Garmisch-Partenkirchen: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
The Zugspitze is the roof of Germany, and the border with Austria runs right across its summit. There are two ways up: a slow cog railway from the town, or a cable car from the Eibsee that does it in ten minutes. A good plan is to go up one way and down the other, then spend the afternoon at the lakes at the foot of the mountain. Clear mornings are the best — clouds often build after midday.
A short history of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Partenkirchen is the older of the two settlements: in Roman times a road linking Italy with Augsburg passed through here, and the station was called Partanum. Garmisch, across the stream, is first mentioned in the Middle Ages, and for centuries both villages belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Freising, until they passed to Bavaria in 1803. In 1908 the composer Richard Strauss settled in Garmisch, where he lived until his death in 1949. In 1935, ahead of the 1936 Winter Olympics, the Nazi government merged the two villages into a single town despite the residents' opposition. Above the town rises the Zugspitze, 2,962 metres high, the highest mountain in Germany.
The ten best sights in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
1LudwigstraßeThe old main street of Partenkirchen, its houses covered in painted facades — walk it slowly
2Old Church of St. MartinThe small Gothic church of Garmisch with old wall paintings inside; opening hours are short
3Parish Church of St. MartinBaroque, white and gold, a few steps from Marienplatz
4St. Anton Pilgrimage ChurchUp a short path above Partenkirchen; the view over the valley is the reward
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5Museum Werdenfels
Local life, carnival masks and painted furniture in an old house on Ludwigstraße
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6Richard Strauss Institute
A small exhibition on the composer, who lived in the town for four decades
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7Ettal Abbey
A huge domed church 15 minutes north; the monks still make beer and herb liqueur
8Linderhof PalaceThe small palace of King Ludwig II; buy a timed ticket and walk the gardens while you wait
9OberammergauThe village of the Passion Play and of painted houses, 20 minutes away
10MarienplatzThe centre of the Garmisch side; cafés, the tourist office and the shopping streets start here
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Garmisch-Partenkirchen →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Garmisch-Partenkirchen:
Free walking tours in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Up the Zugspitze
The Zugspitze is the roof of Germany, and the border with Austria runs right across its summit. There are two ways up: a slow cog railway from the town, or a cable car from the Eibsee that does it in ten minutes. A good plan is to go up one way and down the other, then spend the afternoon at the lakes at the foot of the mountain. Clear mornings are the best — clouds often build after midday.
- Zugspitze Railway · The Bavarian Zugspitze Railway opened in 1930 and is a rack railway: a toothed rail between the tracks lets the train climb slopes no ordinary train could. The last part runs inside a tunnel through the mountain.
- Zugspitze summit · At 2,962 metres the Zugspitze is the highest point in Germany. A gilded cross stands on the very top, and on a clear day you can see peaks in four countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
- Zugspitze Cable Car · The cable car that opened in 2017 holds world records: a single steel pylon 127 metres tall and a height difference of almost 2,000 metres in one span of the journey. Each cabin carries up to 120 people.
- Eibsee · The lake was shaped by a huge rockslide that broke off the Zugspitze about 3,700 years ago; the boulders still lie in the forest around it. That is why its shore is so ragged, with little islands and coves.
- Badersee · A tiny lake of very clear, cold water in Grainau. On its bottom lies a statue of a water nymph, and on a still day you can see her from the shore.
- Höllental Gorge · The gorge path was cut through the rock and opened to walkers in 1905, with tunnels and bridges right over the torrent. It sits on the classic hiking route up the Zugspitze from the Höllental side.
Two towns, one Olympics
Garmisch and Partenkirchen were two separate market towns on either side of the Partnach stream until 1935, when they were joined by order ahead of the 1936 Winter Olympics. Locals still say which half they come from. This is a walking day: churches and the Strauss story on the Garmisch side, painted houses on the Partenkirchen side, and the ski stadium and gorge at the end. Park once and walk.
- Parish Church of St. Martin · The new parish church was built in the 1730s by the Wessobrunn master Joseph Schmuzer, when the old Gothic church across the stream became too small. Its ceiling is a bright baroque fresco.
- Old Church of St. Martin · This was the church of Garmisch for centuries before the baroque one was built. Inside are Gothic wall paintings of saints and scenes of the Passion.
- Richard Strauss Institute · Richard Strauss built a villa in Garmisch in 1908 with the money from his opera Salome, and lived there until his death in 1949. The institute in the park keeps his story and archive; the villa itself is private.
- Ludwigstraße · Partenkirchen grew on the Roman road over the Alps, where the Romans kept a station called Partanum. The street's houses are decorated with Lüftlmalerei, the Bavarian art of painting scenes and fake architecture straight onto the wet plaster.
- Olympic Ski Stadium · The stadium was built for the 1936 Winter Olympics, and every New Year's Day it hosts the second jump of the Four Hills Tournament. The current big jump, opened in 2007, replaced the old one that no longer met the rules.
- Partnach Gorge · The gorge is about 700 metres long, with walls up to 80 metres high, and the path runs through tunnels cut in the rock. It was declared a natural monument in 1912; in winter it fills with icicles.
