family travel guide
One of the largest climatic resorts in the Bavarian Alps, the historical and cultural centre of Bavaria, the only German ski resort to have hosted the Winter Olympics, the site of the annual Four Hills Tournament — all these titles belong to the German town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
And tourists call it "GaPa", as they do in their own language — for the long ski season, for the hospitality, for the delicious food and for the fact that you can forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life here. It is the warmth and tranquillity of the area that makes it an attractive family holiday destination.
It has two holiday villages, Garmisch and Partenkirchen, two seasons — winter and summer, two nearby airports — Innsbruck and Munich — and a multitude of opportunities — skiing, hiking, walking, playing, museums, amusement parks.
All useful information about holidays with children in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is collected in the Kidpassage overview.
The municipality of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a ski resort in southern Germany, on the border with Austria. It is part of Bavaria Land (administrative centre is Munich). The distance from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich is 90 km, to Innsbruck (Austria) — 65 km, to Salzburg (Austria) — 185 km.
The Garmisch-Partenkirchen area of the Bavarian Alps is famous for its high altitude. Next to the resort is Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze (2962 metres). This is probably why it was chosen to host the 1936 Winter Olympics. To build the resort, the two former towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen were merged.
And although the merged community has been in existence for a long time, each village has retained its own character and traditions. Time seems to have no power over them: both have preserved their unique architecture and delight tourists with almost fabulous medieval houses painted with biblical and folkloric themes.
The Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski resort is not as child-friendly as, say, Austria's Serfaus or Italy's Alta Badia. However, it has everything you need for a family holiday and an enjoyable skiing experience. Here are some of the reasons why it's the perfect place for a holiday with a child.
Firstly, the resort's ski infrastructure is truly versatile.
Both extreme skiers and beginners will find their way around the slopes. The ski schools offer separate lessons for children, and even 3 to 5 year olds can learn the basics.
Secondly, the hotels and apartments in Garmisch are really good. They do not provide entertainment for their guests, but they do ensure that children have a place to play and that families with small children have no difficulty in caring for them.
Thirdly, Garmisch-Partenkirchen's well-developed tourist infrastructure makes it easy to relax. Supermarkets, shops, restaurants, cafes, banks, pharmacies and ski hire are all close by, no matter where you stay. Fourthly, there are roads and railways leading to the resort. This makes it easier to get to the resort and opens up opportunities for excursions even if you don't want to drive.
Fifthly, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is not only an ideal winter destination for children. The mountains are just as much fun in the summer, and it is only in the warmer months that you can visit the amusement parks in the neighbouring towns. Next door to GaPa is Skyline, one of Germany's largest amusement parks.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen itself doesn't offer many activities for children. The emphasis here is on fresh air and the absence of summer heat, which contributes to easy acclimatisation and general health. The climate is also good for people with asthma and rheumatic conditions. Garmisch has had a large rheumatology clinic for children for many years.
All tourists pay a tax of €3 per adult per day and €1 per child aged 6-15. In return they receive a guest card which entitles them to free travel on public transport, ski buses, red suburban buses, concerts and events. The card also entitles you to discounts at museums and leisure centres.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen's ski season is the envy of every other winter resort in Germany. Good snow lasts from the beginning of December until the end of March, and the Zugspitze plateau is open until the end of April.
And because the season is so long, we advise you not to choose the Christmas/New Year period, when there are long queues for the lifts.
On weekends, people from Bavaria come to the resort and queues at the lifts are also possible.
May is the start of the season in Garmisch-Partenkirchen — this time for summer. This is a great time for active holidays, but it also offers all the conditions for a relaxing holiday.
The best time to visit Garmisch-Partenkirchen with a small child is from August to September, when there is less rain.
So when is the best time to visit Garmisch-Partenkirchen? There is no one right answer, it all depends on your preferences. But it is certainly useful to find out about the weather in the resort.
The climate in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is typical of the Alps: winters with light frost and heavy snowfall, warm rainy summers and a mild, short low season. The only thing to note here is that winter lasts a good five months and summer doesn't even last three.
The first real cold spells with snowfall arrive in November. Temperatures drop below zero at night more and more often, although daytime temperatures can still reach +5-7°C. In December, the night frost remains at -5°C and the day temperature remains at +2°C. Snow falls frequently, much to the delight of skiers planning their December holidays in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The weather in January and February is similar to December. Snowfall constantly renews the slopes and it's a pleasure to ski in the fresh snow.
