Not everyone is fit for the mountains and manages to climb altitude meter by meter uphill. In addition, a mountain tour should be fun and not a single torment in which you could not really enjoy the day in nature at the end. However, you can also experience the local mountains on easy trails, taking away vast views and fascinating experiences of nature. Then hiking is also fun.

We would be happy to present you with the most beautiful panoramic routes that are easy to complete.

1. The Eibsee circular trail

Lake Eibsee is truly one of the must-sees in Grainau. With its turquoise-blue water, the numerous small islands and the mountain scenery with the Zugspitze around it, Lake Eibsee is worth a visit at any time of the year. A circular trail leads around the lake. The entire route is 7.2 km long and takes around 1.5 — 2 hours, depending on walking pace. The trail is mostly flat with a few easy ups and downs and is also wonderfully accessible in winter. With the Zugspitze cable car from Badersee train station or with the Eibsee bus, you can easily get from the Hotel am Badersee to the starting point of the tour.

Paddling is also possible on Lake Eibsee - you are welcome to supplement your hike with a short paddle trip, rent a boat and experience the lake in a different way. Read our blog about it!

A perfect day in Grainau: paddling on Lake Eibsee

2. From Eibsee to Badersee

If you would like to extend the Eibsee round, you can walk back to Badersee at the end of the Eibsee round. The trail is slightly downhill the entire route and is easy to walk on even in winter. However, you should make sure to wear non-slip shoes in winter; a pair of hiking poles provide additional support. Depending on the season, orchids and gentians also bloom along the way; squirrels can be seen running up and down the trees from spring until autumn. The route always offers beautiful views of the Zugspitze massif, there are numerous benches along the route to pause for and the Christlhütte is also a particular eye-catcher. From Lake Eibsee, it takes about 45 — 60 minutes to walk to Lake Badersee.

3. From Badersee via the Neuneralm to Grainau and back

This approximately 1.5 to 2-hour route offers fantastic views of the surrounding mountains of Grainau. From the hotel am Badersee, you first walk up the footpath towards Eibsee. Yes, it's actually uphill, but only slightly with even passages. As soon as you reach the road that leads to Zugspitze and Eibsee, you walk left next to the Zugspitze railway tracks along the road until a short time later the trail branches off left again to the Neuneralm. It's still a bit uphill, but then the trail just goes downhill. As soon as you leave the forest, the vast meadows and views open up to the Wank. With their flowers, the meadows are a real feast for the eyes from spring to autumn, until they are mowed. Cows, sheep and goats graze in the meadows. At the end of the trail, it goes down to Grainau. Passing the Badersee train station, it's back on foot to the hotel on Lake Badersee. If you want, you can stay on the panoramic trail, which leads above Grainau to Hammersbach, and then get back on the Eibsee bus, which will comfortably take you back to the hotel.

4. The Hammersbach footpath

The Hammersbacher Fußweg offers great views of the Großer and Kleiner Waxenstein, the Alpspitze, the Kramer and the Wank. For many locals, the trail is an evening stroll or a jogging trail. You can take the Eibsee bus from the hotel to Hammersbach to get on the footpath from there. In winter, Hammersbacher Feld is a great cross-country skiing area. The footpaths are also still accessible in winter and are separated from cross-country skiers. The sunsets on the Hammersbacher Fußweg are a real dream, especially when the sun makes the mountains glow again.

5. The Kramerplateauweg

The Kramerplateauweg connects Grainau with Garmisch-Partenkirchen on a route of approx. 12.5 km and leads to the ruins of Werdenfels Castle. Admittedly, in order to get from Grainau onto the Kramerplateauweg, you first have to climb a climb. However, this is feasible and several benches invite you to take a break. Once at the top, there is not only a beautiful view of the Zugspitze massif, but from here the trail is wonderfully flat. The great thing about the Kramerplateauweg is that you can freely determine the length of the route. For example, you can only walk up to the alpine hut (which is also known as Windbeutelalm) and from there down to Garmisch and back again by bus. Or you can continue to the War Memorial and the Memorial Church and from here down to Garmisch. If you want to go to the ruins of Werdenfels Castle, you even have the opportunity to stop off three times: at the Windbeutelalm, at the Pflegersee and at the Werdenfels ruins. From the ruin down, you come to the bus stop at Hotel Sonnenbichl, take the bus back to Marienplatz and change to the Eibsee bus, which in turn goes back to the hotel.

