It is not for nothing that the Upper Bavarian market town is one of the most beautiful alpine villages: a walk through Garmisch-Partenkirchen is always an atmospheric and exciting activity.

Tour profile

Difficulty level: easy to medium
Route length: approx. 10 km
ascents: 700 meters
descents: 700 meters

In 1935, the market towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen closed because of the coming Winter Olympics together - a political decision that did not cause any enthusiasm among the locals. After more than 80 years, the inhabitants of the two districts still regard themselves as residents of Garmisch and Partenkirchen. In addition to the common train station and hospital, each district still has its own city facilities, from churches and cemeteries to museums, swimming pools, mountain railways or stadiums to its own pedestrian zone or town center. There is still the Sportclub Garmisch e.V. and Sportclub Partenkirchen e.V. And who should be surprised, every municipality has its own local mountain: the Wank is primarily Partenkirchen's local mountain and the Kramer is the one for the people of Garmisch. There is also a bit of competition on the local mountains: The “Garmischer Berghütte” St. Martin am Grasberg and the “Partenkirchener” Tannenhütte are at the same altitude (approx. 1,000 m), both offer a great view of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Wetterstein massif, great cuisine, as well as opportunities for easy walks and various events.

Getting there

If you are good on your feet, you can walk or cycle from the Hotel am Badersee in Grainau to Garmisch: the distance of only 7 km offers the opportunity for a relaxing and panoramic walk or bike ride. There are two different routes available for pedestrians: via the Hammersbacher Fußweg or via the Kramerplateauweg. Of course, you can also travel by public transport or by car. The Eibsee bus ends at St. Sebastian's Church and takes visitors directly to the Partenkirchen pedestrian zone. This is where we start our walk.

Sunny spot Partenkirchen

In Partenkirchen, it is particularly recommended to take a round via Sonnenbergstraße, Floriansbrunnen and Brunnhäuslweg to Pilgrimage Church of St. Anton. It continues along one of the numerous mountain trails that lead above Partenkirchen to the Tannenhütte, to a viewing point (e.g. to the so-called “Josefsbichl”). With their old houses and typical architecture, Partenkirchener Strassen, which are located on a slope here, allow hikers to fully experience the rustic atmosphere. On the way back, you pass through the famous historic Ludwigstraße or Partenkirchen pedestrian zone. Here you can not only enjoy the traditional architecture, but also stop off at numerous good restaurants.

Trip to the Tannenhütte

A great addition to a visit to Partenkirchen is a hike to Tannenhütte on Wank (former Gamshütte). The hike takes an additional 2 to 3 hours, depending on how fast you are. The hut is located at about 1,000 m just below the Wankbahn middle station and is easily accessible from Partenkirchen via several easy trails through the bright mountain forest with pine and walnut trees. The walking time for the route of only approx. 300 m is between 40 minutes and 1 hour, depending on your fitness level. Along the way, you can take breaks on numerous benches and enjoy the view of the Zugspitze massif in peace. Another attraction near the Tannenhütte is the Hacker-Pschorr suspension bridge. The food on offer in the hut is also commendable. The trip, which runs across the south side of the Wank, is considered virtually sunbathing when the weather is nice, and the Tannhütte also offers a large sun terrace with a wonderful view of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

From Partenkirchen to Garmisch

Once back in the valley, it goes past the “Sebastian Church” and a small park through Hindenburgstraße. Here, the St. Irmengard girls' school is an attraction that moves into an old monastery building. The school was recently extensively renovated. Among the well-known graduates are German biathlon stars Laura Dahlmaier and Magdalena Neuner. Next to the school, cross the main street at the traffic lights and reach Kankerweg. The Kankerbach was after the massive damage from the Pentecost flood in 1999 (the water was 1 meter deep on the main street in Partenkirchen!) Expanded and redesigned as part of flood protection measures, a modern and cozy promenade was created here. If you turn left from Kankerweg a short time later, you cross a bridge and the footpath into Enzianstraße, which leads through the residential area to the center of Garmisch. Here you cross the Partnach, which used to serve as the city border between Partenkirchen and Garmisch. Currently, the city limits run across the railroad tracks.

By Garmisch city center

The Chamonixstraße (named after the French city of Chamonix, the alpine twin town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen) with its shopping facilities takes you to Garmisch's pedestrian zone. A number of open-air events take place here throughout the year, including White Night in Summer and the City biathlon At the end of December, during which the entire pedestrian zone is transformed into a biathlon track. A trip to the Michael-Ende-Kurpark can be enjoyed with a coffee in traditional Garmisch Cafe Adlwärth or in the Krönner Confectionery can be combined well. While the numerous shops in the pedestrian zone attract tourists, we enjoy the architecture and the atmosphere. This is how we get to the old Mohrenplatz with its cottage garden (and in winter Ice rink for skating!) And on to Old pharmacy, which has been a landmark of Garmisch's city center for a long time. By the way, the large parish church of St. Martin, which stands here on Marienplatz, was built with the stones from the Burgruine Werdenfels were plundered. We turn right onto Griesstraße and are now in the old town center of Garmisch. If you have the time and desire, you can simply walk around the alleys and look at historic houses.

Below from Kramer

Continuing across Kramerstraße, you come to a beautiful wooden bridge for pedestrians and across the Loisach into the old residential area of Garmisch. Here are old buildings steeped in tradition, such as the Bayernhalle And that Garmischer Brauhaus, as well as historic villas such as the Villa Strauss. At Maximilianshöhe, you can in the Almhütte A wonderful stop for a bite to eat, the restaurant is right on the Kramerplateauweg. Many hikes to the Ammer Mountains start from here - especially to Stepbergalm and to Kramer summit. The easiest is the Berggaststätte St.Martin am Grasberg (1,040 m), or the St. Martinshütte, reachable. Depending on your fitness level, the ascent takes about 40 minutes to 1 hour.

The right starting point for the tour is the Bayernhalle in Brauhausstraße, so the trip to the hut is a great addition to a walk through Garmisch. Grasberg is also easy to reach from Grainau. In winter, a sleigh ride on Grasberg is recommended: the descent from the hut is the oldest and also the longest toboggan run in Garmisch. During the summer season, the hut is the starting point for hikes - e.g. to the Eisenkanzel (easy tour, approx. 45 min.) or to Königstand (easy to moderately difficult tour, approx. 1.5 hours). The hut was built in 1920 as one of the first mountain huts in the area and has retained its alpine atmosphere to this day. The place where the hut stands today was discovered by King Max II during his hunting trips to the kingship; the monarch had a rest bench built here, where he often took breaks.

If you still have leisure and enough fitness, simply walk back to the hotel on Lake Badersee (extra 7 km). Alternatively, the Eibseebus stops at Marienplatz near the Pizza Hut.

Tips & info:

• From the Hotel am Badersee, you can easily walk to Garmisch city center via the Kramerplateauweg or the Hammersbacher Fußweg.
• Alternatively, you can rent mountain bikes or e-bikes, park them in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and go for a walk there. The easiest way to get there by bike is via the Hammersbacher Fußweg, then via the local mountain to get to the train station. There are plenty of parking spaces for bicycles in the center. Please note that cycling is prohibited in Garmisch's pedestrian zone from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• From the bus stop at the Hotel am Badersee, the Eibseebus goes to the center of Partenkirchen (Sebastian Church).
• Learn more about history and architecture: List of monuments in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
• Bad weather tip: Feel free to visit the Werdenfels Museum in Partenkirchen as well as the Aschenbrenner Museum in Garmisch.
• Tannenhütte - official website
• Berggasthof St. Martin am Grasberg
  

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