A Complete Partnach Gorge Hike Guide | Partnachklamm Bavaria

The Partnach Gorge or Partnachklamm is one of the main highlights when visiting the Bavarian town of Garmisch Partenkirchen.

Walking the pathway between the narrow gorge walls with the turquoise water down below is sure to be a highlight during your time in the region.

This guide will dive into the Partnach Gorge hike and how to take part of it for yourself.

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1) Partnach Gorge Parking & Directions

Getting to the gorge is simple enough once you have made it to Garmisch Partenkirchen. All you need to do is get to the Olympic Ski Jump area, and make the 20 minute walk to the gorge entrance from there.

You will have the choice between driving your own car, walking by foot, or heading there by bus.

By Car

If driving your car, simply go right to the parking lot of the Olympic Ski Jump Stadium. The parking lot here is both for those visiting the ski jump as well as the Partnach Gorge.

Renting a Car: When it comes to renting a car around Germany, I would highly recommend checking out Rentalcars.com for potential options. By going through Rentalcars.com, you will have the chance to compare car prices among a variety of rental companies, and choose the best option for you.

By Foot

Another option (whether you have a car or not), is to walk on over from wherever you are staying in town.

Some hotels may just be a few minutes away from the parking lot while others may be closer to half an hour. But if you are not in the rush and want to stroll through the town, then walking over is a great option for you.

By Bus

From the train station in Garmisch Partenkirchen you can hop on the local bus (lines 1 and 2) that will take you to the ski jump.

The bus also makes some other stops in town along the way depending on where you are staying.

Now, once you are at the Olympic Ski Jump Stadium area, you will then need to walk along a paved 20 minute pathway towards the entrance of the Partnachklamm.

From there you can head on in and enjoy the remainder of the Partnach Gorge hike and the beautiful surrounding scenery.

2) Partnachklamm Location

Below is a Google Maps view of Partnachklamm, along with several other points of interest I will mention throughout this overview.

The main route is highlighted in blue as you walk from the parking lot, to the gorge entrance (starred down), and then to the end of the gorge (starred down again) before turning back around (or taking part of a longer hike).

Once you arrive at the parking lot though, you will see signs pointing you out in the right direction.

3) Hours & Cost

The great thing about the Partnach Gorge is that it is open year round (yes even in winter!). Below is an hours & fees breakdown for the gorge:

4) Partnach Gorge Duration

5) The Partnach Gorge Hike

Now that your have some solid background about the gorge, let’s get into the Partnach Gorge hike and what it entails.

When I visited the gorge, I actually did it as part of the hike up to Zugspitze mountain. Since I had a long day of hiking ahead, I was able to visit the gorge right at opening time, 6:00AM (now 8:00AM).

As you will see in the photos, it was still a bit dark out as the sun was just rising, however it was great to visit the gorge with no one else around.

The first portion of trail will take you from the parking lot to the gorge entrance on an easy 20 minute paved trail.

Once you reach the entrance, you can go ahead, purchase your tickets (now can be purchased online ahead of time) and enter the tunnel entryway from there.

Once inside, you will be welcomed to a turquoise river flowing down between the massive 263 foot / 80 meter gorge walls on either side of you. The pathway itself is relatively flat with a roped fence for safety reasons.

As you continue along, the gorge walls will become even closer together – just a few feet apart. The pathway here is actually etched into the gorge wall as you walk through this narrow passageway.

Above you there may be some light waterfalls, falling off the side of the wall and onto the path below. Due to this, the pathway can get wet at times so do watch your step as you are making your way through.

Although I just got a few drops here or there, you may want to consider bringing shoes/clothes that you don’t mind getting wet.

The Partnachklamm will be a beautiful contrast of dark rock alongside green flora grown on the walls, and the turquoise water roaring through down below.

After about 20 minutes or so, you will exit the gorge and be welcomed to a wider river surrounding by the forest on either side.

Depending on how much time you have, you can continue along the river for a bit before turning back around.

In order to get back to the parking lot, you will just want to head back in the same way you came as you get to experience the gorge from the other direction and then back on the pathway to the Olympic Ski Jump.

6) Alternative Routes Back

Now, instead of just making this a simple out & back hike, there are ways to extend Partnach Gorge into a longer adventure. Just past the gorge’s exit, there is a pathway on the left hand side that takes you up to Graseck, Eckbauer, and Wamberg.

All of these options are highlighted on the map that I included earlier on in this overview. Depending on your interest, you can choose from one of the options below:

Hike to Graseck & Take Graseckbahn

This is the shortest alternative option. After making it through the gorge, make the walk up to Graseck, which is just about 1.1 km / 0.7 miles away.

Once there, you will see the Graseckbahn, a small cable car that quickly takes you back down just past the Partnach entrance. It is then another 15 minutes following the same path back to the parking lot.

Hike to Eckbauer & Take Eckbauerbahn

Another cable car option is the Eckbauerbahn. But to get there, you must make the 3.5 km / 2.2 mile uphill climb from the gorge’s exit, past Graseck, and onto Eckbauer.

After getting yourself up, you can enjoy a nice meal or drink before taking the cable car straight back down to the Olympic Ski Jump parking lot.

Hike Back via Eckbauer

Now, instead of taking the cable car down from Eckbauer, you can also hike down to the parking lot. Altogether, from the gorge’s exit expect a 7.0 km / 4.3 mile hike that heads up to the high point around Eckbauer, and then back down to the parking lot.

Hike Back via Wamberg

For those looking for an even longer hiking experience, you can also hike back via Wamberg. The trail is essentially an extension of the prior route mentioned. Instead of following the trail down from Eckbauer, you can make a longer loop that includes Wamberg.

The total hike from the exit of the gorge comes in at 8.8 km / 5.5 miles.

All said and done, you really cannot go wrong here. Either just enjoy the back & forth hike through the gorge, add on a cable car, or take part of a longer loop.

7) Partnach Gorge in Winter

While I didn’t visit the gorge during the winter time, I would highly recommend a visit if you do happen to be there during those months.

Instead of having waterfalls coming off the side of the gorge walls, you will be welcomed to beautiful icicles taking over the gorge as you make your way through.

On top of that, the winter offers the chance to go on a guided torchlit hike through the gorge as you light up the gorge and the surrounding ice during the evening time.

In order to sign up for a torch lit hike, you will need to call to register. There are a few numbers to choose from listed out below:

8) Partnachklamm to Zugspite

As mentioned earlier, when I visited the gorge, I did so as part of the hike up to the tallest mountain in Germany – Zugspitze.

The total hiking time from the parking lot to the summit is around 8-10 hours so this should only be attempted if you are comfortable with such a hike. Many people also decide to split the hike up into 2 days by sleeping in one of the mountain huts along the way.

If this is something you are interested in, once you exit the gorge, you simply just need to continue on the pathway down the valley and you will come across signs pointing you in the right direction as you progress through the hike.

That about wraps up the Partnach Gorge hike and how to take part of the Partnachklamm for yourself.

Be sure to also check out the other Bavaria itineraries & guides including the best things to do in Garmisch Partenkirchen.

If you do have any questions feel free to write them in below. Have fun out there and safe travels!

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