Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a small Alpine town in southern Bavaria, on the mountainous border between Germany and Austria. In fact, the highest point in Germany is nearby – the Zugspitze – and the 1936 Winter Olympics were held here. It’s also the home of a USA military hotel, where servicewomen & servicemen who are stationed in Europe, along with their families, can go on vacation for a reasonable rate and in a low-stress way (American food, English speaking staff, etc).

We went to Garmisch-Partenkirchen just a few weeks ago, when a handful of German states opened hotels & home rentals for the first time since October 2020. While many activities were still closed, it was a great spot to enjoy some outdoor fun. The highlight, by far, was a hike through an amazing river gorge via a series of carved-out caves, with waterfalls cascading all around us and sunlight peeking through the trees and rocks above.

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We also got to see the Olympic Alpine Ski Jump and the beautiful Bavarian countryside – and capped things off with our first biergarten in 8 months. Man, I missed this!

20 Days, 20 German Towns: Bad Nauheim – Rüdesheim – Königstein – Travemünde – Cologne – Garmisch-Partenkirchen