Hiking the Partnachklamm: Bavaria's Spectacular Gorge Walk
Walking the Partnachklamm gorge near Garmisch-Partenkirchen - a path cut and tunnelled straight into the rock walls, with the river thundering below.
The Partnachklamm, just outside Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, is one of the most dramatic short walks in Germany. The path is cut directly into the gorge walls and tunnelled through them in places, with the Partnach river thundering along a few metres below you the whole way.
It's a walkway rather than a hike — the gorge itself is short — but it's an easy addition to any trip into the Bavarian Alps.
Trail overview
Start: Olympic ski stadium car park, Garmisch-Partenkirchen Approach: About 20 minutes on foot from the car park to the gorge entrance Time in the gorge: About 45 minutes Difficulty: Easy — a made walkway, not a mountain trail Season: Open year round, though the character changes completely with the seasons Ticket: €7 per person when I visited, with a student discount available
Getting there
By car: Park at the Olympic ski stadium and walk in. It's well signposted from the town.
By train: Garmisch-Partenkirchen station, then a bus or a walk to the stadium.
From Munich: Around 90 minutes by car or train, which makes this a straightforward day trip from the city.
The walk
From the ticket office the path enters the gorge almost immediately, and the change is abrupt — the walls close in, the light drops, and the noise of the water takes over completely.
The walkway is carved into the rock face, ducking through short tunnels and running behind falling water in places. You will get wet. Spray comes off the walls constantly, and in the narrower sections it's more or less continuous.
The gorge itself only takes about 45 minutes. Which brings me to the thing most people get wrong about this place.
Don't turn back at the exit — the best part is after the gorge
Most visitors walk the gorge, take their photographs, and go back to the car park. The hike beyond the exit is the best thing here, and it's the reason I'd tell anyone to allow half a day rather than an hour.
Once you come out of the far end, the valley opens up and the whole character changes — you go from a loud, wet, crowded slot in the rock to a quiet, open valley walk with genuinely beautiful views. The walk on up the Reintal to the Reintalangerhütte is peaceful and nowhere near as busy as the gorge, because most of the crowd has already turned around.
You can also drop down to the river at the back of the gorge exit, which is worth doing and which almost nobody bothers with.
If you only have an hour, do the gorge. If you have half a day, keep walking — that's where this trip actually earns its place.
Flying a drone here
This is one of my favourite spots anywhere for flying a drone, and the scenery above the gorge is exactly why.
But be careful and be precise about where you fly. Some areas around here are not legal to fly in, and the boundaries matter. Check the current official restrictions for the specific area you're standing in before you take off — don't rely on a general rule of thumb, and don't rely on this article.
I've written up the same process in more detail for other countries: flying drones in Portugal and the best places to fly a drone in Iceland.
Worth knowing
- Waterproof your camera or phone. The spray is relentless in the narrow sections.
- Non-slip shoes. The walkway stays wet and the rock underfoot is polished.
- A light waterproof is worth having even in summer.
- It's cold inside the gorge compared to outside, whatever the weather is doing.
- Winter is a different experience entirely — the gorge fills with ice formations, though sections may close for safety.
Related reading
- Hiking at Königsee — another Bavarian alpine day
- Hiking around Neuschwanstein Castle
- Hiking to the Olpererhütte