Baby’s First Trip: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
When the Army finally lifted the 50-kilometer travel limit for us, we couldn’t wait to take Lillie Belle on her first trip! We’re stuck in Germany until she receives a passport, so we decided to book a stay at Edelweiss Lodge & Resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The last time we traveled anywhere more than 30 minutes from our home in Grafenwoehr, Germany was in February when we visited Vicenza, Italy. Four months of staying at home during this crazy pandemic left us itching to travel again. We wanted to find somewhere convenient, yet beautiful since this would be our first travels with a baby; somewhere we could spend our time in the outdoors and away from crowds of people.
On Father’s Day, we dropped the dogs off at their favorite place, Hundeparadies Lienlasmühle (literally paradise for them), packed up the car, and drove the short 3.5 hours from Grafenwoehr to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The minute those magnificent mountains came into view, I felt my heart skip a beat. It had been so long since I’d seen this beautiful sight. The mountains truly are mine and Stephen’s happy place – and apparently Lillie Belle’s too (we would quickly find out)!
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Staying at Edelweiss Lodge & Resort
I was rendered speechless upon walking into Edelweiss Lodge & resort. The beauty of the wood and leather couches, the high ceiling of the lobby, and the stone fireplace created such a cozy atmosphere. I’ve wanted to visit Edelweiss ever since we moved to Germany, but I never realized how incredibly convenient staying there would be. It made me realize how much I miss American amenities and how it makes traveling so much easier – especially with a newborn!
Our room was spacious with 2 queen beds, a bathtub, refrigerator, a fan, closet space, American channels on the TV and so much more. I absolutely loved our stay there and can’t wait to return. The view from not only the room itself but from the patio where you can sit and dine or just relax was breathtaking. It has a great view of the Alpspitze peak and part of the Zugspitze glacier.
There was still plenty to do at the hotel even though the pool, hot tub, and one of the restaurants were closed (because of COVID-19). Pullman’s Café was open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They served excellent homestyle dinners – like lasagna and meatloaf – and had some great drinks. My favorite cocktail was the Bourbon Strawberry Lemonade…so refreshing! It was too easy to grab an iced coffee and a sandwich and head out for the day, charging everything to our room — never having to pull out our wallets. These are the type of conveniences you take for granted when living in Europe for so long. Even though we didn’t find time to do it, they had a mini golf course and bicycles/trailers/ebikes you could rent. There are also a few souvenir shops, an adventure booking company, and a big-screen TV room. Another great plus was the elevators and underground parking – which made carrying ALL the baby items that much easier.
Visiting Downtown Garmisch-Partenkirchen
The weather on our first day there, Monday, was iffy, so we spent most of it browsing around the town of Garmisch – shopping, strolling down the cobblestone streets, and enjoying lunch. I just couldn’t get over how great the view of the mountains was from basically anywhere downtown. Michael-Ende-Kurpark was one of my favorite places in town — a nice green space where you’ll find lots of places to sit and relax, flowers, ponds, and paths to stroll along. This worked so well when we needed to soothe Lillie and wanted to stay physically distanced from other people. For lunch, we dined at Alpenhof and I tried Flammkuchen (a thinly sliced German pizza) for the first time. This regional specialty was cheese heaven!
The weather seemed to clear up while we were at lunch, so we decided to swing by the hotel and regroup before finding somewhere to hike. This would be my first hike postpartum and my anxiety was getting the worst of me. We found what should, for the average person, be an easy trail leading from Berggasthof Almhütte, about 2 minutes from our hotel, to Berggasthof Pflegersee – a lake in the forest. I think I wasn’t mentally prepared yet and carrying Lillie in the backpack carrier was overwhelming at first. We didn’t make it to the lake, but the path was beautiful and the views from the trail were worth the short distance we did hike!
I use Ergobaby 360 to carry her for hiking! I love the lumbar support and position for the baby.
Trail Info
- Distance: 8 km total
- Start Point: Berggasthof Almhütte
- End Point: Berggasthof Pflegersee
- Trail name: Pflegersee
(I’m including this hike in the blog because I want to be transparent about our journey as parents and in my postpartum recovery. I realize when I’m pushing my body too far and need to reel it back in. I was 4 weeks postpartum during this trip.)
Kid-Friendly Hiking Near the Alpspitze
Our friends were also staying at Edelweiss so on Tuesday, the guys left early to summit the Alpspitze by via ferrata. The four of us (myself, Nykki, her 1-year-old, and Lillie Belle) took the cable car up to the Alpspitze for a kid-friendly hiking trail. On the way up the mountain, we had a sneak peek of Eibsee Lake (which was on our to-do list). There was a fantastic panoramic platform, the AlpspiX, that had an incredible view of the valley and the surrounding mountains.
After getting off the gondola, we followed the signs for “Pleasure Adventure Trail” from the Alpspitzbahn to Kreuzeckbahn. It took us about 2 hours, with a few stops along the way to feed and soothe the tired babies. The path was mostly gravel and there were some steeper downhill sections. So for both, I recommend hiking poles and boots with good tread. We sure felt the burn in our legs and knees. Excellent views of the Alpspitze can be seen from the path and there were interesting stops along the trail — swings and educational boards. The weather was much cooler up on the mountain, but you’ll want to make sure you’re covered up appropriately and use sunscreen because the sun was very strong.
