Eibsee

A quick google for “Bavaria’s most beautiful lake” or even “best Bavarian daytrips” will land adventurers sorting through hundreds of travel articles, instragrammer confessionals, and vlogs featuring a certain immaculate crystal lake with stunning Alpine reflections nestled at the foot of the Zugspitze. As such, Eibsee levies a sort of prestige, recommended not quite as readily as Neuschwanstein, but frequently enough to empower visitors with little travel experience to visit this site. Consequently, the cult of personality around Eibsee is a tad dramatic, reminiscent of 20th century Romanticists invoking the sublime, which I find a little strange considering the sheer number of beautiful sites in Bavaria. As you can tell, my inner pessimist was initially quite skeptical of an Eibsee daytrip, going as far as to delay the pilgrimage for the first two years of my new life in Munich. I’ve been burnt by mainstream sites before, with the biggest and most touristy attractions (looking at you Neuschwanstein) leaving a vague and lingering sense of disappointment. In my mind, Eibsee seemingly cashed this check, providing what i assumed to be a passive experience with little more than a handful of influencer photo spots. After two years, curiosity got the better of me, and I begrudgingly embarked on what has been perhaps the biggest travel surprise I’ve experienced thus far.

Not to ruin the mystical aura surrounding this lake, but I would be remiss not to mention the logistics around an Eibsee daytrip. As far as directions go, many bloggers reference a large-ish parking lot nestled between the Zugspitze cable car station and the Eibsee hotel, citing the drive from Munich to this parking lot as the most straightforward logistical option. However, visitors choosing this option may find themselves myered in frustration. Numerous locals have informed me that the parking lot reliably fills up weekends within the first hour, causing an endless traffic jam trailing out of the car park entrance. With this in mind, I personally would never opt to drive, as my stress levels while finding a parking space are normally through the roof. Luckily, Eibsee is only a few villages over from every tourist’s favorite Bavarian town and transportation hub, Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Purchasing your Bayern ticket at the Munich Haupbahnhof from the red DB machines or in person at the counter, hop on the RE train in the direction of Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Mittenwald.

Once off the train at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen station, your journey to Eibsee presents you with two options: bus or bike. Many choose the EibseeBus in the direction of Grainau, but we opted for bike rentals. While the former bus option saves time and money, it also involves a crowded 40 minute ride and additionally, the region’s Alpine beauty is much more difficult to experience via bus window. Rather, we elected to pass directly though the meadows and villages, experiencing the Alpine beauty on bike. Luckily, Garmisch-Partenkirchen offers dozens of bike rentals, making the process as easy as choosing a shop on google maps. We walked 20 minutes to Bikecenter Garmisch-Partenkirchen, renting two e-bikes for the full day. Normal bikes sans electric motor run renters 16 euros per person, however, the shop owner emphatically recommended electric bikes for a trip to Eibsee, as portions of the trail involve some intense elevation gain. Although this price is admittedly a little steep, it’s nothing compared to the hills between us and the lake. So, to reinterate the owner’s recommendation, unless you cycle frequently, and are accostomed to sudden and steep elevation gains, I would also happily shell out some extra money for the e-bike option. Be sure to clarify what time the bikes are due back, and if after hours lock up options are available. Our chosen bike shop closed at 6:00, and offered no after hours drop off, so we experienced some time crunch anxiety riding back. Luckily we returned the bikes at 5:57, with just three minutes to spare.

Returning to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen train station for the start of our cycle, we were presented with several path combinations leading to Eibsee. We opted for the most scenic route, avoiding main roads and traffic as to truly experience the cow pastures and tiny villages so famous in this region. Head under the train station continuing straight down St-Martin-Strasse and turn left at Klammstrasse. This paved road follows a small brook, eventually morphing from a paved car traffic road, into a smaller pedestrian path. Cross the train tracks, and turn immediately right onto Hausberg, a path running parallel with the train line. Continue for about 20 minutes down this tack, wedged between a ridge of hills on your left, and the earlier crossed train tracks to your right. Soon the path will split, leaving its parallel course with the train.

