Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Zugspitze by cogwheel train and the Partnachklamm gorge

Start a Garmisch-Partenkirchen stay with the Zugspitze: the cogwheel train from beside the main station reaches the glacier plateau in about 80 minutes, a cable car finishes the climb, and the Seilbahn Zugspitze drops you at the Eibsee. On day two, walk from Partenkirchen past the Olympia-Skistadion into the Partnachklamm gorge.

Day one. Catch an early Zugspitzbahn from beside the main station. The cogwheel train climbs through Grainau and then tunnels inside the mountain to the Zugspitzplatt, the glacier plateau, in about 80 minutes. From there a short cable car lifts you to the summit station, with the gilded cross on the rock just above. Go back down by the Seilbahn Zugspitze to the Eibsee, a steep ride of around ten minutes, and walk the shoreline loop before taking the bus back to town. Eat in Garmisch near Marienplatz.

Day two. Walk from Partenkirchen past the Olympia-Skistadion, where the ski jump still dominates the valley floor, into the Partnachklamm. The path is cut into the rock for about 700 metres and takes 15 minutes to pass through. Arrive by 9am to beat the groups. Climb on to the Partnachalm or the Graseck for lunch, then return and spend the evening on Ludwigstraße.

Day three. Ride the Alpspitzbahn up to the Osterfelderkopf and step onto the AlpspiX. Hike the easy trail to the Kreuzeck and take the Kreuzeckbahn down. If the legs are tired, spend the afternoon on a bike to Grainau instead. Fit levels permitting, keep a fourth day for the climb to the King's House on the Schachen, Ludwig II's hunting lodge with its Moorish Room, now part of the UNESCO listing for the king's palaces.

The Seilbahn Zugspitze opened on 21 December 2017. Its cabins carry 120 passengers through a vertical rise of 1,945 m in about nine minutes, the largest height difference of any single-section aerial tramway in the world, and pass a 127 m steel support, the tallest of its kind. The valley station stands beside the Eibsee at 998 m above sea level.

Kaiserschmarrn at the huts, Schweinsbraten on Ludwigstraße

Garmisch-Partenkirchen eats Upper Bavarian food, best after a climb. Mountain huts serve Kaiserschmarrn with plum compote, Brotzeit boards and Kaspressknödel in broth, often for cash only. In the valley, the inns on Partenkirchen's Ludwigstraße serve Schweinsbraten and Schweinshaxe, and Weißwurst is a dish for the morning.

Food here is Upper Bavarian through and through, and the best of it is eaten outdoors after a climb. At the mountain huts, the standard reward is Kaiserschmarrn, a thick pancake torn into pieces, dusted with sugar and served with plum compote or apple sauce. Huts also serve Brotzeit boards of smoked ham, cheese and radish, and bowls of goulash soup or Kaspressknödel, cheese dumplings in broth. Expect cash-only payment at many of them.

Back in the valley, Partenkirchen's Ludwigstraße is lined with old inns serving Schweinsbraten with crackling and bread dumplings, and Schweinshaxe, a roasted pork knuckle big enough for two. Morning is for Weißwurst, white veal sausage simmered in water, eaten with sweet mustard, a pretzel and a wheat beer. Tradition says it should be finished before the noon bells.

For something lighter, the smoked trout and char from the region's lakes appear on many menus. Obatzda, a paprika-spiked camembert spread, is the beer-garden snack.

Plan around the clock. Many Bavarian kitchens close between about 2pm and 5:30pm, and the huts stop serving well before the last lift down.

New Year ski jumping, World Cup races and wet Augusts

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is busiest on 1 January, when the Four Hills Tournament holds its New Year ski jump at the Olympia-Skistadion. Alpine World Cup races usually follow on the Kandahar run. Summer is wet, with rain peaking at 192 mm in August, and September is drier with highs of about 19 °C.

The calendar follows the snow. On 1 January the Olympia-Skistadion fills for the New Year's jump of the Four Hills Tournament, the second of its four events, and the town is at its fullest. Later in winter the men's and women's Alpine World Cup usually returns to the Kandahar run, one of the steepest courses on the circuit; spectators gather in the finish area by the ski stadium.

The climate figures explain the rhythm. January days reach about 3C with nights near -6C, perfect for snow cover. From May the rain arrives, peaking at 192 mm in August, so summer hikers should plan for storms. September brings 19C highs and noticeably drier days.

Richard Strauss lived in Garmisch for much of his life and died here in 1949. In June the Richard-Strauss-Tage fill the Kongresshaus and churches with his music.

For day trips, Mittenwald, 20 minutes away by train, is the violin-making town with painted houses under the Karwendel. Oberammergau, known for its Passion Play staged once a decade, and the rococo Ettal Abbey lie a short bus ride north, with Ludwig II's Linderhof Palace beyond. Innsbruck is close enough for a day by train, and Füssen and Neuschwanstein make a long day by car.