Germany - Bavaria - Walking in the Land of King Ludwig, Wagner and Strauss

We meet at 3.30 pm at the Railway Station in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and take the mountain railway, the Zugspitzbahn, to the charming alpine village of Grainau. We walk to the lovely Hotel Waxenstein where, after time to enjoy the stunning mountain views from the balcony of our rooms or a swim in the indoor pool, we meet for an Introductory Talk and a Welcome Dinner.
 

We set off after breakfast and walk above the village of Grainau to Lake Eibsee, facing the Zugspitze, and continuing around the lake we tackle the lower slopes of the highest mountain in Germany. Later in the afternoon we reach the little mountain railway which will take us up to the peak at nearly 3000 meters. After absorbing the breathtaking views across Bavaria and into Austria we return over the glacier by cable car to the middle-station and walk back to the hotel after a long but satisfying day on the hills.
 

We bid Farewell to the Zugspitze and to the Hotel Waxenstein we embark on our exciting walk through the mountains to the valley of Ettal, where we will visit the Schloss Linderhof, one of the palaces built by the Dream King, Ludwig ll, before continuing to our hotel in the village of Ettal, belonging to one of the largest (of many) monasteries in Bavaria (where they still make their own beer), for dinner and overnight.
 

We visit the beautiful monastery church next to our hotel and we set off from Ettal to the village of Oberammergau, famous for the Passion Play performed every 10 years. We continue our journey along the valley to the village of Unterammergau in the Ammertal Alps. Later in the afternoon we travel on to a more westerly part of Bavaria and arrive in the spa town of Bad Aibling, to stay at the pretty Hotel Lindner.
 

We spend the day in the Bad Aibling area, walking in the Voralps with panoramic views of the Austrian Alps in the distance. A short transfer brings us finally to our lakeside home of the Yachthotel Chiemsee, right on the banks of the Lake Chiemsee.
 

King Ludwig is our theme for today and we cannot leave Bavaria without visiting the fulfilment of his life-long dream, his Royal Palace, the fabulous Herrenchiemsee, the Bavarian Versailles, built on an island in the lake which we reach by private boat. It is here that his tragedy comes into a full circle. Today we will also savour all the best of the Bavarian countryside, walking by the lake, with the mountains almost within arm’s reach.
 

After breakfast we set off for the railway station at Prien where we must say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’.