Camping in Grainau

Camping in Grainau stands for high alpine holiday fun at the foot of the Wetterstein mountains. The idyllic climatic health resort lies below the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, and enchants visitors with incomparable Alpine panoramas, traditional Upper Bavarian flair and a wide range of outdoor leisure activities. Hiking and skiing around Grainau are both an experience and a pleasure, while the nearby crystal-clear Eibsee lake is guaranteed to make the hearts of water sports enthusiasts beat faster. In combination with the Staffelsee and Riegsee lakes, campers get their money's worth when it comes to water sports.

Special features of camping in Grainau

In the middle of the picture-book landscape of Werdenfelser Land, the two campsites in Grainau offer peace, comfort and fantastic views of the surrounding mountains. Both campsites are located on the eastern outskirts of the Zugspitz village, are open all year round and are ideal starting points for unforgettable hikes, bike tours, rafting adventures and all kinds of fun in the snow on the region's pistes and cross-country ski trails. Those who prefer luxury camping in the mountains should opt for Camping Resort Zugspitze in Grainau. In addition to pitches with supply and disposal columns, premium pitches with private bathrooms, mountain huts and sleeping barrels are also available. There is also a modern wellness and fitness centre, a restaurant with adjoining wine bar and a children's playground. Directly opposite the resort, Camping Erlebnis Zugspitze is nestled on the banks of the Loisach. In the surrounding area, the Naturcampingpark Isarhorn near Mittenwald, the Alpen-Caravanpark Tennsee, the Alpencamp am Wank in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Wohnmobilhafen Zugspitzblick are recommended alternatives.

How to get there

Alongside the Zugspitze, Grainau's landmark, visible from afar, is the baroque parish church of St John the Baptist, whose copper onion roof against the wooded backdrop of the Großer Waxenstein looks like another small peak. Before the view can unfold its full magic, you have to travel by motorhome or caravan to southern Bavaria. Grainau is around 94 kilometres from Munich. From the Bavarian capital, take the A95 motorway south past Lake Starnberg to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The A95 is part of the European route 533, has six lanes up to the Starnberg motorway junction, then four lanes and merges into the B2 federal road south of Eschenlohe. During holiday periods and on ski weekends, increased traffic volumes can be expected on the section between Eschenlohe and Oberau. The quickest connection from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the two campsites in Grainau is via St.-Martin-Straße and the B23 federal road, a distance of around 5.6 km. If you are travelling to Grainau from the west, for example from Stuttgart, take the A8 motorway, change to the A7 motorway at the Ulm/Elchingen junction, drive to the Fernpassstraße and continue on the B179 and B23 main roads to Zugspitzdorf.

Activities and excursions

Grainau is a tranquil place with scattered farmsteads, historic Lüftlmalereien on the facades of the houses, a colourful, blooming spa park and the Zugspitzbad Grainau, which promises Alpine wellness and bathing fun for young and old all year round. The following activities are also great fun:

Hiking and climbing in the Zugspitze region

The network of hiking trails around Grainau covers over 100 kilometres. There are easy routes for leisurely hikers as well as challenging routes and family-friendly themed trails about field names, legends and climate change. A tour over the roaring waters of the Höllentalklamm gorge, which can be discovered along mighty rock faces on suspension bridges, is an experience in itself. If you are sufficiently fit and sure-footed, you can also hike up the 2,962 metre high Zugspitze, for example from the Partnachklamm gorge through the Reintal valley towards the summit.

Journeys of discovery beyond Grainau

One of the most popular excursion destinations near Grainau is the dual municipality of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is particularly famous as a venue for the annual Four Hills Tournament on the large Olympic ski jump on the Gudiberg, but the baroque church of St Martin and the Werdenfelser Heimatmuseum are also worth a visit. Royal architecture awaits travellers at Linderhof Castle, while the history and everyday life of Benedictine monks can be experienced at Ettal Monastery.

Gastronomy

Traditional dishes such as roast pork with potato dumplings and red cabbage, knuckle of pork and boiled veal with horseradish are inextricably linked with the cuisine of Upper Bavaria, and these delicacies can indeed be found on Grainau's menus. In the inns, a hearty meal is often heralded by a semolina dumpling or liver dumpling soup. After an extended mountain tour, cheese spaetzle is a creamy and savoury refreshment. A richly garnished snack plate with Leberkäse and various cheeses is also always delicious. Another speciality awaits you in the beer garden at Lake Eibsee: Steckerlfisch. This is a mackerel that is grilled on a stick. However, some restaurants in Grainau also serve Bavarian classics in a lighter style. Even Mediterranean-inspired French haute cuisine is celebrated in the Zugspitz village.

Best time to visit

Upper Bavaria is characterised by a Central European continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. Spring and autumn are ideal for hiking or mountain biking. The warmest months are July and August, when the average temperature in Grainau is 21 degrees Celsius and the Loisach is ideal for rafting and kayaking. Grainau is known for its guaranteed snow, with the ski season kicking off in November and usually offering fun on the slopes for beginners and advanced skiers until the end of March. The ski resorts around Grainau are of course equipped to deal with the warm downslope winds that are characteristic of the Alpine region, also known as foehn winds, which can bring a sudden rise in temperature of a good 15 degrees Celsius in addition to crystal-clear skies.