The Walchensee is only 30 km away from Grainau and the Hotel am Badersee and offers a great opportunity for trips at any time of the year. Swim or paddle in turquoise-blue water, sunbathe or an easy hike with a wonderful view of the lake with Herzogstand panorama, a leisurely stop at Waldschänke Niedernach or at a restaurant in the village of Walchensee.

Tour profile

Difficulty level: medium
Route length: approx. 65 km
ascents: 600 meters
descents: 600 meters

The trail to Walchensee is a real experience, especially in summer. Today we are going on a round trip to Walchensee by mountain bike via Eschenlohe and the Eschenlaine, then back to Grainau via Wallgau and Klais. At around 600 m, the total distance is approx. 70 km long. Alternatively, you can of course ride an e-bike, then the bike ride will be pure pleasure.

10:00 o'clock: The morning is wonderful and after a delicious late breakfast on the sun terrace, we set off completely relaxed in Grainau. Our mountain bikes are already waiting in front of the hotel entrance. The backpacks are not heavy: 2 liters of water, light snacks for breaks in nature and a head covering - that's all you need when the weather is nice. From the village square in Grainau, we turn right towards Obergrainau, past the Zugspitze railway station and continue through Zugspitzstraße to the junction to Hammersbacher Fußweg. It continues a bit uphill to Hammersbach and then downhill through the pasture until you reach Kreuzeckbahnstraße. Before the railway barrier, drive straight ahead towards Hausberg.

10:30 a.m.: A bicycle trip through Garmisch-Partenkirchen is now ahead of us. Just before the local mountain, after the Riesser Waterfall, there is a railway crossing for pedestrians (watch out for trains!) , from here through Garmisch (e.g. via Riffelstraße), you get to the train station. There is a tunnel here for cyclists, which allows you to easily cross the tracks. From here we are officially in Partenkirchen. On the other side, drive from Bahnhofsplatz via Bahnhofstraße to Rathausplatz, at the traffic lights continue straight ahead towards Partenkirchen town center. Depending on your wishes, you can make a short detour to the Partenkirchen pedestrian zone and have a coffee. Continue past St. Sebastian's Church through Münchner Straße until you reach Dr.-Gazert-Straße. Here we turn right and then come onto the quiet and beautiful Hölzlweg, which brings you back to the main road at the foot of Mount Wank only near the police station. Fortunately, we don't have to ride in the middle of traffic here either, as the sidewalk can be shared by bicycles.

10:45 o'clock: We are now leaving Partenkirchen and approaching Farchant. After the two bridges (the motorway bridge and the Loisach bridge), we turn right right after the river and drive about 3 km along the picturesque banks of the Loisach. Passing by blooming meadows and grazing cows, we soon arrived in the residential area and have to cross the Loisach over the bridge. After the bridge, turn left, continue across Frickenstraße, past the sports ground and then right again towards Oberau. The cycle path is well signposted and newly paved. Right after Farchant, there is a branch to the Kuhfluchtklamm, where you are welcome to take a short break and look at the lower waterfall.

11:00 o'clock: Once in Oberau, you have to choose either the left or the right bank. We drive right, so we have to turn right and immediately left before the bridge to get on the way to Eschenlohe. The route runs along the banks of the Loisach, where you can enjoy blooming moorlands with countless orchids during the season and always a breath of fresh air when it's hot.

11:30 a.m.: In Eschenlohe, you first drive to the Loisach Bridge, which is the starting point for all trips. From here you can reach all mountain destinations in the area, such as the Osterfeuerkopf, the Heimgarten and the Asamklamm gorge. We climb the first meters in altitude via Walchenseestraße, which brings us to the large hiking car park for the first time. With today's nice weather, the parking lot is of course fully occupied. This is where the 400 m course across picturesque Eschenlaine begins: sweaty ascents alternate with rapid descents, from time to time we also have to push our mountain bikes, and after a short time we are completely exhausted. We'll look for a sunny spot on the shore and take a break next to the rustling turquoise-blue Eschenlaine.

12:30 p.m.: On the way, it's just as varied uphill and downhill until you reach the final descent to Walchensee through the forest. Only 5 minutes later we are on the forest road in front of Einsiedl. The plan was to cycle to the town of Walchensee, take a lunch break there and drive back to Eschenlohe. But now we're so done that we can barely imagine how we're going to make the journey back across the Eschenlaine again. It's good that we've made a plan B for the return trip beforehand: it's back via Wallgau.

1:00 PM: After crossing the country road, we take a longer break on the lakeside. From Einsiedl, you have a nice view of Walchensee, although the Herzogstand remains on the side. The blue water is wonderfully calm, but it is still too cold to swim at the end of May. In return, we have peace and quiet on the beach, which would usually be packed during the summer season. You can also rent rowing boats and kayaks here, and the small kayak hut also sells ice cream and drinks. Unfortunately, there is no proper place to stop for refreshments here. But there is also a plan B for this, because in Wallgau we can stop off later at Gasthof Post, which serves hot food all the time on weekends.

