When planning a trip to Germany, I was looking at staying in smaller towns in Southern Bavaria before proceeding to Innsbruck in Austria. I narrowed the choices to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Füssen but eventually chose Garmisch for its better connectivity to Innsbruck. Garmisch-Partenkirchen(Ga-Pa in short) is essentially a ski destination in winters, and a hiking destination in other seasons. The town turned out to be larger than I envisaged.
Once 2 separate towns, Ga-Pa is like many other German towns – pedestrian only streets, beautifully painted houses and tons of restaurants. Select areas around Marienplatz, Mohrenplatz and Richard-Strauss-Platz in Garmisch and Ludwigstraße in Partenkirchen are indeed very attractive. Garmisch is said to be relatively modern while Partenkirchen retains the traditional Bavarian feel. I could not make out the difference, except that Partenkirchen did have more restaurants serving bavarian cuisine!
Location
Located close to the Austrian border in Southern Germany, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is just an hour and half by train from Munich. And little less by road. Takes about the same time by road from Innsbruck.
Key attractions in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
There is nothing specific to see in the town except stroll around some of the more attractive areas indicated earlier. But there are few attractions nearby.
Zugspitze
Zugspitze is Germany’s highest peak at 2952 meters and home to one of Germany’s last glaciers.
The best option for one time visitors is to buy a round trip ticket which is what I did. The journey started with a 75 minute ride on the cogwheel train that goes from Garmisch railway station(where I purchased the tickets) to Zugspitze plateau (Zugspitzeplatt) followed by a short cable car ride(Gletscherbahn, 5 minutes) to Zugspitze summit. On the return, another cable car(Zugspitze/Eibsee) took me down to Lake Eibsee in 10 minutes from where I boarded a cogwheel train back to Garmisch.
Enjoyable journey by cogwheel train
The journey by cogwheel train was very enjoyable. Beautiful scenery with some cute villages till Lake Eibsee and then a steep climb of 1500+ meters to a height of 2600 meters, with the final 4.5 kms journey through a tunnel. But the glacier at the Zugspitze plateau had melted to a great extent, and this was in September end.
At the summit, the platform is a very imposing structure with two distinct sections – German and Austrian. The Austrian section has its own cable car and one can freely move between the two sections. Couple of restaurants here and thankfully, vegetarian options were available. It was relatively warm at the Summit, quite contrary to expectations. The views from the summit were good without being spectacular. Possibly because the mountain peaks had minimal snow cover.
Being the peak tourist season, the platform was fairly crowded.
The cable car from the summit to Lake Eibsee(little less than 2000 meters down) is one of its kind in the world and took just 10 minutes. Spectacular views of Lake Eibsee through the ride.
Lake Eibsee
This is a 3000 year old beautiful lake with crystal clear water at the base of Zugspitze. Boating is an option. Not surprisingly, there is a biergarten as well but was closed when I visited. The walkway around the lake stretches to 7.4 kms and there are other hiking trails. I am sure the lake would look lovely when partially frozen in the winter. Confirm the return train timings before wondering around the lake.
How much time?
Overall, it took me about 6 hours to return to Garmisch. Including one coffee and one lunch break. Plus half an hour of strolling around Lake Eibsee. If you are short on time, consider driving down or taking a bus to Lake Eibsee and then the cable car to Zugspitze. But you will miss the journey in the 90 year old cogwheel train.
Tickets
There were too many options and it was quite confusing. Eventually, I figured out the best option for a single visit is to buy a round trip Zugspitze ticket, that included cogwheel train, one ascent and one descent by cable car. It cost €68 per adult.
There is also something called Garmisch-Classic that I figured out to be 3 mountain ranges – Alpspitze, Kreuzeck & Hausberg. This is for those staying longer. Or for skiing in winter.
Altspitze
Another peak at 2628m with a viewing platform called AlspiX. I skipped as I did not think the experience would be drastically different from Zugspitze.
The Partnach gorge (Partnachklamm)
A deep river gorge, Partnachklamm is worth visiting, if only to admire and wonder at nature’s creation. But it is not as spectacular as it is made out to be. Secure walkway and tunnels makes it easy to traverse a length of 700m or so. For the more adventurous, there are few longer hiking trails. From the end of the gorge, I did walk further for about 20 minutes before deciding to turn back. Overall, from the entrance and back, it took about 1.5 hours of leisurely walk and photo breaks. Water was constantly dripping in certain sections so carrying a raincoat made sense, besides protecting the camera.
