Fischbachau Fairytale Forest

A walk in the woods for families with little kids that gives you more than your average stroll.

No theme park, no admission fee, just an hour through a moody patch of forest near Fischbachau, past brightly painted gnomes and faces carved into tree trunks. A loop for families with little ones that is more than your ordinary walk in the woods.

Lengthabout 3.5 km (2.2 mi) loopDurationabout 1 hourElevation gainabout 30 m (100 ft), basically flatGood forfamilies, small kids, strollersTrailheadLehenpoint hiking lot, FischbachauParking fee2 hours free, day pass 5 eurosAdmissionNoneGetting there from Bayrischzellabout a 10-minute driveAmenitiesrestroom, playground with marble run, Fischbachau pump trackEventStorytelling Hour April through September

More atmospheric than you would expect

Forest mood in the Fairytale Forest, with beautiful light filtering through the trees

The forest itself carries the whole walk, with gorgeous light filtering through the trees, a clearing further back, and a little pond near the start. The figures and the faces on the tree trunks are the bonus, not the only reason to come.

The little ones light up at every face on a tree trunk and stop at every single figure. For kids, a walk in the woods turns into a treasure hunt as they scout for the next figure, the next face, the next gnome. And the grown-ups get to stroll along behind at their own pace.

Flat, short and stroller-friendly

The flat, stroller-friendly path through the Fairytale Forest

About 3.5 kilometers (2.2 mi) as a loop, barely any climbing, and an easy hour if you take your time. It is specifically recommended as a first little hike for kids to walk on their own from around age 2, and it works with an off-road stroller too.

Here is a nice little hook for the kids: if they look closely and count all the gnomes along the way, they can pick up a small surprise at the Fischbachau tourist office. That keeps spirits up even when little legs start to get tired.

Storytelling Hour in the woods

From April through September there is a regular Storytelling Hour right in the Fairytale Forest, with tales and stories from Bavaria told out in the middle of the woods. For families with younger kids it is a lovely reason to build the walk around a set event. You will find the dates on the Fischbachau community website.

How to get there

Start: the Lehenpoint hiking lot in Fischbachau. Two hours of free parking, day pass 5 euros. There is a restroom on site.

From Bayrischzell: about a 10-minute drive from Bayrischzell over to Lehenpoint near Fischbachau.

On site: right by the parking lot there is a playground with a marble run and the Fischbachau pump track, which pair up nicely if the kids still have energy to burn afterward.

Do not expect too much and you will come away pleasantly surprised. It is not an all-day outing, but it really is a lovely hour in the woods, especially with younger children. It goes well with a quick side trip to Birkenstein, which is only a few minutes away.