Garmisch Partenkirchen Christmas packing list
 

Hi, we are excited to be going to GaPa with our young children for Christmas. I am wondering about how much to pack and what we can rent there. I also wonder what to expect for the holiday.

*Nordic Skis brought from home or rented?
*Formal attire for Christmas Mass?
*Public indoor swimming available?
*Grocery shopping around the holidays?
*New Year celebration in GaPa?

I would appreciate any help and advice. It's pretty daunting to take two young children and all their winter attire, I am trying to plan out packing super carefully!

Many thanks!

http://www.snowell.com/2/en/liz_1109...hire-skirental

My husband rented most everything when he snowboarded.
I would wear good waterproof boots. I love those compressed down jackets, light weight but warm.uniqlo.com Do go to the top of the Zugspitze, well worth the money and take alone some little cheap sleds, all the kids sled there on these little fanny ones.
I would not get over dressed for mass. Dress warm, layers. I have only seen indoor swimming on the base but someone else might know.
some of the best grocery stores. I like Tengelmans but there is a new one on the way our of town now by the audi dealer. Very nice. Nothing big is open on Sunday, close around 6pm Sat so get what you need. You can get some items at a gas staton though
Try and take a day trip to Oberammergau. On the way you go by Ettal and there is a wood working shop on the side of the road. Great prices and nice gifts to take home. Love his nut crackers and bowls. This is where the Passion play is held every ten years but also was a former SS base but now a NATO school.

I have never been for

Sorry hit reply. I have never been for Christmas week or NYE.

I am sure that all your questions will get answered to the last bullet point as soon as our resident GAP fodorite svandav sees your post, but for the time being:

Ski rental: YES

Public Indoor Pool: YES, the Alpspitz Wellenbad (indoor swimming pool with waves, jacuzzis, sauna,..)

Dress for Mass: Assuming you want an RC Christmas service (there ARE Lutheran churches, even in Upper Bavaria, though), people will attend in any (clean) outfit. Some will dress up a little, some not. As flpab pointed out, churches can be a little cold - or a little hot, as that many people attend. So try to wear layers.

Grocery Shopping: Stores are closed on Sundays and Holidays. On Dec 24, most stores close earlier than normal, usually in the afternoon. Dec 25 and 26 every store will be closed. Dec 27 (Saturday) normal hours are in effect (8-8). Dec 28 and Jan 1 every store closed again. Try to avoid grocery shopping on the 24th if you can as grocery stores will be packed. When everything else is closed, you can get a very small range of groceries from the convenience stores in gas stations.

Hi eventide,

I live in Garmisch, so I hope I can help --

I think there is a big advantage to renting skis rather than bringing your own. If you rent, you'll be able to try out the best, next skis and boots, and you won't be loaded down with heavy equipment while navigating trains and busses and getting around.

You can rent skis at various places in town, so you may want to decide where to rent depending on where you are staying or where you are skiing. At Hausberg, you can rent skis & boots right at the Garmisch Ski School building, and at Kreuzeck, you can rent in the small log-cabin thing just downhill from the cable cars. At the Zugspitze, you can rent right inside the complex, on the 2d floor at the Zugspitzeplatt (where the cogwheel train drops you). In addition, there are various rental places in town on Zugspitzstrasse and of course at the big Conrad sports store in the center of town.

You don't really need formal attire for Christmas mass. If you come in casual business attire, that will be fine -- nice pants or a skirt for women, a jacket for men. People are pretty informal here.

There is a public indoor swimming pool at

http://www.gemeindewerke-garmisch-pa...d=39&Itemid=46

It is near the ski-skating rink/stadium in town, at Klammstrasse 47. The two closest bus stops are Achenfeldstrasse or the Bahnhof.

Everything will shut down around 15.00 on 24 December, so you need to make sure your grocery shopping is done. If you let me know where you'll be staying, I'll tell you the nearest grocery store. There is a Tengelmann's on Zugspitzstrasse, one near the center of town, and one in Partenkirchen, and there is a Rewe in Partenkirchen.

You can always pick up emergency supplies from the little shopping kiosk in the train station -- milk, some yogurt, bread, cold cuts, soft drinks, sandwiches, etc.

Shops will remain closed through Friday, 26 December, so make sure you have enough.

