Snow and cold temperatures transform the local landscape into a true winter paradise.

The cold creates beautiful ice crystals on the plants and leaves, the lakes freeze and interesting ice patterns are created on them that are reminiscent of waves or other shapes. Gorgeous icicle pillars form on moist rocks and waterfalls. You get the best impressions on hiking trails that can also be walked on in winter with good winter shoes, perhaps you should bring Grödel (shoe spikes) that are pulled under your shoes for more support.

1. The Eibsee circular trail

The 7.2 km long circular trail around Lake Eibsee is also very easy to walk on in winter and is regularly strewn. The trail is also very flat, there is a small easier climb here and there, but in general this is a nice circular trail for everyone as well as for families with strollers. Still, watch out for some frozen ice cream spots that can be slippery. Lake Eibsee also freezes over in winter and becomes a huge ice rink. However, you should wait for approval to enter the ice rink before using it as a special sea route. However, it is best to stay on the marked winter trails and enjoy the view from above. When Lake Eibsee freezes, very beautiful ice patterns form on it and the ice even shines in different shades of blue. A truly magnificent sight. You can easily reach the starting point of the hiking trail from Hotel am Badersee by cogwheel train or by Eibsee bus.

Our video: Zugspitze & Eibsee

2. From Eibsee to Badersee

If you would like to go a little longer, simply extend the Eibsee circuit and walk back to the hotel on Lake Badersee. A beautiful forest trail always leads steadily downhill back to the hotel and offers wonderful views of the Zugspitze and the surrounding mountains. The trail is very easy to walk on in winter with anti-slip winter shoes, and when there is enough snow, it is also suitable as a snowshoe hiking trail. In frosty temperatures, be sure to watch out for ice rinks or, to be on the safe side, attach grödel (shoe spikes) under the shoes for a better grip. The forest trail takes another 45 minutes to walk. If you like it more sporty, you can of course also walk in the opposite direction, i.e. start at the Hotel am Badersee, always steadily uphill and then take the bus or the Zugspitze Railway back from Lake Eibsee.

By the way, the hike can be wonderfully combined with a visit to the Zugspitze.

A perfect day in Grainau: winter hike with a visit to the Zugspitze

3. From Badersee via the Neuneralm to Grainau and back

The beautiful circular trail offers fantastic views of all surrounding mountain peaks, including the Zugspitze. In total, it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours of walking time. From Lake Badersee, the footpath always starts slightly uphill towards Lake Eibsee. As soon as you reach the road that leads to Zugspitze, turn left, follow the Zugspitze railway tracks for a short distance until you reach the Neuneralm junction. Here you turn in and always walk a bit uphill through dense forest. Then you have reached the last altitude and it goes downhill to the Neuneralm. Here, the forest opens up again and offers a picture-perfect view of the surrounding mountains. Continue along the trail until you reach the turnoff in the center of Grainau. Behind the picturesque little church and the Grainau-Badersee train stop, you reach the forest trail that leads back to the hotel on Lake Badersee.

If you want to walk a little longer, don't descend in Grainau, but keep right on the mountain trail and continue on this trail towards Hammersbach. On this route, you can once again enjoy wonderful views of the town of Grainau, Kramer, Wank, Alpspitze and Zugspitze. The trail ends in Hammersbach. A short distance down the road to the right and you get to the Eibsee bus stop, which you can take you comfortably back to the hotel.

4. The Hammersbach footpath

When it snows, Hammersbacher Feld is transformed into a huge cross-country skiing area. While walking across Hammersbacher Feld, you can watch the runners doing their laps here. The views of the Waxenstein and the Alpspitze are also phenomenal. The circular trail only takes 45 minutes, making it ideal as an evening stroll before you stop off for dinner at a restaurant in Grainau, for example. You can take the Eibsee bus all the way to Hammersbach and from there run the round across the field. By the way, after a sunny day, the evening sun bathes the mountains in warm, glowing white.

By the way, a walk along the Hammersbacher Fußweg is ideally combined with a gondola ride up to Alpspitze or Kreuzeck.

5. The Kramerplateauweg

The Kramerplateauweg connects Grainau with Garmisch-Partenkirchen and runs to the remarkable Werdenfals ruins (approx. 12.5 km away). In winter, the trail is scattered and very popular with locals. After a short, steeper climb, the trail is flat. In addition, you can always abbreviate the route and descend to Garmisch. Three restaurants also invite you to relax and warm up (check opening times): the Windbeutelalm with its famous cream puffs, the inn on the beautiful Pflegersee, which freezes over even in winter, and the Werdenfelser Hütte at the Werdenfels ruins. If you walk up to the Werdenfels ruins and get off there, the bus stop is right at Hotel Sonnenbichl. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, all you have to do is change to the Eibsee bus to get back to the hotel.

A perfect day in Grainau: Kramerplateauweg

6. Through the Partnach Gorge

In winter, the Partnach Gorge is transformed into a true winter wonderland. Huge icicles cover the rocks. The entire gorge looks like a gigantic stalactite cave with stalactites and stalagmites formed only from ice and snow. Here you can truly experience what works of art nature can create.

