Any gorgeous hiking destinations in Germany?
 

We are planning to take the kids to Germany this summer. My husband and I honeymooned in Interlaken and he would like to take the kids there, too. However, we are shorter on time than I would like and it makes sense to confine our trip to Germany. Aren't there gorgeous places to hike in Germany, too? (mountains preferred). Thanks for your suggestions.

I just re-read my post and it sounds as if I wasn't aware that the Alps existed. I guess I should rephrase the question....I'm looking for a beautiful alpine destination - perhaps in or around Bavaria- for relatively easy, yet beautiful hiking.

Try the area of Berchtesgaden. We were just at lake Koniggsee and it was so beautiful in the snow! There were hiking areas along the lake!

We enjoyed several days of hiking in Mittenwald (a short distance southeast of Garmisch), not overly strenuous but beautiful. It's not far to Innsbruck either, and outside Innsbruck are some delightful villages (Mutters, Fulpmes, Neustift) with great hiking possibilities. We would gladly return.

Garmish Partenkirchen is an excellent base for hiking. A great thing to do is take ski goldola/cable car to the top of the mountain then hike down. There are many marked trails and many, people out doing the same thing.

I used Garmish as a base for 1mo w/ kids a few years ago and we went hiking every 2nd or 3rd day.

What about gentle hikes through the Schwarzwald, taking off from the area around Freiburg/Staufen. A favorite is the walk from St. Peter to St. Margen (sp?).
Pack a picnic lunch and go....

Whats the 'local' mountain near Freiburg--?Feldberg...easy to hike to and climb the tower for sweeping views--memorable!

You biggest "problem" will probably be "choice".

If you should be restricted to public transportation, Mittenwald and Garmisch are easily accesible by train (via/from Munich) and could serve as your base. Other posters liked Oberammergau a lot, the Allgäu section of the Alps with Sonthofen or Immenstadt is also nice, and also accessible by train.

You will get books and maps from any of the local Tourist Information offices, railway station kiosks, gas stations, or bookstores, and the trails are usually very well marked.

Mittenwald may even be better since it's small, and you won't need lots of time to leave the village, and get on the trails.

Hiking the "klamms" (gorges -- near Mittenwald or Garmisch) is often fun for kids, or hiking from one alpine "Sennhütte" (if anyone knows the English phrase, pls let me know) to another. These "huts" often cater foods and drinks, and/or sell their own cheese and milk.

If you should have a rental car, it would make it even bit easier to get from your hotel/B&B to the trailheads.

Sorry that I cannot give any specific recommendations, but there are simply too many options.

We need more time for this trip!!!!! It becomes so difficult once the kids are in high school.

YES YES YES. I am a hiker, and have hiked the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas, Cascades, Rocky Mountain West, US Southwest and Northeast. While my favorite hikes are in Switzerland (Bernese Oberland and Lower Engadine Valley), there are a multitude of amazing hikes, for all ability levels, from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. You can contact the tourist office online and they will send you a comprehensive packet with maps and descriptions. One of my favorites was a day-long hike (more like a "wander") from Garmisch all the way to Mittenwald. There are lakes and a couple of beautiful inns for lunch along the way, with gorgeous mountain vistas all around!

We have hiked in Germany, Austria and Italy many times over and by far my fav spot is Berchtesgaden. There are so many trails you could just go to heaven. Trails are clean, well marked, well scored for difficulty and offer fantastic view of the Alps.In addition, there is terrific siteseeing in the nearby towns both in Germany and Austria. If you remember the opening scene of the Sound of Music, it is a good example of the scenery of these great hiking areas.

When you are in Germany, you might like to try a 'Volksmarch' - an organized, at your own pace walk. There are hundreds of clubs in Germany putting on walks. We did one outside of Munich years ago. The start/finish featured a beer tent and oompah band.

Try looking at Ivv.org, VVA.org or
www.hiwc.de/ (the Heidelberg american club)

Another gorgeous place to hike is in the Harz Mountains, in the north. The area is similar to the Green Mountains of Vermont, with many pleasant hiking paths throughout. You could base yourself in Goslar, a well-preserved medieval town, or outside of Clausthall-Zellerfeld, where there is a good inn called the "Pixhaier-Muehler." I once stayed here for two weeks, and took daily walks into the forest from the inn.

Here's the link: http://www.pixhaier-muehle.de/

Bookmark

The Alps certainly offer most spectacular scenery in Germany. Berchtesgaden would probably be my favourite. Garmisch/Mittenwald second, Oberstdorf/Allgäu third.

If you want to look into mid-range mountains there are plenty of options in Germany. The second favourite hiking area in Germany (according to a recent poll) is the National Park (and surrounding area) Saxon Switzerland. Bizarre sandstone formations, glens, flat-top mountains (not too tall, but impressive), still relatively inexpensive.

The Harz mountains are another good option. Or the Thuringian forest. The Bavarian Forest. The Black Forest. The choice is yours ;-)

I.

What is your overall plan for traveling in Germany? Will you be in areas other than southern Bavaria?

Germany is a wonderful country for finding "gorgeous places to hike"--there are many trails and "naturparks" because so many people of all ages hike/ walk.
With a quick search I found this site with links to some of the interesting hiking areas
http://www.germantrails.com/site/htm...2a0uc1qv4alaq6


LilRicky has already mentioned the Harz mountains as an interesting destination in addition to the Alps.

My husband and I lived for several years in Eichstaett which is in the middle of Germany's largest naturpark a little bit north of Munich. It has many hiking trails and a good bike path that feeds into the Danube bike path.

Another area I would like to go back to for hiking is the Naturpark Frankenwald in northern Bavaria. Our family stayed one night some years ago (on our way to Erfurt) at Burg Lauenstein near Kronach

we will be in Munich and Salzburg in Oct 08 so bookmarking for the hikers in our group! We have many levels of hikers, would the Berchtesgaden be our best bet?

In the area of Berchtesgaden, you are very close to a wide variety of hiking choices, from the easiest to the "nur fur Geupte" - which to me means forget about it! You don't have to stay in Berchtesgaden to take advantage of the hiking as the last poster questioned. You can also stay in many of the surrounding towns and villages. This is often a terrific experience because you learn more about the area and the culture. An additional benefit is that these outlying places cost a lost less!
There are so many choices I think that you could spend a whole summer hiking and never cross the same path twice.
When we first started hiking, we were walking down the Jenner to the Konigsee one day - I was very proud of my newfound ability after quitting smoking.I had my new expensive hiking shoes and my new great hiking socks...just all decked out to be the world's greatest hiker! It was a very warm August day. Around the bend comes a grandmother, decked out in a very heavy black dress, black kerchief, with nylons rolled into a lump at the knees and a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. I would say that she was about 80. She was a local and was hiking uphill!!!!!!! This was the moment when I realized I had a long way to go!!

EmilyC--when my husband and kids were hiking up from Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon, they were also feeling pretty good until they encountered the woman they called "the Chinese grandmother"--sounds similar to your experience