Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Munich. Travel by train (S-Bahn every 20 minutes from the airport with one easy change in central Munich; journey time 1 hour 20 mins) to Starnberg where your hotel is just across the square from the station and lakeshore. Those arriving early can take a boat trip to Leoni on the first afternoon and walk the first 7km/ 4 miles of King Ludwig's Way back along the lakeshore via Berg (where a chapel overlooks the point in the lake where King Ludwig was found dead) to Starnberg. Overnight Starnberg (or, rarely, at Leoni).

Day 2: Walk from Starnberg via the Maisinger See nature reserve and the Andechs church & monastery (famous for its brewery) to Herrsching on the Ammersee lake. Ferry to Diessen on the other shore of the Ammersee. Overnight Diessen.

 Day 3: The longest day’s walk of the tour, much of it level although with a steep ascent and descent near the end. You start with an opportunity to visit the baroque cathedral (Marienmuenster) in Diessen before walking through the forest and across meadows to Wessobrun monastery. An opportunity for lunch at a wayside Gasthof in Wessobrun.  Continue via St Leonhard-im-Forst (with a fine village church) to the summit of Hohenpeissenberg hill (988m/3241 feet), the highest point on King Ludwig's Way, with its splendid views. On the summit are a pilgrimage church, an astronomical observatory and a café with a scenic lounge. Then a steep descent across haymeadows to Unterbau village to overnight.

 Day 4: Not a long walk, but traverses the wildest landscapes of the tour. From Hohenpeissenberg village you descend into the depths of the romantic Ammerschlucht (Ammer Gorge). The main trail through the Ammerschlucht is a delightful mix of forest and riverside walking in a steep sided valley. There is also a longer alternative climbing high above the valley. Rottenbuch's Augustininian Abbey, formerly a Stiftskirche (now a Pfarrkirche – parish church), was originally a Romanesque basilica dating back to the 11th Century. It was extended in gothic style and between 1730 and 1750 it was decorated in the rococo style. The jovial nature of the style is seen in its decoration with cherubs. Overnight at Rottenbuch.

 Day 5: Carry on to Wies (also known as Wieskirche), which boasts Bavaria’s most beautiful Pilgrimage church, built in 1745-54 under the supervision of Dominikus Zimmerman. The name means 'meadow' or 'meadow church', and the incongruously vast church is still surrounded by hay meadows. After lunch at the conveniently situated Gasthof you continue along the base of the densely forested Alpine escarpment to the prosperous village of Trauchgau. Overnight accommodation near Trauchgau.

 Day 6: The final day’s walk takes you via the Pollath gorge to the castles of Neuschwanstein. Descend to Hohenschwangau castle and the Alpsee, before walking on to the historic town of Fuessen where you overnight.

 Day 7: A day to explore the town of Fuessen and its beautiful surroundings. Easily accessible are a large number of walks and excursions, including the Tegelberg, a high level wonderland for walkers at 1800m, reached by cable car. Also close to Fuessen are the beautiful Alatsee and Alpsee (lakes), with delightful circular walks. You can also take a boat trip on the Forggensee or nip across the border into the Austrian Tirol (only just over a mile away, even closer from Alatsee or Alpsee).  Overnight Fuessen. 

 Day 8: Depart by train (one train per hour, journey time 2 hours, either direct or simple cross-platform change at Buchloe) from Fuessen to Munich, where you can change onto the S-Bahn to reach the airport (every ten minutes; journey time 45 minutes). 

Accommodation:
We stay at small hotels and ‘Gasthofs’ (pensions), all have full ensuites. If our first choice is fully booked we may substitute accommodation of a similar standard. At Starnberg (night 1) our preferred hotel, overlooking the lake, dates from around 1900 and has spacious rooms. On night 2 at Diessen we are again close to the lakeshore, in modern rooms with balcony, telephone and TV. On night 3 our small welcoming Gasthof is set amongst hay meadows below the slopes of Hohenpeissenberg hill. On night 4 we stay at a small Pension by the historic gateway of a monastic village; downstairs is a pleasant cafe offering ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ (coffee and cakes). On night 5 near Trauchgau, our hotel has a fine panoramic view of the Alps. The last two nights are spent in Fussen in a hotel with a beer garden and a bar which is at the end of the main street in the old town.