Neuschwanstein Castle above the forest and the green fields of the Allgäu
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Beyond the Mediterranean · Luxury in The Alps

Bavarian Alps

From Schloss Elmau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen below the Zugspitze to Berchtesgaden, the Tegernsee and King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein: the Bavarian Alps in winter and summer, chosen by one rule: first class or not at all.

Neuschwanstein in summerPhotograph: Rachel Davis

Grüß Gott

A king's mountains

The Bavarian Alps run along Germany's southern border, from the Allgäu to Berchtesgaden, and they belong to a fairy tale. King Ludwig II began Neuschwanstein in 1869 on a crag above Füssen, and his castle of Linderhof is close by; Herrenchiemsee stands on an island in the Chiemsee, to the east. Garmisch-Partenkirchen held the Winter Olympics of 1936 below the Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres the highest peak in Germany.

In the villages, painted façades, onion-domed churches and Tracht worn for feast days keep the old Bavaria alive, and Oberammergau has staged its Passion Play since 1634. The luxury here is quieter than in the great ski resorts: Schloss Elmau, a castle hotel in a high valley that hosted the G7 summits of 2015 and 2022, the lake hotels and clinics of the Tegernsee, and the national park around the Königssee at Berchtesgaden.

This guide brings together only the first class: the castle and lake hotels, the starred tables, the clinics, the events, and the airports that bring you in.

A few words of German
EnglishGermanSay it
Hello (polite)Grüß Gottgroose GOT
Hello (informal)ServusZAIR-voos
PleaseBitteBIT-teh
Thank youDankeDAHN-keh
Good eveningGuten AbendGOO-ten AH-bent
The bill, pleaseZahlen, bitteTSAH-len, BIT-teh
Enjoy your mealGuten AppetitGOO-ten ah-peh-TEET
GoodbyeAuf Wiedersehenowf VEE-der-zay-en
The onion-domed church and roofs of Garmisch-Partenkirchen below the Wetterstein peaks at sunset
Garmisch-Partenkirchen at sunset

Where to go

The best of the Bavarian Alps

When to go, the one best hotel and restaurant, and how to arrive by private jet or helicopter.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau

Germany's leading Alpine resort, below the Zugspitze, the country's highest peak, with Schloss Elmau in its own valley nearby. Elmau has hosted G7 summits and is known for its concerts and literary programme as much as its spas.

When to goWinter, December to March; summer, June to September; Schloss Elmau is open all year. Signature events: the New Year ski jump of the Four Hills Tournament, and the Kandahar World Cup races in winter.

  • Stay
    Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa Retreat & Cultural Hideaway

    Three MICHELIN Keys.

  • Dine
    IKIGAI

    Two MICHELIN stars, Christoph Rainer, at Schloss Elmau (named Luce d'Oro until 2024).

Arrive privately
By private jet or helicopter
Munich (MUC/EDDM), about 1 hr 30 by road; Innsbruck (INN/LOWI), Austria, about 1 hr.
The church of St. Laurentius, boathouses and villas of Rottach-Egern on the Tegernsee
Rottach-Egern on the Tegernsee

Stay

Luxury hotels and chalets in the Bavarian Alps

The grand hotels at our standard, and the officially five-star hotels.

The grand hotels

Each holds two or three MICHELIN Keys or a Forbes Five-Star rating, or is a palace of the great resorts.

The five-star hotels

The 6 confirmed, officially five-star hotels in the Bavarian Alps and their lakes, area by area.

See all 6 hotels

Elmau (Wetterstein, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen)

Tegernsee

  • Althoff Seehotel Überfahrt

    Five-star superior; all year. A 176-room lakeside resort in Rottach-Egern with private lake access, five restaurants, a recently modernised spa and three MICHELIN Keys. Visit website ↗

  • Spa & Resort Bachmair Weissach

    Five-star superior; all year. A 140-room resort at the southern end of the lake with the 3,000 m² MIZU Onsen Spa, five restaurants and its own lake beach.

Chiemgau (Achental, Alpine foothills south of the Chiemsee)

  • Das Achental

    Five-star; all year. A 179-room golf and spa resort in Grassau with an 18-hole championship course and gourmet restaurant es:senz under three-star chef Edip Sigl. Visit website ↗

Berchtesgaden

  • Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden

    Five-star; all year. A 137-room resort at 1,000 metres on the Obersalzberg with panoramic views of the Berchtesgaden Alps and a 1,400 m² spa.

