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8 Tips for Visiting Garmish Gorge Partnachklamm in Germany

When we stayed in Garmisch Partenkirchen for two nights, during our German road trip we had not planned to visit Garmish Gorge. However, for most of our visit, the weather was not behaving and stopped us from going up Zugspitze and the surrounding Bavarian Alps. Partnach Gorge or Partnachklamm which it is also known was coming up as a good option for things to do in Garmish Partenkirchen in the rain. So off we headed.

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Getting to Garmish Gorge

As we were staying in Partenkirchen we could walk to Partnachklamm. This took us through the Olympic Ski Jump Stadium. This is where the Winter Olympics were held in 1936. I would add to the list suggest you spend some time marvelling at the ski jumps. We were lucky when we visited to see a training session taking place and watched some of the skiers come flying down.

It is also easy to reach Partnachklamm by public transport. If wanting to visit as a day trip from Munich. You can catch a train from Munich Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Station) to Garmisch train station. They depart roughly every hour and take around 2 hours. The station is located in the town center. To reach Garmish Gorge you can take the bus line 1 or 2 heading towards the Olympic stadium.

If you are arriving by car or bike then there is a car park then you can also park at the Olympic Ski Stadium

How to get to Partnachklamm from the parking lot

From the stadium, it took us around half an hour to walk up to the Partnach Gorge entrance. This is mostly done on paved roads which despite being mainly pedestrianised have a surprising number of cars driving up them. Partly because of the Das Graseck Hotel and also the beer garden which is just before you reach the entrance. You follow the Partnach River mainly uphill and past various little wooden houses.

If you do not want to walk all the way uphill. Then we noticed on the way back down there is a horse-drawn carriage which runs up and down. It was not running when we arrived, but perhaps this was because we were too early. If you do want to take the horse carriage then from what I could tell it was €10 for an adult and €7 for a child which felt like a lot but then his carriage was always full when we saw it return.

How much does it cost?

For a family of four, it costs €30 for entrance to Garmish Gorge. You can not buy tickets online only at the ticket booth at the entrance. If you have the guest card from your accommodation then this will reduce the admission fee by €1 per adult. Although the guest card costs €3 per day for an adult. As we had planned on obtaining a two-day pass for the Alps we gave this a miss not counting on the weather changing our plans. However if you are planning on staying longer and doing more activities then it could be worth considering.

What to Expect when visiting the Packnachklamm

Having previously visited a gorge in Austria called Liechesteinklamm which we loved, we had some experience around what to expect when visiting. Unlike the other gorge, there is no set of steps to take you down instead you enter at the bottom of this 80-metre-deep gorge. There is a narrow path that runs all the way through the Packnach Gorge with the water thundering below you. The pathway is carved into the rock walls and you pass through in a single file. Pausing for photos of the impressive rock faces as you go.

We found a waterfall halfway along and a statue of the Virgin Mary. With water coming from above and below this natural wonder is very impressive. There are several viewing areas where the path widens slightly. However it is made more difficult by those choosing not to exit Partnach Gorge but walk back through, going against the traffic as such. The earlier you go in the day the less of this you will experience.

Exiting the Partnach Gorge and Hikes

I had not realised when we got to the end of the gorge that we would need to either return back the way we came or exit altogether through some metal gates. From what we could tell if you exit then you cannot return back in without paying a new entrance fee. However, the details of the mountain hikes and map were outside the exit area. So you had to exit Partnachklamm without knowing what you were letting yourself in for.

The good news is that there are numerous hikes with the gorge’s end as the starting point suitable for the whole family. Because we had plans for the afternoon and did not know how long the good weather would last we opted for what looked like the shortest route.

Taking us up the side of Partnach gorge, across an iron bridge and towards Gashof Kaiserschmarrn-Alm. Although this was closed as we visited on a Monday there was another little restaurant open a little further along just past the Das Graseck Hotel. From here you can then choose to walk along the road (very steep downhill) and this will bring you in at the entrance to the gorge. Or take an alternative route towards Eiserne Brucke which I think will take you over a bridge above the gorge. However, I can not promise that since we went the other way.

We did find that our google maps did not work very well! But we did see a few signposts with the distance indicated on them.

Tips for visiting Garmish Gorge – Partnachklamm

If you are also considering visiting the Partnachklamm for the first time then these tips may help you:

A bit of an obvious one really but wear sturdy shoes, I did see one person in flip-flops. The ground is uneven and there are puddles along the narrow walkway. I would also suggest bringing raincoats as you do get wet.
Take a picture of the hiking trail once you exit because Google Maps is not working well.
Keep an eye on the weather forecast and check the official website to ensure the gorge is open.
If you want to enter the gorge outside of the opening hours of the ticket office. Then there are self-service ticket machines at both ends of the gorge. The last admission when we visited through the ticket office was 4 pm.

And some more…

During high season and on hot summer days it is best to visit early morning as it can get very busy. Especially if you want to take multiple pictures.
If you would prefer to avoid too much strenuous hiking, then you could potentially cheat by taking the cable car up to the Hotel. This can be reached close to the entrance of the gorge. Then walk from the hotel back down the side of the gorge to reach the exit and then enter this way instead. This would avoid having to climb up the side of the gorge. Although it would mean you are then going against the traffic in the gorge.
To allow enough time for the forest trails .I would suggest you leave between two to three hours depending on which trail you take after the gorge. For the gorge itself to walk from one end to the other. Is probably around half an hour depending on how many times you stop.
There are toilets at the ticket office, along with a small shop selling ice creams, drinks and souvenirs. There is also a well-priced beer garden.