Kings, monks and painters
North of Garmisch the road climbs into the Ammer valley, the land of King Ludwig II's fantasies and of Bavarian baroque at its richest. In one day you can see a monastery, the king's little palace, the Passion Play village and one of the most beautiful churches in Europe, then come back via Murnau, where modern art took a turn. The distances are short but the stops are long; start at Linderhof early, before the coaches arrive.
- Ettal Abbey · Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian founded the abbey in 1330. Benedictine monks still live here, and they run a brewery and make the green and yellow Ettaler herb liqueur.
- Linderhof Palace · Linderhof is the smallest of Ludwig II's palaces and the only one he saw finished. In the park he had an artificial cave built with a lake, coloured electric lights and a shell-shaped boat, to stage scenes from Wagner.
- Passion Play Theatre · In 1633, during a plague, the villagers vowed to perform the suffering and death of Jesus every ten years if they were spared. They have kept the vow since 1634, with almost 2,000 locals on stage; the next season is 2030.
- Pilatushaus · The most famous painted house in Oberammergau, decorated in 1784 by Franz Seraph Zwinck, one of the masters of Lüftlmalerei. The painted columns and balconies look three-dimensional from the street.
- Wieskirche · The pilgrimage church in a meadow was built by Dominikus Zimmermann in the 1740s and 1750s after a wooden statue of the scourged Christ was said to have shed tears in 1738. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Münter House · Gabriele Münter and Wassily Kandinsky lived in this house in Murnau from 1909, and the Blue Rider group of painters often met here. Münter hid their paintings in the house through the Nazi years, and later gave them to Munich's Lenbachhaus.
Getting to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and getting around
- Garmisch-Partenkirchen Station · Trains from Munich in about 1 hour 20 minutes; the Zugspitze cog railway leaves from beside it
- Zugspitze Cable Car, Eibsee · Ten minutes from the valley to the summit; big car park, but in summer it fills by mid-morning
- Wank Cable Car · The sunny home mountain on the Partenkirchen side; easy walks and a hut at the top
Cheap eats in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
This is Upper Bavaria, so lunch is solid: a Leberkäse roll from the butcher, a pretzel with sweet mustard and white sausage in the morning, or a plate of Kaiserschmarrn — torn-up pancake with plum sauce — at a mountain hut. Bakeries open early and close by 6 pm, and many places close one day a week. Hut food on the mountains costs about the same as in town.
- Hofpfisterei · Organic bakery; a filled roll about €4-6
- Krönner · Big cake café near the park; a slice and coffee about €7-9
- Nefis Döner Imbiss · Döner in bread, the cheapest hot lunch in town, about €7-8
- Sebastians-Stub'n Grill-Shop · Grill counter on Ludwigstraße; a sausage or a roll about €4-8
- Wildkaffee Rösterei · Local coffee roaster; coffee and cake about €6-8
- Thai-Street-Food · Noodle and curry boxes near Marienplatz, about €10-13
Museums in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- Museum Werdenfels · Local history in an old house on Ludwigstraße; an hour is enough
- Violin Making Museum, Mittenwald · The story of Mittenwald's violins, with a workshop to look into
- Oberammergau Museum · Wood carving and nativity scenes, the craft the village lived on
- Münter House · The house is as Münter and Kandinsky painted it, furniture included; small, book ahead in summer
- Richard Strauss Institute · A short exhibition with recordings of Strauss's music, in the park
Nature and day trips near Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- Partnach Gorge · Twenty minutes' walk from the ski stadium; small entry fee
- Eibsee · Walk around it, or rent a rowing boat in summer
- Höllental Gorge · Open from late May to October only, after the snow melts
- Lautersee · A quiet lake above Mittenwald, an easy walk from the car park
- King's House on the Schachen · A long hike or a full day — only for the fit
Things to do in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with kids
- Alpspitz Wave Pool · Indoor wave pool and slides, for a rainy day
- Olympic Ice Sports Centre · Public skating sessions much of the year; check times
- Kolbensattel Alpine Coaster · A summer toboggan run on rails above Oberammergau
- AlpspiX · Kids love the glass-floor feeling; hold small ones tight
- Badersee · Look for the nymph on the bottom from the little boats
Where to eat in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- Zum Wildschütz · Bavarian tavern with game dishes in season
- Joseph Naus Stub'n · Bavarian dinner near the station
- Gasthof Fraundorfer · Old inn on Ludwigstraße; roast pork and dumplings, and folk music on some evenings
- Flößerstube · Cosy tavern in the Garmisch centre
- Zur Schranne · Bavarian classics a few steps from Marienplatz
- Alte Druckerei · Restaurant in a former printing house near the park
Frequently asked questions about Garmisch-Partenkirchen
What is there to see in Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
The top sights in Garmisch-Partenkirchen are Ludwigstraße, Old Church of St. Martin and Parish Church of St. Martin. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Garmisch-Partenkirchen without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Up the Zugspitze.
How do you get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and get around?
The main ways are Garmisch-Partenkirchen Station, Zugspitze Cable Car, Eibsee and Wank Cable Car. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Garmisch-Partenkirchen that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.