There are no official fireworks in Germany -- individuals buy and set off their own. Most folks bundle up warm and go to a high spot to watch it -- the Kriegergedächtniskapelle (Memorial Chapel to the War Dead) on Kramerplateauweg is a popular spot.

On 1 January, there is a world-famous ski-jump competition held at the ski jump in Partenkirchen. It is a lively and fun time, with lots of media, athletes, spectators, coaches, etc. There are food stalls, etc, to keep you filled up as you wander around. There is a fee to go inside to view the actual event.

Have fun as you plan!

s

I should also add that you *may not* get to ski. Christmas is early for skiing here, and of course with Global Climate Change, winters are getting warmer and warmer and less snow sure. It's likely the Garmisch Classic area won't be open at all. Zugspitze will probably have enough snow for skiing -- but one year, high winds blew the snow off the pistes, and it didn't open until January. So, just hope and pray, and you may be lucky.

s

Swandav, how is the Nordic skiing in G-P? If I get to do my Bavaria rotation this winter (early to mid Feb through March), I will be based in Tutzing, which means it's an easy train ride down to G-P.

I had thought I'd be in Bad Tolz, but the company has an apartment building in Tutzing for employees -- people like me on rotations or new hires who get temp housing for a couple of months as part of their contract. I've seen photos of the apts, they look really nice and are a short walk from the train station, so I'm crossing my fingers everything works out!

Hope the snow for XC is decent in Feb/March

smart wool socks
Great Nordic skiing trails.
Bonus: ski-jump competition! Lucky you.

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

swandav2000: I think I am renting a unit from Ferienwohnungen ALPINA

Alpspitzstraße 31

I'm not sure if that's the agency or the actual address. You have been so awesome with information, I may ask you for more help if you don't mind should I have further questions. :-)

Hi again eventide,

I am very happy to help more, of course!

It looks like there are quite a few apartments managed by that company -- I see 12 units on one page, and five pages. Yes, it does look like the Alpspitzstrasse address is the office. Have they sent you any specific information on the exact apartment you rented? It looks like each one has its own name. And, yes, they are in different locations -- for instance, the "Alpenambiente" is located on Bahnhofstrasse. So if you let me know which one you'll be in, I can tell you which bus stop and grocery stores are nearby.

WeisserTee -- I would **love** to see you in Garmisch! I'm afraid, though, that downhill here is nothing like it is in Switzerland, sadly. I've skied Wengen and Grindelwald a few times, and I loved skiing through villages and towns and across a few mountains. Well, Garmisch is nothing like that.

The Garmisch Classic ski area has about 40 km of pistes and maybe about 13 lifts/cable cars over three mountains (Hausberg, Alpspitze, and Kreuzeck). Here's a link to the ski map:

http://zugspitze.de/en/winter/skiare...sic/pistenplan

The Zugspitze area has about 20 km of downhill with about 4 lifts. Here's a link to the ski map:

http://zugspitze.de/en/winter/skiare...tze/pistenplan

I'll add that it is unbelievably crowded in February, during the school break. You can be standing and fighting to get onto a cable car for 20 minutes, or you may be standing for the entire ride on the cogwheel train up to the Zugspitze (if you get on in Garmisch, though, you'll probably get a seat).

Last year we had a very bad snow year, and skiing in February was like skiing in springtime. The ski year ended about a month early. Here's hoping we don't have that problem again.

Crosscountry in this area has been dismal the last two years -- nonexistent, really last year. Austria is better -- just get to some altitude.

Have fun!

s

Swandav2000,

Good thinking on the skiing, we have been struggling with erratic winter weather where we live as well. We will save the skiing for our own mountains back home!
The unit is on Dreitorspitzstr achtundsechzig. Kommen Sie vorbei und sagen hallo.
Would you mind terribly telling me where I ought to shop? My kids will want basic food, they've been practicing asking for pretzels in German, I promised them they could live off of pretzels and wurst.
We will skip the skis and plan to do more train rides and bus rides to scenic spots. My son plays violin so he wants to get to Mittenwald if possible.
We have snow today so I am off to turn the heat up!
Many thanks!

How old are your children? I ask because we think GAP may be the first place we will venture with our grandkids. Also think GAP is perfect for children. Reasonably priced hotels, good, friendly folks and kid-friendly food.