In the second half of January, when the holidays are over, the resort empties out and it's time for the best holiday with kids in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Temperatures start to rise in March. There may still be a slight frost at night, but thermometers will reach +8°C during the day. This does not affect skiing in the highlands, but in the Garmisch-Klassik area the snow begins to disappear.
Only the Zugspitze plateau will have enough snow in April. Temperatures rise to +13°C and the snow is replaced by rain.
From May to September, rain clouds hang over Garmisch-Partenkirchen at regular intervals. This can bring heavy showers or prolonged drizzle. Temperatures are between +17-23°C and drop to +5-10°C at night.
October is the least rainy and sunniest month in the resort. The air cools down to +13°C by mid-autumn, but with good clothing you can still have a great time in the mountains.
Breakfast at the hotel, lunch in a restaurant near the lift and dinner in a picturesque tavern — this is how Garmisch guests organise their meals.
Bavarian cuisine, with all its heart and fat, can be enjoyed here: after the snowy slopes, the thick, hot soup Eintopf, white sausages Weißwurst, roast pork leg Schweinshaxe with a side of cabbage or potatoes will warm you up.
Of course, this kind of food is not suitable for children. But there are broths and light vegetable soups, meat and fish stews without strong spices, lots of potato dishes and unsweetened pies on the restaurant menu.
There are supermarkets and convenience stores in all areas of the resort, where you can buy everything from groceries to baby food. In summer and autumn there are weekly farmers' markets: on Tuesdays in Ludwigstrasse and on Fridays in Mohrenplatz.
Public transport in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is necessary and popular — the town is considerably larger than other mountain villages in Bavaria. However, five bus routes cover the whole town. A single ticket costs €2.60 and children's tickets from 6 to 15 cost €1.20.
Public transport is free with a ski pass or guest card.
A special form of transport in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is the Zugspitzbahn. The train departs from Garmisch once an hour and takes travellers up to an altitude of 2,600 metres.
The journey is only about 20km, but the climb takes 40 minutes. The exact timetable is available on the resort's website. Note that the Zugspitzbahn has its own station and ticket office next to the main station in the resort.
In summer you can hire a bike to get around Garmisch-Partenkirchen. A day's ride costs between €12 and €16 for an adult and €10 for a child. Bicycle seats and trailers for young children are available from rental shops and cost between €4 and €14 per day. Mountain bikes can be hired from €25.
As Garmisch is easily accessible by train or bus, not everyone is keen on hiring a car at the airport to get to the mountains.
However, if you want to travel freely during your holiday, you can hire an electric car from the resort. There are electric charging points in the town centre, near the railway station and at the bottom of the ski lifts.
What else can you do on a family holiday in Garmisch besides skiing? After active skiing with the kids, it's nice to relax in one of the many traditional Bavarian restaurants, go bowling or swim in the pool at the Alspitz-Wellenbad. In short, all you need is the will and the energy — the resort takes care of the rest. In fact, there is no shortage of things to do in Garmisch-Partenkirchen when there is snow on the ground.
Children never tire of playing snowball, building snowmen and snow forts. When it comes to tobogganing, let your child know that it will take a few minutes to get down the slope — the toboggan run is 1,600 metres long.
One of the winter activities in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Bavarian curling. The curling area, Bavarian and classic curling, is prepared in the ice stadium. There's also a skating rink in winter and a roller rink in summer.
The best thing to do with your child is to take a walk along the old streets of Garmisch and Partenkirchen. Both villages look very smart thanks to the stucco paintings on the facades of the houses — Lüftlmalerei (houses in the village of Oberammergau are decorated in the same way).
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also a convenient hub for educational excursions: there is so much for children to do and see. The fairytale village of Oberammergau, the castles of Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau and Linderhof, and the cities of Munich, Innsbruck and Salzburg are all well worth a visit (see What to see). Even if you don't have a car, it's easy to plan a sightseeing programme using train or bus tickets.
Garmisch has two ski areas — the Garmisch Classic and the Zugspitze Plateau, the highest mountain and the only glacier ski area in the country. If you're planning to spend time in the resort with children, the main skiing area is likely to be the classic slopes (Hausberg, Kreuzeck, Alpspitze) and Wank Mountain.