Allgäu (Ofterschwang, near Oberstdorf)

A golden schnitzel topped with caramelised onions, with country bread, on a blue ceramic plate
Schnitzel with caramelised onions

Dine

The best restaurants in the Bavarian Alps

The finest tables and the chefs who cook in your chalet.

Three MICHELIN stars

  • es:senz✦✦✦Grassau

    Three MICHELIN stars in the 2026 Germany guide; Edip Sigl's restaurant at the hotel Das Achental in the Chiemgau Alps, near Lake Chiemsee.

Two MICHELIN stars

  • IKIGAI✦✦Schloss Elmau

    Two MICHELIN stars in the 2026 Germany guide; Christoph Rainer's restaurant at Schloss Elmau near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, named Luce d'Oro until 2024. Visit website ↗

A roast pork knuckle with crackling, mustard, gherkins and cabbage salad on a green plate
Schweinshaxe, the Bavarian roast pork knuckle

Private chefs and catering

For a chalet, a wedding or a party.

  • KäferMunich (Bavaria)

    Munich's best-known delicatessen house, whose catering division handles fine-food catering, event design, private dinners and its Oktoberfest (Wiesn) hospitality, as well as trade-fair catering in Munich and beyond. Visit website ↗

Wildflowers in an Alpine meadow on the Wallberg, high above the Tegernsee
Wildflowers above the Tegernsee, from the Wallberg

Summer

Summer in the Bavarian Alps

The Bavarian summer: the Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany, and Lake Constance under sail.

The summer season

  • ZugspitzeGarmisch-Partenkirchen (Bavaria)

    Germany's highest mountain, at 2,962 metres, reached by the cable car from the Eibsee or by the cogwheel railway from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in service since 1930, which climbs to the Zugspitzplatt glacier; the Gletscherbahn links the glacier with the summit.

The lakes and their boats

  • Württembergischer Yacht-ClubFriedrichshafen

    Founded in 1911 by King Wilhelm II of Württemberg as the Royal Württemberg Yacht Club, it keeps its own yacht harbour in Friedrichshafen, and the Duke of Württemberg remains its honorary commodore. Visit website ↗

The snowfields of the Zugspitze and a sea of Alpine peaks under a deep blue sky
From the Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany

Travel

Private jets, helicopters and first-class travel in the Bavarian Alps

The airports that take private jets, and the airlines to Munich.

Private jet airports

  • Munich Airport

    Its General Aviation Terminal, long described as the most popular private-jet terminal in Germany, is the jet gateway for the Bavarian Alps, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau, and an alternative for Kitzbühel and the Tyrol when larger jets cannot use Innsbruck. Visit website ↗

  • Special Airport Oberpfaffenhofen (EDMO)

    A business-aviation and works airfield southwest of Munich, about 15 minutes by car from Lake Starnberg (Starnberger See) and a practical alternative to Munich International for the Bavarian Alps. Visit website ↗

  • Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen (FDH/EDNY)

    On the north shore of Lake Constance, it is a short route into Vorarlberg and the Arlberg: about 100 km to Montafon, 124 km to Lech and 132 km to St. Anton am Arlberg, with typical drives of about 1¼ to 2 hours. Visit website ↗

Airlines to Munich, the gateway to the Bavarian Alps

First and business class.

See all 15
The Zugspitze reflected in the still Eibsee among snow-laden firs
The Eibsee below the Zugspitze in winter

Experience

Events and things to do in the Bavarian Alps

The Bavarian Alpine year: the great events, month by month; each event's own website gives this year's dates.

Bavarian sausages with pretzels, sweet mustard and a mug of beer on a wooden table
Sausages, pretzels and beer, the Bavarian way

Museums

  • Franz Marc MuseumKochel am See (Bavaria)

    A late 19th-century villa with a 2008 extension by Diethelm & Spillmann above Lake Kochel, where Franz Marc did much of his major work; it shows Marc and the Blue Rider alongside Klee, Kandinsky, the Brücke painters and post-war German art.

