Garmisch-Partenkirchen in its valley at dusk below the Alpspitze and the Waxenstein, an onion-domed church tower in front
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Luxury in the Bavarian Alps

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Germany’s Olympic mountain town below the Zugspitze, its painted houses and New Year ski jump, and Schloss Elmau, the castle hotel alone in a high valley nearby.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen at duskPhotograph: Pexels

Grüß Gott

The Olympic town below the Zugspitze

Garmisch and Partenkirchen were two old market villages until they were joined in 1935, a year before they hosted the Winter Olympics of 1936. Partenkirchen keeps its Roman roots and its painted houses on the Ludwigstrasse; Garmisch keeps its baroque church below the Wetterstein peaks. Richard Strauss lived here and composed in his villa for more than forty years.

Above the town rises the Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres the highest mountain in Germany, reached by a cogwheel train and a cable car from the Eibsee. Every New Year’s Day the Olympic ski jump holds a leg of the Four Hills Tournament, and the Kandahar run hosts the men’s World Cup downhill.

A few kilometres away, in a quiet high valley near Krün, Schloss Elmau combines a castle hotel, a spa and a concert hall, and hosted the G7 summits of 2015 and 2022. This guide brings together only the first class: the hotels, the tables and the experiences that meet our standard.

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 Waxenstein and the Wetterstein glowing at sunset, framed by the trees above Garmisch
The Wetterstein at sunset

Where to go

Garmisch-Partenkirchen at a glance

When to go, the one best hotel and restaurant, and how to arrive by private jet and 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.
A log fire burning bright behind an ornate iron fire screen
An open fire behind the screen

Stay

Luxury hotels and chalets in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau

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.

  • Schloss ElmauElmau

    A castle hotel built between 1914 and 1916 near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, host of the G7 summits of 2015 and 2022, with a 300-seat concert hall and six spas; three MICHELIN Keys. Visit website ↗

The five-star hotels

The one confirmed, officially five-star hotel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

See the hotel

Elmau (Wetterstein, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen)

Pink slices of venison on golden squash with redcurrants and a berry sauce, a glass of red wine beside it
Venison with redcurrants

Dine

The best restaurants in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau

The finest tables.

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 ↗

The turquoise Eibsee below the snow-streaked wall of the Zugspitze in early summer
The Eibsee below the Zugspitze

Summer

Summer in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau

The Garmisch summer.

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 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 Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau

Munich for jets and the airlines, about an hour and a half by road; Innsbruck about an hour.

Airlines to Munich

First and business class.

See all 15
Small wooded islands in the turquoise water of the Eibsee, the Zugspitze massif beyond under white clouds
The islands of the Eibsee

Experience

Events and things to do in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau

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

A Bavarian house with painted window frames, green shutters and a wooden balcony of red geraniums
A painted house in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

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 ↗

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

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

The Alpspitze and the Wetterstein range lit pink by the last sun above the dark forest
The Alpspitze and the Wetterstein at sunset

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau: your questions answered

Where is Garmisch-Partenkirchen?

In Upper Bavaria in southern Germany, below the Zugspitze and close to the Austrian border. Munich airport, for jets and the airlines, is about an hour and a half by road; Innsbruck is about an hour. Schloss Elmau is about twenty minutes from the town.

Can you ski on the Zugspitze?

Yes. The glacier plateau below the summit holds Germany’s highest ski area, usually open from late autumn into spring, reached by the cogwheel train from Garmisch or the cable car from the Eibsee. The Garmisch Classic area on the Alpspitze and the Kreuzeck is lower and larger.

When is the best time to visit Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau?

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 Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau?

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

How do you arrive in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau by private jet?

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

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 Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Schloss Elmau?

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.

Beyond Garmisch-Partenkirchen

More in the Bavarian Alps

The other great places of Bavaria, and The Alps beyond.

The Bavarian AlpsSchloss Elmau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Berchtesgaden and the TegernseeExplore the Bavarian AlpsThe AlpsFive countries, seventeen resorts, first class onlyExplore The Alps
A guest in a mustard sweater with a red enamel mug, feet up before the fire
Feet up before the fire

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.

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.