Hi friends, welcome back to my Germany and Austria series 🙂 On our first full day in Germany, Jon and I packed up our things and then walked a block to Europcar to pick up our rental car at 8:15 am. Even though I heard renting a car in Europe was a breeze, I booked an early time slot to avoid unnecessary time waiting in line like we’ve done in the US. We had the easiest experience ever and they helped us set up the navigation and explained everything we needed to know. I wish every rental car experience was that great! I thought it was funny that we got upgraded to a very comfortable, brand new Jeep Compass. Maybe we got an American car because it was the few automatic cars there. I’d definitely recommend paying a little extra for the GPS if you rent a car in Germany.
Our first stop of the day was at Lake Starnberg about twenty kilometers and twenty-five minutes south of Munich. If you don’t have a car, you can easily get here by train for a nice day trip out of the city. We found parking (make sure you have plenty of coins to pay for parking in Germany) and then walked to a coffee shop and enjoyed our coffee overlooking the lake.
Lake Starnberg is the second largest lake in Bavaria and so beautiful! It’s the perfect spot to bike, walk, swim, sail, row, or indulge at a beer garden. I was hoping for a sunny day to see the full color of the water and alps in the background, but the water was still so clear and pretty.
This is what it looks like on a perfect, clear day! (Photo credit: here )
This lake is also where mad King Ludgwig II mysteriously died. We saw his famous castle a few days later and the chapel where his funeral was held at The Residenz the prior day.
It started raining, so we headed back to the car and started our journey south to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (aka GaPa), our homebase for three nights. The highlights of this area include Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany, and the beautiful Eibsee (see in Germany means lake).
It was too early to check into our hotel so we headed to Zugspitze to see if we’d find a break in the clouds to take the cable car up. The parking lot for the Zugspitze cable car is 18 euros, so you can save 10 euros if you park in the parking lot for Eibsee. It’s just below the cable car station, and only an additional minute of walking.
It wasn’t worth going up the cable car when we arrived because of all the clouds, so we decided to walk the trail around Eibsee and wait out the clouds. (I won’t leave you with any suspense, we went to the top on our third day here, so stay tuned 😊 ) The path is 4.4 miles and has a tiny bit of incline. We enjoyed peacefully walking along the lake and taking in the breathtakingly beautiful views.
Even on an overcast day the color of the water was mesmerizing! This was my favorite lake we saw in Germany and I couldn’t get enough of it! As beautiful as Eibsee is in pictures, I think it’s a place you just have to see in person to feel the magic.
Just breathtaking! I’d love to come back in the fall one day and see all the colors.
The clouds didn’t clear up so we checked into our room at Hotel Zugspitze afterwards and it was an excellent place to stay! The hotel was about a 15-minute drive from Zugspitze and our room was massive. Each night we had an included dinner that was four courses and very fancy! The restaurant received the Bib Gourmand award, which means it was recognized for good products that are beautifully displayed, a moderate bill, and cuisine with excellent value for its price. It sure was nice not having to worry about dinner for a few nights of the trip. Breakfast was also included, but we just grabbed a pretzel and headed out for our excursions. We got some funny looks from other guests, but we had places to be and sights to see!
After dinner we watched some Youtube videos about the iconic castle we were going to see the following day and hit the hay early. Stay tuned for Neuschwanstein Castle up next 🙂
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Germany
Those mountains are a great back-drop!!
The scenery was stunning! It was hard to leave.
Yes, they looked gorgeous!
It looks like a truly magical place, Lyssy. The landscape is sublime and the colour of Eibsee enchanting. I recognise some of the photo spots from IG. And I must say that I am very glad you didn’t put a poncho and a hat on, then turned your back to the camera. Your hotel sounds like a great choice, indeed.
It was so beautiful and serene! I wish it wasn’t a plane ride away. Yes, you got a sneak peek on IG 🙂 It was supposed to rain most of the trip, but we got pretty lucky! I have yet to wear one of those ponchos haha. I definitely wore my raincoat at times, but that is more stylish.
It is always nice to get out into the countryside in Europe. So many scenic opportunities. The lakes look and your hike beautiful even on a cloudy day. The hotel looks perfect with the alpine style and all those flowers. Thanks for sharing Lyssy. Allan
I wish the European countryside wasn’t so far away, it’s so beautiful and relaxing. I was excited to have a balcony, but we were usually gone all day so we didn’t get to really enjoy it.
Outstanding photos, Lyssy. I can imagine that the scenery is even more spectacular in person. Is the Hotel Zugspitze a historic hotel. I think I’ve seen a picture of it before. Nevertheless, it is beautiful, and the room looked very nice. Looking forward to Neuschwanstein Castle!
Thank you! It was impossible to take a bad picture there. I’m actually not sure if it’s famous, but it should be, we loved it! I’d definitely stay there again.
Wow! Eibsee looks like my kinda place! Your pictures are absolutely stunning, they look like postcards. 😍
I hope you can visit one day, it’s just unreal how beautiful it is!
That area is always beautiful and yes Germany in the fall is even more amazing, also in the winter when theres a blanket of snow lol..
I would love winter too, then I can visit some Christmas markets in Germany. You’ve given me a great idea 🙂
Christmas markets are the best thing ever. Definetly have to go to those. Rothenburg Christmas Market is a good one..
More stunning photos Lyssy – again this is an area I know really well.
Thank you! If I lived closer I’d love to visit this area for long weekends.
Understandable! We’ll be there in the run up to Xmas.
I can’t wait to see pictures, I bet it’s stunning with snow ❄️
It is beautiful
I have to say the nature views look incredible! The lake and mountains are absolutely magnificent, thank you for sharing your beautiful photos. I bet the pretzels there are so good too!
It was so beautiful and serene! The pretzels were my go-to snack when I got hungry. They were all so fresh and delicious.
Those are such lovely lakes!
It was so stunning there!
It seems that the Bavarians use their lakes like the Canadians, as substitutes for seas that are too far away.
I agree! Lakes are nice because the saltwater doesn’t sting your eyes when you swim.
The lake looks beautiful Lyssy even without the sun shining on it! Car parking seems very expensive there, even €10 is quite a lot.
The colors of the water were so stunning! I’m guessing the parking was expensive because people usually stay at least half a day. The castle parking lots were 8 euros I believe.
It’s so pretty! I definitely didn’t see scenery like this when I went to Germany. Looks like I need to go back!
You do need to go back and hike here! It’s so beautiful in the countryside 🙂
As Allan sort of implied, all credit to you & Jon for including lakes, mountains, and hiking in your Germany/Austria itinerary. I think almost everyone who visits Europe, especially those for the first time, targets cities, monuments, and other “touristy” attractions over the natural landscape. Beautiful photos.
Thank you! After Paris and London we were definitely looking for somewhere beautiful, relaxing, and not so crowded. It seemed like there were a lot of locals and families wherever we went, so we definitely branched out from the super touristy spots. The fjords in Norway were also on my list, but Jon liked Germany better and we had the best time!
This would be great place to visit. Such a wonderful magical place to see.
Anita
Aww you’re making me all nostalgic. I used to spend many a summer as a child playing around Eibsee with my family. My granny and I would go off and pick blackberries near Drachenseelein 🙂
Awww what amazing childhood memories! It’s such a beautiful spot to spend summers 🙂
How stunning! I was so impressed at the Lake Starnberg and then saw your Eibsee pictures… wow! The colour of the water is stunning and I’m sure it is even more beautiful when you’re actually there! It reminded of my trip in Austria around Hallstatt and the “lake district” – we also went to Neuschwanstein on that trip so I’m looking forward to reading your post about this!