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Garmisch-partenkirchen – One Of The Most Picturesque Towns In Germany

By RomanticHeart | March 10, 2010

When you drive from Munich in Germany, through the Bavarian Alps on your way to the Austrian border, you pass through one of the most stunningly beautiful towns in the whole of Germany – Garmisch Partenkirchen.

The town itself is picture-perfect. The architecture is something that you would expect in a scene from Hansel and Gretel. The surrounding mountains are so beautiful that they literally take your breath away – especially if you should be on top of the Zugspitse, Germany’s highest mountain peak. The numerous lakes and rivers in the area, as well as the must-see gorge of Partnachklamm add even more charm to and beauty to the area.

If you are a skier, Garmisch-Partenkirchen will not disappoint you. It has some of the most advanced slopes in all of Germany, yet there are also slopes where even those who are taking ski lessons will not feel uncomfortable. Good quality alpine skiing equipment is available for rent or sale in town.

Getting to the various ski slopes is not a problem either. There’s a large variety of cable cars and ski lifts. There’s even a train that takes you to a station very close to the top of the Zugspitse. From here it’s a short cable car ride to the top – where you will find not only stunning vistas and ski slopes, but also an atmospheric little coffee shop.

There are an abundance of hotels and guest houses in town to cater for the annual tourist influx. If you prefer a quieter spot, there’s also a number of options available in many of the surrounding towns and villages.

Garmisch is also a market town. During the weeks before Christmas you will find stalls selling everything ranging from gluhwein (a delicious hot wine popular in these areas) to Christmas gifts. I once bought a sturdy black sport watch there which I am still using today.

Garmisch offers the typical nightlife one finds in an Alpine ski resort. A couple of live music venues and many snug little restaurants where you can sip a glass of hot gluhwein while an ibanez electric guitar is softly playing in the background.

The rural area around Garmisch-Partenkirchen is well worth a visit. Not only for its natural beauty, but also for the numerous historical towns. One of these is Oberammergau. It’s here that the renowned passion play has been staged every ten years ever since 1632. It was during the times of the Black Plague and the locals made a promise to God that they will do so if He delivers them from the Plague. This happened and the town has kept its promise throughout the centuries. All over town you will also see beautiful frescoes showing scenes from the nativity play.