Hello,
We are on our way from Salzburg to GP via Munich. We have 4 nights in GP and would love your suggestions on the must do sights. We are very interested in nature and stunning views of the alps and lakes and are keen on doing spots not too crowded with tourists.
We will be relying on local transport from GP.
Thanks and regards
Charles
Check out the visitor information website for this community. It will give you many ideas. Silly to expect that there won't be plenty of other tourists in a major tourist destination. Even so, there are plenty of choices here that help distribute the crowd.
Your trip would be much more efficient and enjoyable with a rental car.
We love the Austrian Alps in Tirol and getting up on the mountainsides--driving from village to village.
A car would allow you to see 10 times as much as ground transportation.
Besides the obvious, going up the Zugspitze in the moring before it gets cloudy, there is a train line that runs over the mountains from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Innsbruck, through Mittenwald and the pretty Austrian village of Seefeld. You don't have to go all the way to Innsbruck, but Mittenwald and Seefeld are worth a day trip. You can also go on what is called the Außerfernbahn, the German Rail line that goes through the Tirol from Garmisch to Kempten. There are a lot of little villages on that line and a train every hour, so you can hop on/off as you will. If you stop in Reutte, you can take a bus over to Füssen to see the castles. Pfronten, just over the line in Germany is a very nice vacation town.
From Garmisch-Partenkirchen Bahnhof's bus stop, in front of the stations, take bus 9606 to the Oberammergau Bahnhof. via Ettal. You can visit Oberammergau and from there, it's a short bus ride to Linderhof. One of my favorites, a very scenic bus ride, goes from Garmisch-Partenkirchen via Walchensee to Kochel.
Most of the above travel can be done for 19€ per day, first person plus 4€ each additional person up to 5, total, with a Regio-Ticket Werdenfels, including Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. For 4€ more per person, you can extend the Werdenfels Ticket beyond Mittenwald to Innsbruck.
The bus system, RVO, run by the Bahn, is extensive in southern Bavaria. Here is a map of the bus lines.
Allow me to make three hiking recommendations, going from easiest to most difficult.
Easiest: the Partnachklamm, a deep gorge through which the Partnach river flows. The hike is mostly flat, with only a very gentle uphill slope in some parts. The trail head is located right by the Olympic Stadium, and the entire hike should take little more than an hour.
Less easy: Ride a ski gondola to the summit of Wank (the mountain on the northeast side of town, across the valley from Zugspitze). Say hello to the cows on the summit, and follow the trail down the back side of the mountain. It winds through some gorgeous pastureland, then comes out on the front side again in the hills above Partenkirchen. Don't miss the Wallfahrtskirche Sankt Anton. The gallery outside the church is decorated with haunting photographs of local sons who died in the war. The interior of the church also has some interesting paintings that depict the various foreign armies that have marched through GaP over the ages (and the last one, the US army, has never left). The hike is mostly downhill and lasts about 3 hours. You may need a map to avoid taking some wrong turns.
Hardest: At the end of the Partnachklamm, continue uphill to Köningshaus am Schachen, Mad King Ludwig's private mountain chalet. It can only be reached by a long, strenuous hike, so it attracts a mere tiny fraction of the crowds that Neuschwanstein and Linderhof receive. Despite the considerable effort required to reach it, the chalet definitely deserves a look. The first floor has rather low-key, tasteful decorations, but the second floor bursts with color and is modeled after a Turkish harem (or at least, what people in the 19th century thought a Turkish harem looked like). It's a 6 hour round trip hike, and quite steep in places. If you're not physically fit or have mobility problems, don't even consider it. Hiking boots, trekking poles, a Camelback, layered outdoor clothing in case the weather goes bad, and a topographic trail map are recommended.
The Partnachklamm is close enough to the center of town that you can probably walk there, although if needed, you can ride the bus. You would probably want to ride the bus to the Wank gondola station.
Alternatively, the Schachen Schloss can be reached on a easy paved way from Ellmau, halfways between Garmisch and Mittenwald. You should start there not later than 9am, sine the last tour is at 1 pm.
http://www.schachenhaus.de/index.php/2-uncategorised/14-aufstieg-von-elmau
Also, if you're visiting in the summer, the Kürpark hosts nightly free concerts. All types of music, but waltzes and traditional Bavarian Volksmusik feature heavily in the rotation.
Alternatively, the Schachen Schloss can be reached on a easy paved way from Ellmau,
Is the route from Schloss Ellmau routinely accessible if you aren't a paying guest at the hotel? The road was closed when I tried to drive there.
Is the route from Schloss Ellmau routinely accessible if you aren't a paying guest at the hotel? The road was closed when I tried to drive there.
Yes it is (and the forest road is not owned by the Ellmau hotel). I did it several times with my wife, who is not a great hiker. It was closed for some weeks in the context of the G7 summit. Maybe it was then that you tried to drive there?
BTW.
(1) The access through Partnachklamm and Oberreintal is, of course, much more scenic, but it takes not 6 hours vice versa, as described above, but 5 hours one way. So, you will have to stay overnight at the Schachenhaus (accomodation bien ruistique).
(2) Don't go up to the Schachen on August 25. There is a mass every year in memory of Ludwig II. and the Schachen is flooded with monarchists. ;)
The access through Partnachklamm and Oberreintal is, of course, much more scenic, but it takes not 6 hours vice versa, as described above, but 5 hours one way. So, you will have to stay overnight at the Schachenhaus (accomodation bien ruistique).
We might not be describing the same exact route. I don't remember exactly how long it took me to reach the chalet, but I arrived around lunch time, and it's unlikely I started my walk from Partenkirchen any earlier than 8:30... probably closer to 9:30, knowing my schedule on holiday. But perhaps I was moving a little faster? Either way, I was definately finished the complete circuit and was back at my hotel well before dinner.
I tried to visit Schloss Ellmau a few years ago, so no G7 meeting at that time. But of course, there could have been some other event occurring at the time.
