Located in southern Germany, not far from the Austrian border, Garmisch-Parkenkirchen is an idyllic, traditional Bavarian town that also happens to be the home of one of our newest hostels – Jazz Garmisch.
Official name of the town is Garmisch-Parkenkirchen, but it is commonly referred to as just Garmisch. It is conveniently located about an hour and an half train ride from Munich. Garmish is beautiful all year round and there are countless activities to enjoy in every season.
Winter
Photo of Skiing in Garmisch-Parkenkirchen, Germany © anja_johnson
If you like winter sports, you are going to love Garmisch. It has some of the best skiing and snowboarding in Germany. Ski season runs November to May.
There are plenty of places to explore on cross-country skis and snowshoes. Snowmobiles are available for rent in the town.
Garmisch is a great place to hike, even in the winter. With trails of varying levels, it’s a beautiful place to explore on foot.
Love to ice skate? In Garmisch, you can skate at the Olympic Ice Sport Center, built for the 1936 Olympics. Of course there are plenty of natural outdoor rinks to glide across as well.
For a real thrill, try tobogganing, sledding down a hill at dizzying speeds. The tobogganing trail is 5 K long and is equipped with nets for a safe ride down the hill. You can even go tobogganing at night!
Spring
Photo of Hiking along the Partnach River in Garmisch-Parkenkirchen, Germany © Allie_Caulfield
Spring brings the sights and smells of the earth coming out of hibernation. With the melting of the snow, Garmisch bursts with color and wildlife.
In spring, there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. As the snow melts, hiking, biking and even some spring skiing are popular activities.
The warmer weather also brings brightly colored of wildflowers and foliage. Situated where it is in the Bavarian Alps, Garmisch becomes a picture perfect scene.
You can sometimes see traces of the Zugspitz glacier by the blue-green color of the water of the rivers.
Summer
Photo of Paragliding in Garmisch-Parkenkirchen, Germany © Octagon
In the summer, Grarmisch’s main attraction is its wise variety of outdoor activities. Of course you will find world class hiking, mountaineering, cycling and mountain biking. But, there are also some other really fun activities like paragliding, horseback riding, fishing and archery.
There are also a lot of water sports to enjoy in Garmisch. There are lakes and rivers to going boating on, white water rapids to brave and plenty of swimming, both indoor and outdoor.
Partnachklamm, or the Partnach Gorge, is an amazing experience all year round, but is especially nice to cool off in the hot summer months. The Partnach River runs through the limestone gorge and you can splash around in the river as well as climb behind waterfalls.
Fall
Photo of Bräustüberl Restaurant and Beer Garden, Garmisch-Parkenkirchen, Germany © keithusc
Celebrate Oktoberfest in some of the best beer gardens in Germany. There are over 100 beer gardens and restaurants in Garmisch to drink and eat your way through.
A great place to start the Oktoberfest festivities is at the 350 year old Bräustüberl, a traditional Bavarian restaurant and beer garden.
nice that people write so many nice things about my home town Garmisch-Partenkirchen 🙂 it is a very great tourist location – just come to us and you’ll love it!
for paragliding however myself I found Switzerland more impressive – when doing a tandem flight there last year it was just breathtaking because you have more than 20 mountains with snow caps and all, and a lake in between.
we don’t quite have the same landscape in Garmisch – although it is still awesome :))