October 31, 2026
Reformation Day — Public Holiday in Select States
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
Traveling to Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
Enter your dates and see what NoStressTravel has for your exact stay.
📷 Markus Spiske / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
Garmisch and Partenkirchen were two separate towns until 1935, and this is still evident today: the two historic centres stand roughly two kilometres apart, each with its own high street and its own character. The merger was proposed by Garmisch in 1933 for tourism reasons, and the Bavarian ministry carried it out under pressure from the approaching Winter Olympic Games, taking effect on the first of January 1935. The Games were held in February 1936, and the town today also addresses how the regime exploited them. Towering above everything is the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak, reached from the town by rack railway.
October 31, 2026
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
November 1, 2026
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
December 25, 2026
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
December 26, 2026
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
January 1, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
January 6, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
March 26, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
March 29, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
May 1, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
May 6, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
May 17, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
August 15, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
October 3, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
Everything you need for Garmisch-Partenkirchen in one place
A gorge carved by the Partnach river, up to eighty metres deep, with a path that runs alongside the water through tunnels and galleries cut into the rock. It has been open to visitors since 1912, and since 1930 also in winter, when the walls are covered in ice. From the Olympic stadium to the entrance is about a twenty-five-minute walk; there is an admission charge, pushchairs cannot pass through, and sturdy footwear and a rain jacket are strongly recommended as the rock is permanently wet.
The ski jump and stadium built for the 1936 Winter Olympics, where the Four Hills Tournament is held every year on the first of January. The interior can only be visited on a reserved guided tour, which lasts around two hours and takes visitors up to the jumping platform; no official source indicates that the grounds are freely accessible without a tour. The city speaks openly about the 1936 Games — and about how the Nazi regime exploited them to project a false image of a peaceful Germany.
The main street of Partenkirchen follows the route of the Roman road from the Brenner Pass to Augsburg, and has held market rights since 1305. Two fires, in 1811 and 1865, destroyed the older street, so what visitors see today is a monument to nineteenth-century rebuilding — only the houses at numbers 8 and 47 are older. The painted façades for which the street is known were created mostly between 1922 and 1935; the one on Gasthaus Fraundorfer was painted by Heinrich Bikel in 1928.
Roasted pork knuckle with crispy crackling, served with a Knödel — a dish that the city's official gastronomic guide lists as the signature meal of its traditional taverns. Alongside it, juicy roast pork is cited as another typical local speciality.
Unlock access to see what else is worth trying.
Register for free and explore Garmisch-Partenkirchen.