Vils and Lechu. Now keep left and walk on a wide path towards Lechfall/Füssen. Attention is required, because at some point an inconspicuous forest path branches off to the left, which is the so-called “Smuggler's Path” and takes you to the Schwärzerweg. In the past, smugglers often traveled here on dark nights to get tobacco, alcohol, perfume and other goods across the border past customs officers. You then continue on the Schwärzerweg towards Bad Faulenbach and via the Faulenbachgässchen you reach the Theresienbrücke on the Lech. From the idyllic Bad Faulenbach, which is roughly the city's natural spa park Füssen, it's worth taking a short detour to the König-Max-Steg, which was built 1895 and leads over the impressive Lechfall.
Here you can watch from above how the wild masses of water plunge seven meters into the depths to flow into the Lech Gorge. The actual hiking tour leads from the Theresienbrücke over the Lechhalde to the Füssen old town. The pedestrian zone begins at the city fountain, where there is always a lot of activity, almost reminiscent of an Italian piazza, at the end of which a street leads to the left to the train and bus station. The 71 bus takes you back to Füssen Weißensee, the starting point of this interesting hiking tour.
We recommend spending some time in Füssen's historic old town and taking a look around. Along narrow, winding streets you will find Gothic houses, old churches and many buildings from the Middle Ages that are worth seeing. Particularly worth seeing are the old St. Mang Monastery, which houses the Füssener Museum, and the High Castle, which sits enthroned on a hill above the old town and is one of the best-preserved medieval castle complexes in Bavaria. Hungry hikers can stop off in cozy cafés and restaurants and indulge in Allgäuer delicacies. If you still need a souvenir of your holiday, you will surely find it in the cute shops in the old town. The green parks here, which are small, quiet oases, promise relaxation and peace.
The hiking tour “On Smugglers’ Paths” combines charming natural impressions with a touch of adventure and sightseeing attractions in the romantic Füssen old town. On this hike you can get to know one of the most beautiful areas of the Allgäu better.
