Garmisch-Partenkirchen

A Bavarian resort town at the foot of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak, where painted old streets, the Partnach Gorge and mountain cable cars make it worth staying a few days to explore.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen lies at the southern tip of Bavaria, Germany, about 90 km from Munich. It was formed in 1935 when the two old towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen merged to host the 1936 Winter Olympics. The town sits in the Loisach valley, with the Wetterstein Mountains to the south; the Zugspitze (2,962 m), Germany's highest peak, rises southwest of town, and the Karwendel range lies to the southeast.

The climate is alpine: June–September is best for hiking, lakes and gorges, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms in July–August; December–March is ski season, with the New Year ski jump of the Four Hills Tournament; many cable cars close for maintenance in May and November.

The sights fall into several areas: in town, the painted Ludwigstraße in Partenkirchen, the Old Church in Garmisch and the spa park; south of town, the Olympic ski stadium and the Partnach Gorge; to the west at Grainau, the Eibsee, Badersee and Höllental Gorge, with the Zugspitze cog railway and cable car also departing from here; up the mountain, the AlpspiX viewing platform and the Garmisch-Classic ski area; and 18 km to the southeast, the violin-making town of Mittenwald, with the Karwendel cable car, Lautersee and the Leutasch Gorge. To the north, Ettal Abbey, Oberammergau and Linderhof Palace are all within 30 km and make good day trips.

Getting there: regional trains run hourly direct from Munich Central Station, taking about 1 hour 20 minutes; staying overnight earns you the GaPa guest card, with free rides on local buses. A return ticket to the Zugspitze is pricey (from about €70), so consider a combined ticket covering the cog railway and cable cars. Allow 2–4 days; wear non-slip shoes in the mountains, and since alpine weather changes quickly, check cable car operations and the forecast before setting out.

Top sights

• Eibsee – An emerald alpine lake directly below the Zugspitze, dotted with small islands and surrounded by a gentle trail. It is Garmisch's most phot…
• AlpspiX Viewing Platform – Two crossing steel walkways suspended from the Osterfelderkopf, with nearly 1,000 m of drop beneath them and a view of the Zugspitze range.
• Höllentalklamm – A high-mountain gorge at Grainau, where walkways and tunnels run between roaring rapids and icy mist. It is wilder than the Partnach Gorge.
• Ludwigstraße Partenkirchen – The main street of old Partenkirchen, with Lüftlmalerei religious and folk murals covering the house walls, lined with beer halls and long-…
• Zugspitze – Germany's highest peak at 2,962 m, reached by rack railway or cable car, with views across the Alpine ranges of Germany, Austria, Italy and…
• Olympic Ski Stadium & Große Olympiaschanze – The main venue of the 1936 Winter Olympics. The modern, streamlined Große Olympiaschanze ski jump is the town's landmark, and the annual Fo…
• King's House on Schachen – A wooden hunting lodge built by King Ludwig II at 1,866 metres above sea level. Its exterior is plain, but the Turkish Hall on the upper fl…
• Wank – A viewpoint mountain east of the town, reached by cable car to the summit at 1,780 metres. It offers a direct view over the town and the Zu…
• Garmisch-Classic Ski Area – One of Germany's largest ski areas. The famous Kandahar downhill course hosts a World Cup event every year, and its cable cars also serve a…
• Werdenfels Castle Ruins – The ruins of a 13th-century castle standing on a rocky outcrop in the forest north of the town. A walk up the hill offers views over the Lo…
• Riessersee – A small forest lake south of the town. It reflects the Zugspitze and Alpine peaks, and a walk around the lake takes 20 minutes, making it i…
• Badersee – A small alpine lake in the village of Grainau. Its water is crystal clear, and a 'mermaid' (Nixe) statue sits on the lake bed, offering a q…
• Old Church of St. Martin – The oldest Gothic church in Garmisch, whose interior walls preserve frescoes from the 14th to 16th centuries, including a giant image of Sa…
• Pilgrimage Church of St. Anton – A Baroque pilgrimage church on the hillside above Partenkirchen. A stations-of-the-cross path winds up through the trees, and the frescoes…
• Werdenfels Museum – A local folk museum on Ludwigstraße, displaying masks, carved Carnival masks, religious art and mountain life.
• Michael Ende Kurpark – A town-centre park named after the author of 'The Neverending Story'. Its sculptures draw on his fairy tales, and there are concerts on sum…
• Mittenwald Old Town – A violin-making town at the foot of the Karwendel mountains. The houses along Obermarkt have the densest concentration of painted façades a…
• Mittenwald Violin Making Museum – A museum telling the story of Mittenwald's three-hundred-year violin-making tradition, with old workshops, a collection of fine instruments…
• Karwendelbahn – A cable car climbing from Mittenwald to 2,244 m, where a giant telescope-shaped viewing house on the summit juts out over the cliff, lookin…
• Lautersee & Ferchensee – Two high-mountain lakes in the forest west of Mittenwald, linked by a loop trail, with the Wetterstein peaks behind them and swimming in su…
• Leutasch Gorge – A gorge on the German-Austrian border with a suspended walkway, the 'Ghost Gorge', and a waterfall trail running along the rock walls, well…
• Linderhof Palace – The only palace King Ludwig II completed and lived in, famous for its rococo interiors, Venus Grotto and symmetrical gardens.
• Partnach Gorge – A 700-metre limestone gorge near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with a path carved into the cliff walls passing above rushing water, and frozen in…

Where to eat

• Zum Wildschütz – A long-running Bavarian restaurant in central Garmisch with wood-paneled interiors and a beer garden. Its signature is…
• Husar – A family restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide, in an inn more than 400 years old with a mural-painted façade. T…
• Kaiserschmarrn-Alm – A mountain hut in Grasseck above Partnach Gorge, known for freshly made Kaiserschmarrn and views of the Dreitorspitze…
• Gasthaus zur Schranne – A traditional inn in a protected historic building on the site of a granary dating to 1610, serving Augustiner beer and…
• 4eck Restaurant & Bar – A modern restaurant that changes its menu with market supply and the seasons. Guests can combine dishes into multi-cour…

Itineraries

• Munich, Zugspitze & Salzburg Rail Tour – Use Munich as a base to visit castles by train, stay in the mountains to ascend Zugspitze, and end in Salzburg.
• German Alpine Road: Lindau to Berchtesgaden – Drive east from Lake Constance to Lake Königssee along Germany's oldest scenic route.
• Southern Germany Grand Loop: Frankfurt to Munich – A grand self-drive route connecting Heidelberg, the Black Forest, Lake Constance, Neuschwanstein Castle, and Zugspitze.