Garmisch - Places to Stay

If you are not dead set on staying in Garmisch, let me suggest Oberammergau. Oberammergau is a very quaint village. From the train station/bus stop there are buses to Hohenschwangau (Lugwig's castles), Linderhof, and to Garmisch-Partenkirchen Bahnhof. I spent two nights there in 2007 at Gästehaus Rickter. The price is pretty good at €35 per person in double rooms. Frau Richter speaks almost perfect English; she often has English speaking quests from the nearby NATO base. It's only a block from the bus. You can book through Booking.com, but it is more expensive than contacting her directly.

I think Garmisch is a great spot for a family, especially if you want to do some hiking. There are several very unique and scenic hikes through gorges on engineered paths, and one carved across the face of the Alpspitz that includes a couple of ladders. Very safe, and very memorable. As for places to stay: we've been there 3 time and stayed in a different place each time (which means I haven't found the ideal place.) The one that I would highly recommend for families (it is a guesthouse with apartments) is pretty far from the train station. Fine if you have a car but otherwise it is quite a walk from the train station and town. It's called Haus Reiter if you are interested. It is well-priced, friendly, and nicely furnished, and you'll hear cows going to pasture each morning, but it is a 20-minute walk into town. The one that is closest to the train station, Gastehaus Sissi, I would definitely NOT recommend. In many trips to Europe it is the only place we have encountered rudeness, and an attempt to overcharge us. I see on Tripadvisor that someone else had similar problems. And it wasn't a language problem for us, as I speak German and made our reservations in German. Fortunately I had a copy of the reservation e-mail to show when she tried to overcharge us. The third place was well-located, near the center of Garmisch pedestrian zone, but unfortunately was otherwise so undistinguished I can't remember the name. I was a B&B and I don't know if they have family rooms. Wherever you stay, be sure and stop in the Dolomiti Eis-Cafe for the best Spaghetti-Eis ever. We went every night for dessert. The Pizza-Eis is also good, and big enough to share.

The Best Western Obermuhle is decent enough, just a bit dated. Has a nice pool and is just a few blocks from downtown shops and restaurants.

One need not settle for "decent enough" in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. There are many charming Gasthauser from which to choose-small, family-run guesthouses and B&B-type lodging that is much less expensive than hotels, and crafted with Bavarian charm. And then there are hundreds of FerienWohnungen ("FeWo") , or vacation apartments. A search on the gapa website will turn up some that are available for less than a full week. Scroll through the photos of the guesthouses on the website http://www.gapa.de/ and you'll find many lovely Bavarian-style lodgings. The problem is figuring out which ones have availability, as some of the popular ones like Frauendorfer and Hohe-Tennen are fully booked year to year by the same guests. The search function can help one find places that have availability for your dates. Then check the location and take your pick.

I just checked the Obermuhle website. They don't offer any rooms for 4 or 5 people. A triple would be 159 euro and a standard double 119 euro, for a total of 278 euro a night. Plus the place gets terrible reviews on Tripadvisor. Hotels in Garmish-P are expensive. That is why I am suggesting the smaller Gastehauser, which are better suited for families and far less expensive (and very friendly).

The Obermuhle has quads-for 4 people. It's your basic double, with two roll-aways brought in. We've paid around 170E in the spring and fall when we stay there with 4 people, including breakfast and they'll do the tax-free form. We also like that it has a heated indoor pool. You may just have to call some places directly, too. More than likely many hotels just list the basic room on the website but are more than willing to bring in a couple extra beds to make the room a quad. The Gasthof Fraundorfer is also decent, but I know people who've had issues with the live music in the evening while staying there. Call them for a quad price and ask for a room in the back.

Cheryl has confirmed on her other thread that the "kids" are 22 and 21, so they will need a large quad, or two double rooms, or an apartment. I can see how Frauendorfer would be noisy; it is on a pretty busy street. The decor is "Bavarian rustic" with sleigh beds, etc., but I don't care for the location. Hohe-Tannen is not as close to the train station, but in a nice location close to the Loisach River and the pedestrian zone. http://www.hohe-tannen.de/ Their apartment has 3 bedrooms and is 90 to 110 euro per night (breakfast and daily cleaning extra if you want those). That would be a good option for your family if it is available.