We spent a New Year there with our grown kids--before the grandhildren arrived, and absolutely loved it. We booked our dinner at the Fruendorfer Gasthaus. You get seated at communal tables. We sat with folks from Norway who were there for the ski jump competition the next day. They had a small oompah pah music group and the restaurant/guesthouse owners' grandchildren daned with the thigh and foot slapping stuff they do. I think your kids will enjoy it.

We were very lucky to get great weather and plenty of snow. I wish you the same.

Julie,
Our children are 6 and 8. They are getting very excited to be there for two weeks. :-)
I will try to book dinner for New Year's at Fruendorfer Gashaus, did you mean New Year's day or Eve? Sounds like a hoot!!!

Hi again,

Your apartment is in a very beautiful residential neighborhood in Partenkirchen (not far from where friends of mine live). Of course, you can check it out using google maps using Dreitorspitzstrasse 68, Garmisch.

The nearest bus stops are either Alpenstrasse or Wildenauer Strasse, and you can probably just walk to the Ski Jump competition area rather than take a bus.

It will be a long walk to the train station (maybe 30 minutes), so you should plan to take the town bus (which will be free with the Guest Card your hosts give you).

You can take bus #2 to get to the Kruzeck and Alspitze cable cars, and you can take either bus #1 or bus #2 to the train station to catch the cog-wheel train up to the Zugspitze (or the bus/trains to Mittenwald). To go to the Eibsee and the Eibsee cable car, you can walk (15 or so minutes) to the Eibsee bus stop at the Rathaus or take the town bus to the train station to catch it there.

You can take either town bus #1 or #2 to get to the center of Garmisch.

I don't know of any grocery stores that are in that neighborhood. The Rewe in Partenkirchen is on Hauptstrasse & Schornstrasse (maybe 15 minutes' walk), but you can easily take the bus. There is a small Tangelman on Ludwigstrasse (after the Badgasse corner).

You'll probably want to spend lots of time on Historic Ludwigstrasse, which is the semi-pedestrian path for Partenkirchen. There is a Christmas market there -- but I believe it only runs for a few weekends. But there are many shops and cafes and bakeries where you can get your pretzels and pretzels with cheese (ummmmmmm!).

Your apartment is in a really lovely area, but as you can probably tell from my comments, it's not super convenient.

Let us know if you'd like more information!! I hope we get some snow (we're already late --)

s

Sorry I missed your question earlier. We were at Frauendorfer for New Years' Eve. The ski jump competition is on New Year day.

I cannot think of a better combination than G/P and Christmas!

Swandav has that area covered. Great/generous information

I would only add these tidbits:

-Don't lug skis from home.....rent

-Mittenwald is a short train ride from Garmmisch

-A great Nordic ski area just south of G/P across the Austrian Border is "Seefeld".

Hey it just snowed here in New Jersey (dusting!) so you never know what to expect. Fingers Crossed!

I want a trip report when you return from this beautiful area of the Tirol.

-john

Thank you Julie for the tip, I booked dinner for New Year's Eve at Frauendorfer!
Thanks for your take John, we'll keep fingers crossed for snow and rent skis if luck is with us. We'd love to spend a day or two skiing in Austria.

Swandav2000, do you have any thoughts on Christmas decorations? We'd love to have even a tiny tree, the kids might feel slighted if we don't ;-)

Thank you everyone!

Hi again,

Unfortunately, the Kaethe Wohlfahrt Christmas store has moved out of Garmisch. There is one in Oberammerau I believe, so you could take a trip there on your first or second day and buy some stuff.

There is a Depot home decoration store in the heart of Garmisch at the corner of Von-Brug-Strasse and Chamonixstrasse; they have seasonal things and lots of decorations at Christmas.

There are a few places where you can buy a live tree -- along St Martinstrasse for one. You should be able to ask your hosts to recommend a tree seller near the apartment.

Have fun!

s

S,
I stumbled across something in a story I was reading about DHL parcel delivery boxes in Germany. Is there a location and means to have a package held for several days at a DHL location? It would be great to place an Amazon order and then go pick up the box when we are there!
It's only -2°c here today, looks balmy there, getting so excited. :-)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/dm...6f236d55ca19a2
Great shopping area for everyday needs. .

Hi again,

I'm not totally sure. Are you buying from amazon.de, or will you try to have amazon.com deliver to Germany?

I order from amazon.de frequently, but then they just deliver to my home. Occasionally they'll deliver to the parcel box if I wasn't home, so I can pick up the box anytime.