Music

  • Schloss ElmauKrün, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Bavaria)

    A five-star castle hotel below the Wetterstein mountains, with a 300-seat concert hall that has hosted musicians since 1957, among them the Amadeus Quartet, Benjamin Britten and Yehudi Menuhin. Visit website ↗

Hohenschwangau Castle on its rock in the snow, near Füssen
Hohenschwangau Castle in winter

Medical and longevity clinics

  • Lanserhof TegernseeLake Tegernsee (Bavaria)

    The German house of the Lanserhof group, about an hour from Munich, practising the LANS Med Concept: medical diagnostics, the F.X. Mayr cure, nutrition, sleep medicine and women's health programmes. Visit website ↗

Spas

  • Schloss ElmauElmau (Bavaria)

    A castle hotel built between 1914 and 1916 and host of the G7 summits of 2015 and 2022, holding three MICHELIN Keys, with six spas, including the adults-only Badehaus with heated rooftop and salt-water pools. Visit website ↗

Weddings and celebrations

Shop

Luxury shopping in the Bavarian Alps

The shopping of the Bavarian Alps.

The great marques

Official showrooms, by appointment.

The Great Marques: showrooms, factories and cars to hire ›

The pilgrimage church of St. Anton above Garmisch-Partenkirchen at sunset, with the Alpspitze beyond
St. Anton above Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in the Bavarian Alps: your questions answered

When is the best time to visit the Bavarian Alps?

Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau: Winter, December to March; summer, June to September; Schloss Elmau is open all year. Signature events: the New Year ski jump of the Four Hills Tournament, and the Kandahar World Cup races in winter.

Where are the best luxury hotels in the Bavarian Alps?

Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau: Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa Retreat & Cultural Hideaway, three MICHELIN Keys.

How do you arrive in the Bavarian Alps by private jet?

Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau: Munich (MUC/EDDM), about 1 hr 30 by road; Innsbruck (INN/LOWI), Austria, about 1 hr.

Which are the best restaurants in the Bavarian Alps?

The three-MICHELIN-star restaurant on our list here is es:senz, Grassau.

Do you tip in Germany?

Tipping is a thank you rather than an obligation. The custom is to round up, roughly 10 per cent (a bill of €27 becomes €30), and to give the tip to the server when paying rather than leaving it on the table.

What should you wear in the Bavarian Alps?

Traditional dress (Tracht) is formal wear here, not costume. Dirndl and Lederhosen are worn at most weddings and festivals, for church on major holidays, and are regarded as the expected dress at Munich's Oktoberfest. A well-made dirndl or Tracht jacket is correct at a festive evening.

A village of chalets and a red-roofed church among blossoming trees on the shore of the Tegernsee in spring
The Tegernsee in spring

Customs and etiquette

Customs and etiquette in Germany

How Bavaria does things.

Language
German is spoken throughout the Bavarian Alps, around Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Berchtesgaden and the Tegernsee. Locals often speak Bavarian dialect among themselves, but everyone uses Standard German with visitors, and English is spoken in the leading hotels.
Greetings
"Grüß Gott" is the standard greeting in Bavaria, as in Austria and South Tyrol; in dialect it is often heard as "griaß di" (to one person) or "griaß eich" (to several). "Servus" is the informal greeting among friends and works as both hello and goodbye.
Dress
Traditional dress (Tracht) is formal wear here, not costume. Dirndl and Lederhosen are worn at most weddings and festivals, for church on major holidays, and are regarded as the expected dress at Munich's Oktoberfest. A well-made dirndl or Tracht jacket is correct at a festive evening.
Dining and shopping
Shops in Bavaria close at 8 pm on weekdays and stay closed on Sundays and public holidays, under the Bavarian Shop Closing Act passed in 2025. Sunday rest has a constitutional basis in Germany. Bakeries may open for three hours on Sundays, and shops at main railway stations and airports are exempt; restaurants open as usual.
Tipping
Tipping is a thank you rather than an obligation. The custom is to round up, roughly 10 per cent (a bill of €27 becomes €30), and to give the tip to the server when paying rather than leaving it on the table.
Mountain etiquette
The FIS Rules for Conduct are the international standard on the pistes. In mountain huts, book ahead, bring a hut sleeping bag, keep quiet in the evening and take rubbish back down.

Every list on this page is checked by hand and dated: last checked October 2026. Hotels, restaurants and events link only to their own official websites, where confirmed.

A great bonfire throwing sparks into the night above a ring of trodden snow among birches
A bonfire on a winter night

The Mediterranean Season Letter

Where to be, every season

Four letters a year, one for each season: the Mediterranean from spring to autumn, and Beyond the Mediterranean, into the Alps, in winter. The one best hotel to book, and the events worth crossing a sea for.