1:30 p.m.: Then we return to the forest road and follow the signs to Wallgau. We have almost arrived in the village via forest roads and paved cycle paths along the country road when we hear the sound of water. On the side of the road, you can see a beautiful waterfall through the trees! The Obernachkanal waterfall and the adjacent Sachen-See are certainly worth a photo break.

2:00 p.m.: The historic Gasthof Post Wallgau is our favorite place in the whole area, we definitely want to stop by here, especially today, when this time we even made it to Wallgau without a car. As always, the menu is excellent and we treat ourselves to a generous meal with creamy asparagus soup, a delicious main course also with asparagus and a dessert. After burning so many calories in Eschenlaine, we can now afford to enjoy a 3-course meal. The outdoor terrace is well-shaded and offers a view of the historic town center of Wallgau (although these are only a few houses with aerial paintings, they are still very beautiful). The inn was visited by many politicians and celebrities whose photos hang in the corridor. The beer from Mittenwald tastes excellent and, as always, the service is commendable.

15:00 o'clock: Every feast comes to an end and it's time to get back on the bike. From the inn, we cycle along the well-signposted Isartal cycle path towards Klais. The dirt road leads over flat pastures to the small town of Barmsee, from there begins the paved cycle path to Klais. Near Barmsee, there is also the beautiful Barmsee circular trail with swimming opportunities in the Grubsee. In Klais, you cross the B2 via an underpass and then the train tracks right next to Klais station (Bavaria's highest station, by the way). Here you take the further cycle path to the right towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

3:30 p.m.: The descent from Klais to Partenkirchen is like a rollercoaster ride. From Gerold, it's always downhill for 11 kilometers parallel to B2, sometimes you drive faster than 50 km/h! The wind is wonderful and cycling can really be just relaxing from time to time. The cycle path is well secured from road traffic, newly paved and is a lot of fun, crossing the B2 in Gerold and Kaltenbrunn is via tunnels. After the rapid descent, we have to brake hard once we have arrived in Partenkirchen.

4:00 p.m.: Right at the first traffic light, we have to turn left towards the ski stadium. After the train tracks, we turn right: from here the cycle path to Grainau begins. We drive along the train tracks and soon reach the local mountain. We now continue straight ahead towards Kreuzeck, and the Hammersbacher Fußweg brings us back to Grainau and the Hotel am Badersee.

It was a long trip, but we drove completely relaxed and fully enjoyed the surrounding area. You need some fitness for the route, of course, but the trail is also feasible for beginners and as the saying goes: “If you love your bike, you push” when the climb becomes too difficult. On the other hand, things go down more quickly. Of course, you can also take an e-bike and relax your muscles more during the climbs.

Tips & info:

• Bike rental at the hotel am Badersee. If you don't bring your own bikes, we are happy to provide mountain bikes or e-bikes - please order at reception the day before.
• Cycling tours in the leisure guide. Discover more bike rides in our area in Leisure guide.
• Bathing in Walchensee. The swimming season in Zugspitzland usually doesn't start until June, but even then the water in the alpine lakes is fairly cool, below 20 degrees Celsius. The Walchensee is a natural swimming lake and therefore has almost no organized beaches. So there are no water slides, no playgrounds and (almost) no water guard — if you want all of that, just look for another lake to swim in — e.g. Riegsee near Murnau or the Grubsee near Krün.
• boat rental. In Einsiedl, you can rent kayaks and rowing boats right on the beach. When paddling, please note that Sassau, the only island in Lake Walchensee, cannot be entered as a natural forest reserve.

Gastronomic journey through the Werdenfelser Land

The tour offers numerous opportunities to try out several excellent restaurants in the surrounding villages during the day, which are right on the way or just need a short detour:

• “Da Nico” Restaurant & Pizzeria w Farchant
• Greek Athens Tavern in Eschenlohe
• Waldschänke Niedernach — If you want to enjoy more of Lake Walchensee, you are welcome to continue from Einsiedl towards Jachenau along the shore. The toll route runs right on the water and is free for cyclists. Finally, the trip is rewarded with a stop at the atmospheric Waldschänke Niedernach, which offers coffee and excellent cake on the cozy sun terrace with lake views on the weekends.
• Gasthof Post in Wallgau
• Holzers' Alpenblick - Coffee house, pastry shop, chocolate shop & ice cream factory in Wallgau
• Kranzbach Coffee Shop in Krün — elegant historic pastry shop in Krün
• Partenkirchen: The pedestrian zone offers numerous restaurants for every taste

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