Beginners and families with children in Garmisch-Partenkirchen should start at Wank (the easiest, sunniest slopes) and Hausberg (gentle green and wide blue slopes; Kinderland children's park; the area is also suitable for snowboarders).
Later you can continue to the Alpspitze, which has a variety of slopes and one of the most interesting slopes in the world, the Kandahar (3.7 km).
In the Kreuzeck area, many of the pistes are in the woods, but the upper part is quite bumpy.
The Garmisch Klassik ski area is also more conveniently located: it is 10-15 minutes from the town by bus (free with a ski pass) or Zugspitzbahn train. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to the Zugspitze (by bus, then from Eibsee either by cable car or Zugspitze train). Skiers take the Gletscherbahn cable car to the top of the glacier.
If your children are coming with you to learn to ski in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, you can entrust them to one of the ski schools. Their lessons are very well organised:
The ski schools in Garmisch-Partenkirchen also offer special courses for teenagers, for those who want to learn snowboarding, telemark or cross-country skiing.
| General season | November — April |
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Ski areas
|
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| Elevation difference | 740 m — 2720 m |
| Ski slopes |
62 km — total |
| Ski lifts |
26 total, including |
| Ski routes | 57 km |
|
Floodlit slope |
17 |
| The longest downhill run | 5000 m |
| Interactive scheme of ski slopes and lifts | https://zugspitze.de/de/winter/skigebiet/garmisch-classic/pistenplan |
The price of ski passes in Garmisch-Partenkirchen does not depend on the season, but it does depend on the ski area and the age of the skiers.
A day's skiing in the Garmisch Classic zone costs €55 for an adult, €44 for children aged 16-18 and €27.50 for children aged 6-15.
It is also possible to buy a family ski pass. This costs €74 for one adult and one child and €123 for two adults and one child. There are ski passes for one or two adults with two or three children. If you want to ski both resorts, you can buy a two-day "Twin ticket". Its prices are €105, €84 and €52.5 respectively.
The most adventurous skiers will need the Top Snow Card, which is valid in ten resorts in Bavaria and Tyrol and gives access to 80 lifts and 200 pistes. The Top Snow Card covers the Zugspitze, Garmisch-Classic, Eckbauerbahn, Ehrwalder Almbahn, Tiroler Zugspitze, Ehrwalder Wettersteinbahnen, Langes Lermoos and Biberwier mountain railways, Berwang/Bichlbach mountain railways, Karlift Heiterwang, Mittenwald.
A 2-day ski pass costs €108 for an adult, €86.5 for a child aged 16-18 and €54 for a child aged 6-15. A one-day family ski pass for "1 adult +1 child" costs €146, "2 adults +1 child" €243.50.
Children under 6 years of age ride for free in all areas.
The ski hire shops in Garmisch-Partenkirchen offer different levels of equipment for beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers. They offer snowboards, telemark skis and cross-country skis. The equipment is mostly new or with very little wear and tear, and the stock is usually replenished with new models every year. Nordica, Fischer and Salomon skis are most commonly available. A day's ski hire costs 21-32 euros for an adult, 15-20 euros for a teenager and 10-11 euros for a child under 12. Boots cost 6-10 euros and helmets 5 euros. Equipment can be pre-booked online.
In the summer, the resort becomes even more attractive to families, with a wide range of activities and entertainment on offer. Water lovers can swim in the Pflegersee, Riessersee, Geroldsee or Eibsee lakes.
Family activities include hiking, donkey and horse riding, the high ropes course, Segway rides and mountain biking. For the little ones, a walk in the Michael-Ende Park is enough: they can walk barefoot on the paths.
The village of Greinau also offers plenty of summer fun. There is also a family fun programme with an adventure hike on the forest trail, a mini golf tournament, boat trips and relaxation in the Zugspitzbad.
During your summer holiday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, you should also visit the Partnach gorge. Waterfalls cascade down the walls of the narrow gorge, and at the bottom of the gorge is a rushing stream fed by the waters of the Zugspitze Glacier.
Just 20km from Garmisch, but already in Austria, is the Leutasch Spirit Gorge Adventure Trail. The trail leads through a gorge to the mountain spirit.
Summer is also a good time to visit one of the amusement parks. Skyline Park in Bad Worishofen is an hour and a half's drive away, but the 60 rides, theatrical shows and the touch tank are well worth it.
Märchenwald is just an hour's drive away and is home to many of children's favourite fairytale characters. Both parks open in mid-April and run until mid-October.
