Garmisch-Partenkirchen lies in a wide Alpine valley in Bavaria, close to the Austrian border, with the Wetterstein range rising behind it and the Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres the highest mountain in Germany, standing at the end of the valley. The town is really two, Garmisch and Partenkirchen, joined together for the 1936 Winter Olympics, and each still has its own character. Partenkirchen, the older part, has a Roman history, as it stood on the road across the Alps, and its main street, with painted houses, is the more charming.
The setting is dramatic, with gorges nearby, including the Partnach gorge, where a path runs through a narrow rocky channel behind a thunderous waterfall, and the cable car and cog railway take visitors up the Zugspitze. The composer Richard Strauss lived here from the 1900s until his death in 1949, and the surrounding valley, the Werdenfelser Land, is known for wood carving, painted farmhouses and strong local traditions. In winter it is a major ski centre, and in the summer, cows with large bells graze in the meadows.
For riders, it is a gateway. The German Alpine Road, a long scenic route running about four hundred and fifty kilometres from Lake Constance to the Königssee, passes here, and the roads in every direction are superb. West, the Fern pass leads to Tyrol in Austria, with lakes, forests and Alpine views. East, the road runs past Ettal Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in the fourteenth century, with a great baroque dome, and then to Oberammergau, famous for its Passion Play, held every ten years. North, the Kesselberg road climbs to the Walchensee, a deep green lake among the mountains.
Be aware of noise rules and speed limits. Bavaria and Tyrol both enforce restrictions on motorcycles on some roads, with local noise limits and weekend or daily bans in some places, so check before you go. Summer weekends are busy, and the best times are weekdays and autumn, when the larch trees are golden.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a town of twenty-six thousand, with fuel stations, restaurants and plenty of places to stay. Try a plate of Weisswurst, the Bavarian white sausage, with sweet mustard and a soft pretzel, or a hearty bowl of Kaiserschmarrn, a shredded pancake with plum compote, after a long day in the mountains.