The starting point for the hike is the Olympic ski jump. This means that you can combine a hike through the Partnach Gorge directly with a visit to the ski jump. The tourist office offers guided tours. An approximately 10 to 15-minute walk leads from the car park to the entrance of the gorge. However, if you want, you can also take a horse-drawn carriage to the entrance. The carriages always stop on the road next to the ski jump that leads to the Partnach Gorge. The Partnach Gorge is truly one of the must-see sights in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and is simply incredibly impressive. From the Partnachklamm gorge, there are several options:

• You turn around at the end of the gorge and walk back to the car from there.
• At the end of the Partnachklamm gorge, you walk further into the Reintal Valley - e.g. to Bockhütte.
• At the end of the gorge, you can take the footpath up to Graseck, stop off at the Kaiserschmarrn-Alm and ride the Graseck gondola back down into the valley, or even take the footpath back down into the valley.
• It's also the other way around, of course. You first take the gondola up to Graseck and then descend again via the Partnach Gorge.

Whichever route you choose, a visit to the Partnach Gorge is not to be missed.

A perfect day in Grainau: snow hiking through the Partnach Gorge

7. The Philosopher's Journey

The Philosophenweg connects Farchant with Partenkirchen and is a beautiful, almost always flat walking trail that locals like to walk. The name Philosophenweg comes from the fact that there are sayings from well-known philosophers and authors on almost all benches along the hiking trail. So take your time and read one or the other saying. The route has the best views if you start in Farchant and walk from there to Partenkirchen, because that way you always have the alpine panorama in mind. The Eibsee bus takes you from Hotel am Badersee to Garmisch train station and from there by train to Farchant. Once at the train station in Farchant, you cross the bridge, cross the Loisach and keep right. The hiking signs are already here. The approximately 4.6 km long route takes about 1 hour 45 minutes if you walk comfortably. In the center of Partenkirchen, you can easily get on the Eibsee bus again and drive back to the hotel.

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

8th peak hiking trail stage 1+2

The Spitzenwanderweg is a long-distance hiking trail that runs through the Zugspitze region once for 200 km. However, stages 1+2 are panoramic routes, most of which are flat and are also wonderfully accessible in winter. At 21 km and 16 km, they are quite long, especially on colder winter days, but you can shorten both stages. The stages are wonderfully connected to the rail network of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen — Murnau regional railway, so that you can finish the first stage, which runs from Murnau to Eschenlohe, in Ohlstadt and return by train. The second stage leads from Eschenlohe to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Here you can either end the tour in Oberau or in Farchant and return by train from there. There are also places to stop off in all villages to warm up a bit along the way. It doesn't really matter whether you want to complete the two stages in their entirety, or in several sub-stages. You will definitely enjoy picture-perfect views and experience many wonderful natural impressions. There are also two detours on the tour for anyone who wants to relax: on the first stage, you can make a detour to the Heldenkreuz and enjoy the view there, the second stage takes you past the Kuhflucht Waterfalls, one of the highest waterfalls in Germany.

The top hiking trail: All stages at a glance

9. The Barmsee circular trail

The Barmsee is a small lake in Krün, which is a wonderful hiking tour in winter. You should wear slip-resistant winter shoes or even Grödel as additional protection, depending on the weather. The 5.46 km long circular trail starts at Alpengasthof Barmsee, where there are also plenty of hiking parking spaces (for a fee). The trail is very well signposted except for a spot just behind the lake (when hiking clockwise), here you have to take the path on the right that leads into the forest. In frosty temperatures, the lake freezes over and the reeds on the shore are covered with spectacular ice crystals. In the background of the lake, the Karwendel mountains rise majestically.

Excursion tip: Winter hike around Lake Barmsee

10. Through the Murnauer Moos

The Murnauer Moos is a pearl of nature and also offers gigantic views of the Werdenfels and Ammergau mountains. On approximately 4,200 hectares, bogs, wet meadows and special forest communities come together to form the largest alpine marsh in Central Europe. After frosty days, there is a sparkling white glow over the moss, and in the distance you can see the snow-covered peaks.

The starting point for the circular trail is the hiking car park at Ähndl Kirchlein. By car, you reach the car park via the B2 to Murnau and, before entering the village, turn left into the path that leads past Alpenhof Murnau. The long, very worthwhile circular trail is 12.5 km long and takes about 2:30 hours to about 3:00 hours, depending on your walking pace. Alternatively, there is a small circular trail that is only 2.5 km long. The long circular trail rewards you with a varied natural landscape, fantastic views and a passage over a boardwalk. The small circular trail is ideal for a walk, for example in the evening at sunset, which, by the way, is spectacularly beautiful in Murnauer Moos when the weather is right.

Excursion tip: Murnauer Moos circular trail

11. Small Staffelsee circular trail

Lake Staffelsee is also located in Murnau and is a worthwhile destination all year round. In winter, the small Staffelsee circuit, which is only 5.4 km long and takes around 1:40 hours, is particularly suitable. The hike starts just before Seerestaurant Alpenblick in Uffing, which also has a large parking lot. At the end of the hike, you can stop off here and enjoy the view of the lake from the winter garden. The small circular trail offers very beautiful views of the deep blue lake and the mountains that open up behind it. Depending on the weather, clouds of fog cover the landscape and thus create a mystical atmosphere.

If you don't mind cold temperatures and would like to enjoy a longer hike around the lake, you can also use the long Staffelsee circular trail, which takes you around 4.6 km long and 3.7 km wide lake and is 20.7 km long. However, we recommend saving yourself the 6-7 km between Murnau and Uffing, as the route is not particularly spectacular and would rather get on the train in Murnau to go to Uffing. However, the train station in Uffing is a bit away from the lake.

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