Holidays in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with children usually last longer than a couple of days, so tourists have plenty of time to ride, relax and do some sightseeing. The more time you spend in the resort, the more geographical the excursions can become, starting with the local museums.
The Werdenfels Museum of Local History in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a good place to visit with a child in the early days of your holiday. After a guided tour, it's easier to pick up on the area's special features.
A trip to the village of Oberammergau, about 20 kilometres from the resort, will give you an idea of local customs. Every house in the village is decorated with stucco paintings, and there are no repetitions.
Oberammergau is also famous for its woodcarvers — it's not for nothing that intricately decorated wooden crockery and children's toys are imported from here.
Another of the town's museums, Aschenbrenner, is devoted to porcelain and dolls. Despite the fragile nature of the exhibits, the atmosphere is relaxed and children love to cuddle up to the dolls on the train and sit down at the old school desk.
Here are some more ideas for things to see in and around Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
1. The castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. The buildings are breathtakingly beautiful, fairytale like, towering above the mountain peaks. The swan figure on the roof of Hohenschwangau is particularly unusual. Next to the castles is the Museum of the Kings of Bavaria, dedicated to the Wittelsbach dynasty.
2. Linderhof Castle. The castle itself is well worth seeing, but children will be more attracted to the artificial cave and lake. The lighting system is so unique that it is on display at the Technical Museum in Munich.
3. The Glentleiten open-air museum in Grossweil. An interesting detail has been added to the traditional exhibition of old houses, household items, agricultural tools, crafts and trades: the museum tells the story of how tourists discovered the spas of the Bavarian Alps at the end of the 19th century.
4. Trazberg Castle (Austria). Adele the mouse and the Tratzi ghost, symbols of the castle, lead the child into this Gothic castle. Children will love the Knights' Hall and the Knights' Playground.
5. The Swarovski Museum (Innsbruck, Austria). An underground labyrinth museum with a crystal moon path, crystal room and crystal kaleidoscope - no child could refuse.
6. The Silver Mine in Schwaz, Austria. One of the most interesting places for children as the tour goes underground, you have to travel in wagons and a film about the history of silver mining is shown right on the mine wall.
What to do with the kids if you have a day or two in Munich? For the little ones, visit the Toy Museum, the Museum of Man and Nature and the Sea Life Aquarium.
Older children can visit the Bavarian National Museum, Nymphenburg Palace, the Museum of Natural History and Technology and try to fit in a visit to the BMW Museum.
The question of where to stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with children should be decided well in advance of your trip, especially if you are visiting in the winter.
Despite a choice of over 200 hotels, apartments and guesthouses, it is impossible to find accommodation during the peak ski season. In the summer there is less of a rush, but it is still worth booking early to get a good deal.
A recommendation for the districts of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is that if you plan to use public transport during your holiday, choose accommodation that is on a bus route or close to a train station.
The distance to the lifts is not an indicator, as many good hotels and apartments are 20-40 minutes walk from the lifts, and there is no walking — you take the ski bus.
Not all hotels in Garmisch are categorised — only a few are three or four star. So to find the best place to stay with children, you'll need to look at the facilities.
What you can expect in hotels:
For an independent holiday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with children, you can rent an apartment or a room in an aparthotel — there is a wide range of options, even with a separate children's room. Children up to the age of 4-6 can stay in an apartment free of charge.
If you are planning a winter holiday, the towns of Greinau, Schmelz and Hammersbach are close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. These are not far from the Garmisch Classic ski area.
In the summer you can also look for accommodation around Garmisch-Partenkirchen — there are good budget hotels and apartments in all the nearby villages, including Oberammergau.
The nearest airports to Garmisch-Partenkirchen are Innsbruck in Austria (60km) and Munich (120km). Both airports have regular flights from various countries throughout the year.
How to get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
From Munich and other cities to Garmisch, there are Regio Bus buses that are part of the Deutsche Bahn system. The timetable is available on the carrier's website: https://www.dbregiobus-bayern.de/
There is a train station in Garmisch. It takes about 1.5 hours to travel by train from Munich or Innsbruck. Direct trains run once an hour from early morning until late afternoon. You can find timetables and buy tickets on the Deutsche Bahn website: https://www.bahn.de
One way to get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen is to rent a car when you arrive in Germany or Austria.
From the north:
From the south:
The official Garmisch-Partenkirchen website has information on parking.
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