I've never seen a place with boxes for visitors.

Why don't you ask your hosts if you can have a box mailed to their offices?

Hope you get it worked out.

s

ps I'm on vcation in Switzerland working on my tablet, so typing is a pain --

Hi Swandav, Enjoying the rain? :-(
What part of Switzerland are you visiting this time?

Hi Weisser Tee,

I'm in Montreux, as usual! Loving it, even in the rain. Had an incredible Rösti Vaudois today. Yuum

s

S,
The hosts said we could ship packages to their office! Good call. I will attempt to order on Amazon..de.
I hope Switzerland was lovely, it's 3°C here today. Still no snow either.
-E

Swandav2000,

I have yet another question for you! Sorry to pepper you so relentlessly!
Should I buy a rail pass to cover trips to and from Munich? I'm guessing those trips wouldn't fall under the Bayern Pass. Also, will certainly visit Innsbruck so wondering if that too is included or would there be a suplimental?
Best regards,
E

Hi again,

I've never found rail passes to be value for the money; it's usually too much money for not enough rail.

I'm not at home right now so can't search as I normally would -- but you can google a map for the Baaria Ticket. Bavaria is very large, and the Bavaria Ticket is good for all of it. I used it going from Garmisch to Lindau a week ago.

No, though, it's not good for travel to Innsbruck. You can get the price of the ticket from Garmisch to Innsbruck and compare the cost of a Bavaria Ticket from Garmisch to Mittenwald then a regular ticket from Mittenwald to Innsbruck.

Rail prices are much lower if you buy your tickets 90 days in advance if you aren't going to use the Bavaria Ticket. The biggest problem is that you are then locked into that train at that time and can't change it. The discounted fares sell out quickly, though, so you should begin looking now to see if any discounted fares are left.

Have fun!

s

Good day,

Can anyone recommend a Chinese or Japanese restaurant in GaPa? I think it would be fun to go that route for Christmas dinner if possible. As travelers, coming up with a special meal is tricky. :-)
Thanks!

Hi again,

The biggest one is Asia World:

http://www.asia-world-garmisch.de/index.asp

They offer Mongolian, Chinese, sushi, etc. They say they are open every day, so it may be a good bet. Remember though that every hotel restaurant will be open -- you'll just have to make reservations ahead of time. You can choose a nice 4-star in Partenkirchen and enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner.

http://www.atlas-grandhotel.com/inde...grandhotel&L=1

Or a friendly Bavarian hotel & restaurant:

http://www.gasthof-fraundorfer.de/en...restaurant.php

Just email them for costs & reservations for Christmas Eve & day.

s

Hello,
We have booked New Year's dinner at the Fraundorfer and are awaiting the menu from the Atlas Hotel.

Is there any way we could take a cog railway up to some snow fields so our kids can do some sledding? I ordered sleds for Christmas so it would be a shame to not use them!

E

Sure, why not? I don't understand what you think may not be able to do this?

There is a ski run open on the Zugspitze, and the sled run is open there. They are working hard to open more lifts by Christmas, and they are trying to get them open by Christmas.

Here is the page to see which lifts and pistes are open:

http://zugspitze.de/en/winter/skiare...c/lifte-pisten

s

Hallo!

We have been loving Garmisch so far, we made it to Innsbruck yesterday for the Christmas Markets. What a gorgeous experience! The lack of snow is a bit sad but the train ride to Innsbruck from Mittenwald is one of the most spectacular rides I've ever been on.

My family has found walking to the city center to be doable, the train station is a healthy walk before sitting on the train. :-)

I hate to bother you yet again but is there any chance you know of a childcare service here in GaPa?
Merry Christmas!

Hi again,

Glad you're having fun!!

Yes, the lack of snow is really depressing, though the Zugspitze has opened 7 ski runs starting today. There is one run open on the Hausberg.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any babysitters or childcare service for travellers. I can tell you that, when my sister and I were toddlers, my parents asked the hotels to recommend babysitters, and we used those. However, that wasn't for all day but only for a few hours at night so they could have dinner, etc. But if you have no other options, you could ask your apartment hosts.

I've heard of this Facegroup page: Garmisch Germany Babysitters:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/412169945530456/

It's a closed group, so it may take a few days to get admitted to the group to ask. Or you could just pm the group moderator and ask.

