We are booked for two weeks over the Christmas holiday, two adults and children 6 & 8. We fly into Munich and plan to use train to reach GaPa but will we need a car? I have never traveled Bavaria in the winter so would appreciate feedback. We hope to visit Innsbruck but looks easy by train, otherwise we will be pretty happy with maybe just a visit to Linderhoff and lots of sledding!
Thanks ahead.

Hi eventide,

I live in Garmisch, and I gave away my car when I moved here in 2008 -- as you can imagine, I'm a strong advocate for a car-free life!

Yes, it's dead-easy to use the trains and busses for Innsbruck, Linderhof, and/or sledding. It's also very easy to get to Oberammergau, Ettal, Mittenwald, etc.

The town bus #2 will take you from most spots in town to the Alpspitze or Kreuzeck cable car lifts, and your hosts will give you a Guest Card that makes the busses free for you (no hassles or worries about finding parking and walking a long distance to the cable cars). There's also a free ski bus that runs constantly between the train station and the Hausberg lift. I would advise that you get a hotel//apartment in the center of town for easy access to the busses.

I think you'll be very happy to be keeping your emissions low during your visit to help preserve this beautiful area (we're already seeing damage from Global Cimate Change on the Zugspitze).

Have fun as you plan!

s

Thanks so much for all the great information! I try to only walk everywhere so I can't agree more on the car-free sentiment. Glad the infrastructure is in place to save us the hassle of car rental.
Best regards!

Yay! Happy to hear it!

For your walking pleasure, I'll suggest that you get lost in some of the streets away from the main drag. At Christmastime, many homes open their drapes to show off their decorations and lights, and it can be magical after dark. Many folks who drive don't take the opportunity to do this --

I'd suggest the streets of Zoeppritzstrasse, Loisachstrasse, and Fruehlingstrasse in Garmsch, and Sonnenbergstrasse and Faukenstrasse in Partenkirchen.

Have fun!

s

Eventide,with your permission ( no intentions of hijacking the thread),a question for swandav2000.Can you please recommend places to stay (mid range)homes/apartments,for 4 adults in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.Planning to be there around the 20th of Dec'14.2 Nights.
Links if any,so I can contact them directly.Thank you both in advance

Hi inquest,

I'm happy to help, if I can.

Unfortunately, however, I've never stayed in a hotel or apartment in Garmisch. I also don't know what you mean by mid-range (a wealthy person has a different mid-range than a middle class person does).

I do have these two hotels I recommend often because of their location and their charm --

3-star Hotel Bavaria

4-star Hotel Zugspitze

Both are gorgeous and full of Bavarian charm, and both are convenient to the train station, the pedestrian zone, and bus stops.

If you want to look around for some other options, the best place is at

www.gapa.de

You can search for either an apartment or a hotel at that site, then you contact the ones you're interested in. Look for the dot inside a circle to show the property is central -- but also check its street location so you are sure. You can always come here and ask.

You may want to know that Germans count the living room as 1 room, so a 2-room apartment will have one bedroom and a living room. If you want a 2-bedroom apartment, you need to look for a 3-room apartment. Also, it is rare to find an apartment with 2 bathrooms, and it is very rare to find an apartment for only 2 nights -- particularly at Christmas. So you may be better off in a hotel.

Let us know what you find!

s

We rented an apartment in Garmisch a few years ago from this local agency. The apartment we rented was sold not long after we stayed there, but I'd highly recommend the agency and there are some very nice apartments.

http://www.fewo-kuen.de/html/Start.E.html

Kathy

Hr

The advise about staying in the hotel is a wise one,as its a very short stay. I'm looking into the leads you have provided.In the meanwhile I find it inappropriate to hijack a thread.Will start a new one.I need more answers.Thanks once again.