How to get to Partnachklamm
One can walk but a better option is to take the bus to Olympic Ski Stadium from where it is a 20-30 minutes walk to the entrance. Alternatively, take a taxi very close to the entrance for a fixed fare(don’t exactly recollect but about €15 from the railway station). Taxis are allowed only to drop visitors and hence, on the return, I had no choice but to walk to the Ski Stadium. There is supposed to be horse carriages plying on the route but I did not see any during my visit in late september.
Tickets cost €7.50 per adult, €6.50 with Guest card. I had to wait for 30 minutes or so for the bus. On the way also, I had just missed the bus and hence decided to take the taxi.
Another gorge that is a bit away and needs much more time is Höllentalklamm(Höllental gorge). Said to be more challenging.
Neuschwanstein castle
A fairy tale 19th century castle popularised by Disney movies, Neuschwanstein Castle is among the top visited attractions in Germany. Accessible by public transport via a very scenic route from Garmisch. Located very close to Füssen and closer to Munich by public transport than Garmisch! More about it in a separate post.
Cable-cars/Gondalas
Almost every mountain seemed to be having a cable-car running to the top! Other than Zugspitze, there are few more in the Ga-Pa area. I doubt if the scenery or experience is any different from Zugspitze and hence I skipped. But for hiking/skiing, possibly more the merrier.
What else?
Not much really but if you have a car, you can drive around to old towns and villages such as Mittenwald, Grainau and Oberammergau. You can also drive to Füssen via Austria but Indians need International driving licence to drive in Austria. In Germany, Indian driving licence is valid for six months. Bus is another option so long as you are clear on the bus timings(available online) and my experience is never bank on the last available bus. The route to Neuschwanstein castle passed through some lovely villages/towns.
Local commute
A combination of walking and bus will take you just about everywhere. Maybe couple of rides by taxi if the wait for a bus is long. Make sure you collect the Guest Card from the hotel. All visitors are charged a mandatory fee of €3 per adult that allows free travel by local bus plus certain discounts, including €1 from entry ticket at Partnachklamm.
When to visit?
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a year round destination. Each season has its own charm and it does snow in winter, November to March. I visited in the last week of September which turned to be the peak tourist month. No wonder the hotels were expensive and Zugspitze crowded.
Where to stay?
One can opt for either hotels or apartments. Town center(Garmisch or Partenkirchen) is a good option but I preferred to book a hotel within 5 minutes walk from the railway station. In hindsight, this was a good decision as taxis are readily available at the railway station and even the buses to Neuschwanstein Castle and Innsbruck departed from here.
Hotels are relatively expensive, and I had to shell out around €180 (~INR 16k) per night for a couple, with breakfast, for a 3 star hotel. I preferred a slightly larger room than the standard of 18-21m2 and hence opted for a downgrade in hotel rating! Town center hotels are even more expensive. Walking may not always be an option so ensure you are close to a bus stop if you wish to avoid spending on a taxi.
Vegetarian food
For the record, both Füssen and Garmisch have Indian restaurants. But I am no longer surprised after discovering an Indian restaurant in Tromsø, Norway, which is 350 kms north of Article circle. Apart from Indian restaurants, I tried Mexican that was not so nice, Italian and Subway. Vegetarian options are also available at Zugspitze summit.
In Italian restaurants, I lesson I learnt is that it is better to stick to time tested simple options than experimenting. Have a look at this dish – guess it is the presentation rather than the dish itself.
A meal for a couple will cost €30-40 with one drink in a restaurant and about €20 at Subway.
Carry some cash
While credit/debit cards are widely accepted, taxis preferred cash. Not sure of the bus to Neuschwanstein castle – I paid in cash but don’t recollect if payments can be made by card. Local buses are free with Guest card. In any case, best to carry little cash, say €100 per day for a couple.
Communication
I did not feel the need for an active data connection through the day, even when taking trips to Zugspitze or Neuschwanstein castle. Hotel Wi-Fi was good enough for the little planning that was required for these trips.
Is Garmisch-Partenkirchen(Ga-Pa) worth visiting?
For a casual tourist on a stand-alone basis, not really. While the town is cute in certain parts, the outdoor scenery is good, and the experience of commute by cogwheel train and the cable cars great, I would not rate Partnachklamm or Zugspitze as a must visit destination. Besides, the nearby Alps in Austria or Switzerland is far more spectacular. But since Ga-Pa is a ski resort, I guess it may be a different scene during winter. Or couple of months after the end of winter season.
For more information
https://www.gapa-tourismus.de/en
https://www.germany.travel/en/cities-culture/garmisch-partenkirchen.html