Good luck!

s

Thanks for yet more info!
Today was an adventure in bus travel in GaPa. I have walked so much that I can now indulge in extra chocolate!!! I made several new friends including a kind bus driver who shared his Christmas cookies with me, a young man from Senegal who took pity on my pack-mule appearance and a solo lady traveller who helped me navigate the dead-ending of the bus we were on. It is a slightly odd system to work out from this end of the town, I had some serious blunders today with it.
I was wondering if many shops will be open Christmas Eve down in the Marianplatz? My husband still needs to duck out for a few more things...wrapping paper being top on the list! ;-)
Thank you again S for being such a resource!!!
-E

Hi again,

Yes, I love walking through neighborhoods in town; if you can try to avoid the main roads and detour through some interesting streets. . . I do realize that you've walked tons, and detouring would add even more miles . . . but so worth it. Gives you a completely different knowledge of the town!

Yes, I've also found that doing the busses and walking exposes you to many more locals -- love it! I can't tell you the number of times someone has opened a conversation with me at the bus stop.

Anyway, most shops will close around 12.00 or 14.00. So your husband needs to get out early!

Oh, every bus stop has a map of the routes through town -- have you studied it? I always use google maps to help me get oriented, both in my hotel/apartment and also while I'm out & about. Do you have a smart phone?

Here's a link to the bus map so you can plan in advance:

http://www.gemeindewerke-garmisch-pa...d=34&Itemid=40

s

Hallo!

Would it be possible on a Sunday to take the lift at the Olympic Stadium (Eckbauerbahn) with rented X-country skis, get off, ski to Warberg and then ski back down to Partenkirchen.?
I had an accident so cannot do alpine skiing sadly. Sending my husband off to ski with another visitor.
I badly want to get up to some altitude but need something more moderate.

Best,
E

Hi again,

I don't think there is enough snow to cross-country ski in this area. Do you mean Wamberg? I don't even know if there is a cross-county trail there -- it's not listed on the GaPa tourist website, and none of my friends have talked to me about it (they talk about going cross-country in Mittenwald and in Austria).

Skiing from Wamberg to Partenkirchen will be Alpine, but I don't think there is a ski trail for this.

Can you sled? There is a sled run open on the Zugspitze. Or just go up the Hausberg and sit at one of my favorite spots, the Drehmöser.

Can you go snowshoeing? You could do that.

s

I know the Edelweiss lodge offered night tubing but could not find anything on the Gap site. I always wanted to do that.


Tobogganing on the 5 km trail at Mount Hausberg is fun for the whole family. The track is prepared, and nets make the dangerous passages safe in order to guarantee all toboggan fans easy going enjoyment. After all, it is all about fun. Tobogganing at night is a great experience. The toboggan run is lit on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 pm to 8 pm (please observe the updated notices).

The trail from St.-Martins-Hütte at Mount Grasberg is an insider tip for the fearless. You have to walk uphill to speed down the 1.6 km trail. Afterwards, it is a fast run back into the valley

Well, again, there has to be enough snow for the sled run from St. Martinshütte. We've only had one good day of snow and one day of light snow, and I'm not sure it's enough for that run.

Here's some more information on it:

http://www.outdooractive.com/en/sled...ramer/1398506/

Here is the website for St Martinshütte:

http://www.martinshuette-grasberg.de/

The website says that sledding is limited at the moment. The telephone number for the hütte is on the website, so you could call them and get up to date information on the run.

For flpab -- just a quick note. You don't need to add "Mount" to "Hausberg" and "Grasberg." The "berg" at the end of the word indicates it is a mountain; you are essentially saying, Mount House Mountain, Mount Grass Mountain, etc.

s

Bummer about the snow. It is mother nature we are dealing with. I got the info off a Gap site. I think you could get a job writing their translation swandav!

Oh gosh, that's so funny, flpab! I have heard that it's best to get a native speaker (but fluent in the foreign language) to translate information from the foreign. I've seen other strange constructions from Germans who are fluent in English . . . but not native.

Oh yes, mother nature, plus some interference from Global Climate Change. The Zugspitze glacier is melting at a very advanced speed, and the ski seasons are getting shorter.

However, we did get another nice dump of snow yesterday, so the sled run from St Martinshütte may be fully open by now -- and hopefully we'll have a good ski season!!!

s