Now, from this departure, there are dozens of path combinations one could take to Eibsee. The following directions are my experience, recommended to me by some American locals who have lived in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the previous ten years. You are obviously welcome to craft you own route, but I thought I’d detail ours below.

At the aforementioned split, we took the Hammersbacher Fussweg(Hammersbacher foot path), as it cuts directly through the center of the idyllic valley, eventually passing through the center of Hammersbacher village. At this point, the Americans saved us, as we unknowingly turned out of the valley heading for a busy, unaesthetic road. Taking their suggestion, we headed back into the village to turn down Zugspitzstrasse. This path offers a continuation of much the previous path, but with the added bonus of riding through the village of Obergrainau, a slightly larger, but still quaint village. Take a left at the bizarrely decorated roundabout in the center of the village onto Törlenweg. Pass through the gate, and enjoy my more straight forward directions, as you now simply ride down a long, narrow field, with the Zugspitze cogwheel train on your right, with a forested ridge continuing on your left.

Remain cognoscente, as to our surprise, the exiting gate was obscured by cows, revealing that the field was actually an active pasture. The cows, even through gentle prodding, stubbornly wouldn’t move. Luckily, some hikers entering the pasture from the other side, startled the cows enough, allowing us to pass. After this pasture, the real elevation begins. We learned later, that we had actually been steadily gaining elevation this entire time, but the e-bikes had effectively obscured any of the discomfort I would have normally felt on a regular bike. At this point, bikers are presented another choice: take the elevation on the busy Eibseestrasse, or cross the street for an equally steep but peaceful forested trail. Both constitute about 200 meters of elevation gain, but the former is busy with cars, so we opted for the forest option. Even with e-bikes, I found this trail particularly challenging, but after 30 minutes of uphill work, we crested the forested hill with the Eibesee Hotel and parking lot in view, locked up the bikes, and began our on foot Eibsee exploration.

At this point, you can choose to simply head to the handful of insta worthy photo spots, or to circle the entire lake on foot. Either way, it is important to start your lake trek informed, with knowledge as to which side of the lake offers said spots. The north shore features a scraggly shoreline, with an ethereal, forested quality hiding serene bays and island access points. The north side of the lake features the money shot, opposite the Zugspitze, providing the famous double views, with the lake perfectly reflecting Germany’s highest peak. We intended to embark on the hour and a half circumnavigation on foot, and unfortunatly chose to begin with the south side, first experiencing too many tourists, okay mountain views, and a pretty average shore line. If you choose to circle the lake like us, you will obviously encounter both sides during the 2 hour walk, but you can avoid fatigue and low light on the more beautiful lake side with strategic timing. Once we reached the north shore, we were genuinely shocked by the reality of the pristine waters and Alpine views. Not only is it difficult to believe that these views exist outside photoshop, more astounding is how clearly the mountains are reflected in the lake surface. They appear more clear and crisp than the actual mountains seen with with my actual eyeballs. While it is a little annoying that this spot has become a pilgrimage spot for instagrammers, I also can’t blame them, as you can see in the pictures below.

Regardless of driving, busing, or cycling, hopefully you can enjoy this lake as much as we did. After literal years of avoiding Eibsee, I am endlessly singing its praises, and already planning a 2021 summer lake day with friends. The beautiful views, magical vibes, photo opportunities, and swimming options have lived up to the online buzz that has inundated my now two years living in Munich. The added plus, of renting s bike, and experiencing the villages and meadows between the tourist hub of Garmisch-Partnekirchen and Eibsee lake offered such a unique opportunity I have not yet experienced on my travels in Bavaria.

“While the south Eibsee shore is undeniably impressive, with some mountain reflections visible, be sure to begin your exploration on the north shore.”