Grainau: Lake Eibsee, themed trail and local traditions

The lake, climate and special nature experiences

Lake Eibsee is Grainau’s best-known lake. The “Climate & Water in Transition” themed trail offers a different focus: its ten stops explore different effects of climate change. For planning your holiday, these are two distinct points of interest—a lake that is a well-known feature of the village and a trail that explores a particular topic.

Among the challenging sections of Höllentalklamm are electrically lit tunnels filled with a deep, rumbling roar. This makes for a different experience from the themed trail and Lake Eibsee. Check local conditions before visiting.

In Untergrainau, the Krepbach night trail invites you to enjoy evening cross-country skiing. As a seasonal activity, its availability depends on conditions. If you plan to go cross-country skiing, check in advance whether conditions allow it.

Local traditions and culture throughout the year

Every autumn, the Grainau Farmers’ Theatre stages a new comedy. If you would like a theatre evening to be part of your stay, check the specific dates when planning. That way, you can fit a performance into your travel dates.

On the traditional Maschker days—Unsinniger Donnerstag and Faschingsdienstag—you can encounter the Maschkeramusi and numerous creatively costumed Maschkera in Grainau. Unlike the autumn theatre, these traditions take place at a different time of year. These specific dates offer a useful guide if you are particularly interested in local carnival traditions.

The chapel in Obergrainau, on the Kirchbichl, was built in 1697. This historic building, with its clearly established date, adds another point of interest to Grainau’s cultural life alongside its recurring theatre and carnival events.

More highlights in the wider destination of Garmisch-Partenkirchen

In the wider destination of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Partnachklamm offers its own natural highlight. Visitors can walk through the gorge and experience towering rock walls and the water rushing below them. The gorge was declared a natural monument and opened to visitors in 1912. While Höllentalklamm offers a different experience, with its challenging sections and electrically lit tunnels, Partnachklamm is all about rock walls and water.

The wider destination of Garmisch-Partenkirchen also has its own cultural attractions: the Richard Strauss Institute is located in the historic Villa Christina in Partenkirchen’s Kurpark and houses a permanent exhibition about Strauss’s life and work. The Werdenfels Museum in Garmisch-Partenkirchen began as a private collection in 1895 and is now one of the most important museums of its kind in Bavaria. The original 150-kilogram Zugspitze summit cross is on display in the Zugspitze region.

For mountain hikes, the 1,780-metre-high Wank, Partenkirchen’s local mountain, offers far-reaching views. The Wank cable car takes you directly from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the summit; access is subject to operating conditions. The Kramerplateauweg at the foot of the Kramer offers a different kind of hike: it is a panoramic trail with well-maintained paths and gentle gradients. When weighing up your interests in the wider destination, you can choose between a summit destination and a panoramic trail with a gentle gradient.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Murnau am Staffelsee, Mittenwald, Wallgau, Farchant, Bad Kohlgrub, Saulgrub, Unterammergau, Oberau.

Back to the wider travel overview: Garmisch-Partenkirchen.