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After finishing the hike, we rode the Kreuzeckbahn lift down and found an empty table to eat lunch at Kandahar 2. They had excellent snack type foods and drinks, with a great view of the Alpspitze. We met up with the guys and stayed for a few drinks to exchange stories from our day. Starting to really feel the effects of hiking downhill for so long and my first long hike postpartum, we decided the best thing to do was to go swimming next!
Trail Info
- Distance: 3 kilometers
- Duration: depends, ~2 hours
- Start Point: Top station of the Alpspitzbahn lift
- End Point: Top station of the Kreuzeckbahn lift
- Trail name: Pleasure Adventure Trail
Note: While a lift ticket for the Alpspitze wasn’t cheap (we purchased the Garmisch-Classic ticket), it’s nowhere near as expensive as the ticket for the Zugspitze — Germany’s highest mountain. I couldn’t fathom spending that much money (59€ PER person), but it is a huge tourist destination.
Swimming in Eibsee Lake
Eibsee Lake is extremely popular and a must-see when in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Lucky for us, this trip was during COVID-19, so it wasn’t too busy. We found parking right by the lake and walked around to the gravel beaches until we found a spot open by the water. There were kayakers, paddle boarders, hikers, and beach loungers. There is also a hike that goes around the entire lake, but we had done our fair share of hiking for the day.
Let me tell you though, swimming in the lake was breathtaking (LITERALLY). It was ICE cold – but oh so refreshing on a hot day and after a long hike! You can see all the way to the bottom when you’re swimming, and the water is a beautiful blue hue that reminded me of swimming in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. Our visit to the lake didn’t last too long because it was past dinner time. We decided to try a place in downtown Garmisch, May Măn (Asia Fusion), where we enjoyed Pho, Pad Thai, Vietnamese & Thai Beers, and Boba Tea! It brought back memories of the incredible trip we took to Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Following that up with Spaghetti Eis from Eis Olivier was an excellent end to the day.
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Conquering the Hike to Höllental Gorge
Wednesday morning, we slept in, then packed our bags for a long hike to Höllentalklamm, also called Hell Valley! This was a hike that Nykki found and it was so worth the sweat and sore muscles. While most people are familiar with Partnach Gorge, this one appealed to us more because we figured it wouldn’t be as crowded. The hike began from here (click to go to Google Maps), a parking lot in the town of Hammersbach, and continued for around 5 km to Höllentaleingangshuette. This certainly wasn’t an easy hike. Most of the beginning section was a straight incline and we really worked up a sweat to enjoy an ice-cold Radler at the Höllentaleingangshuette. They had soups and small plates to munch on before heading into the gorge, which cost 5€ per person. Also, they only take cash.
Inside the gorge was such a unique landscape. There were numerous waterfalls, boulders and rocks, along with footbridges, tunnels, and winding paths. We had to wear our masks, but it wasn’t clear where we could and couldn’t take them off. You should also be prepared to get soaking wet inside the gorge. We brought our rain gear (rain jacket, backpack cover, weatherproof hiking boots, etc.) and still managed to get soaking wet! It was pretty loud in the tunnels because of the echo of the gushing water, but it worked wonders for keeping Lillie Belle asleep. It was very slippery in parts, so you’ll also want good grip shoes as well. The entire hike overall took us about 5 hours and we completed 14 kilometers of hiking! I felt like a Rockstar after conquering this hike while carrying a baby the entire time and stopping to do diaper changes and nurse along the way!
Also to add, I chose to carry her – as opposed to Stephen, even though he always offers – because I want to get used to hiking with her and regain strength in my abdomen and back muscles from pregnancy.
Trail Info
- Distance: ~14 km kilometers
- Duration: depends, took us 5-6 hours
- Start Point: Hammersbach Parking lot – Wanderparkplatz P2
- End Point: Hammersbach Parking lot
- Trail name & information: Höllentalklamm (click for helpful PDF)
For our last night of vacation, we ate at an Italian restaurant, Celentano, and then relaxed on the lawn of the hotel grounds, and watched as the sun set over the Bavarian Alps. It was a very special time for the three of us, cuddled up with our sleepy newborn. We truly are our happiest in the mountains.
Stopping for Lunch in Landshut
It was hard to return home on Thursday after such a great vacation, so we made a pitstop in the city of Landshut. This charming German city straddles the Isar River and has a castle and a beautiful tall brick tower. We enjoyed lunch and drinks at Weißes Bräuhaus Zum Krenkl while people-watching before continuing the rest of the drive home.
I hope I’ll always remember how special and adventurous Lillie Belle’s first trip was. She traveled so great – she slept fantastic at night and the new environments seemed to do her good! It was especially nice to be with another couple and have someone there to hold her if we were feeling overwhelmed and just to help out in general during our travels. Edelweiss Lodge & Resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany was an excellent choice for traveling with a baby for the first time! I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday with my little family and our friends.
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