If you want to avoid the climb and would rather walk a section of the Kramerplateau trail back and forth, you can park your car at the alpine hut or at the Pflegersee and walk a section of the trail from there.

A perfect day in Grainau: The Kramerplateauweg

Our video: Winter hiking on the Kramerplateauweg

6. From Alpspitze via Hochalm to Kreuzeck

Experience the mountains from above, that's what the trail from the Alpspitz summit station to the Kreuzeck summit station offers. The trail leads along the ski slope across the Hochalm and goes steadily downhill. You should bring sturdy shoes with a non-slip sole and a pair of hiking sticks, which provide additional support on the descent. Otherwise, the trail is easy to walk on during the summer season with no too steep sections and sometimes even flat passages. You can also abbreviate the route by just walking up to the Hochalm gondola and taking it back up to the Alpspitze. If you want something a bit sportier, you can also walk the route in the opposite direction. At least from Kreuzeck to Hochalm, the climb is not too stupid. And the alpine panorama can be enjoyed wonderfully from the mountain huts on the Alpspitze and at Kreuzeck.

Please note that in winter, hiking on ski slopes is only allowed outside the ski resort.

Our video: Alpspitze and Kreuzeck

7th Wank Summit Panorama Tour

The panoramic tour on the Wank summit also offers a great summit panorama. Here, too, it's easy to take the gondola up to Wank. From the summit station, a circular trail leads across the plateau with great views of the Wetterstein Range, the Ester Mountains, the Ammergau Alps and the Karwendel Massif, as well as via Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Grainau. Here, too, numerous benches invite you to rest and two restaurants offer culinary delights, especially on holidays.

A perfect day in Grainau: Wanklauf with solstice celebration on the Panoramaberg

8th Philosophenweg

The Philosphenweg leads from Farchant to Garmisch-Partenkrichen or from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Farchant. There are therefore various ways to do it. A short round back and forth is recommended from Gasthaus Schützenhaus, where you can also park your car. If you want to complete the entire tour, start at the train station (outward by bus, or bus & train) in Farchant and follow the signs to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Passing the shooting house, where you can take a culinary break, you will reach Partenkirchen in the city center. From there, the Eibsee bus takes you comfortably back to the hotel on Lake Badersee. Of course, you can also start in Partenkirchen and walk all the way to Farchant, but the mountain panorama from Farchant to Partenkirchen is simply more beautiful.

The Philosopher's Trail is easy to combine with a trip to the cow escape waterfalls.

A perfect day in Grainau: On the Philosopher's Trail from Farchant to Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Our video: The Kuhfluchtklamm

9. Through the Partnachklamm

In contrast to the Höllentalklamm gorge, there is no climb to the Partnachklamm gorge; you can even take a carriage to the entrance of the Partnach Gorge. Of course, you can walk back and forth through the Partnach Gorge, but it should be a short circular trail. There are two options. On the larger round, you take the Eckbauer cable car (gondola is at the ski jump) up to the summit and from there walk down through the Partnach Gorge back to the parking lot at the Olympic ski jump. On the smaller route, take the small Graseck cable car, which is located in front of the Partnachklamm gorge, and drive up to Hotel Graseck. From there, you walk comfortably downhill through the Partnach Gorge back to the parking lot. On both routes, you can also stop off at the Kaiserschmarrn-Alm. Especially in winter, the Partnach Gorge offers a truly impressive natural spectacle with the huge icicles that then form in the gorge.

If you want to extend the hike, you are welcome to to the Bockhütte in Reintal Continue hiking (approx. 8 km, ascent 300 m). Even the Stage 3 The top hiking trail from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Krün leads through the Partnach Gorge.

A perfect day in Grainau: snow hiking through the Partnach Gorge and to Kaiserschmarrn-Alm

Our video: Winter hike through the Partnach Gorge

10. Top hiking trail stage 1 & 2

The Spitzenwanderweg is a long-distance hiking trail that takes you through the Zugspitze region. However, stages 1 & 2 are panoramic routes on flat terrain. Although they are 21 km and 16 km long, they can also be abbreviated very well. Instead of walking from Murnau to Eschenlohe, you can end the hike in Ohlstadt and start again the next day. You can finish the second stage from Eschenlohe to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Oberau or Farchant and start again from there. Both stages are wonderful to do by train, as the regional train from Garmisch to Munich stops in Farchant, Oberau, Eschenlohe, Ohlstadt and Murnau.

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