Alps Canyon Waterfall day trip review
What the five reviewers wrote
Five is not a sample, it is an anecdote, and I will not pretend otherwise. It is still worth reading, because these are the only people on this whole site who came back and wrote about the water rather than the view from the top.
- “The Partnach Gorge was breathtaking – clear water, stunning scenery…” A GetYourGuide traveller — five stars
- “The most beautiful day of my daughter’s vacation… These gorges with a waterfall” A GetYourGuide traveller — five stars
- “Nina… very accommodating” Gareth — on the guide
Two things stand out. The gorge is what people remembered, not the drive and not lunch. And a named guide comes up by name, which on a day where somebody else is handling the trains matters more than the itinerary does.
The bus is not the ticket
This is the confusion I answer most often. The listing includes a return bus to the Partnachklamm, and it excludes the entry, printing its own line: “Partnachklamm gorge round trip entry ticket (extra): Adults: 10 € Children (6–17): 5 €”. Transport to the entrance is the opposite of entry to the gorge. You will still be paying at the hut, in person, on the day.
Usually included
- Return train, Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- Return bus from the town to the Partnachklamm
- A bilingual guide for the day
- Lunch at a restaurant
Not included
- Gorge entry, quoted on the listing as 10 € adult and 5 € for 6–17s
- Anything you buy beyond the included lunch
Carry the entry fee in cash. The hut at the entrance takes the money in person and you do not want to be the one person in a group of twenty holding up the line.
Who this day suits
Somebody who wants the gorge specifically, does not want to work out Bavarian regional trains, and is content to be somewhere at a fixed time. At about a hundred and forty euros a person plus the gate fee it is not the cheapest way to stand in the Partnachklamm — doing it yourself on the train is — but it is the closest thing GetYourGuide sells to a gorge day. What it is not is a summit trip: if the Zugspitze is the point, read this first.
What works
- The itinerary is built around the gorge, not around a mountain
- Return train and the local bus are both in the price
- A bilingual guide, and lunch is arranged
- Its five reviewers all describe the gorge and all rated it five stars
Worth knowing
- Five reviews is very little to judge a tour on
- The gate fee is extra, and the listing says so plainly
- Seven hours for a walk you can do in a morning if you are staying nearby
- Fixed timings, so a slow morning in the gorge is not an option
The operator warns that short-notice closures for safety are sometimes unavoidable, so check partnachklamm.de on the morning you travel. A closure on the day would leave you with the journey and the lunch, which is a poor trade at this price. The rest of the planning is in how to get there and how long the walk takes.
The alternatives worth comparing
Three stopsMunich: Private Eibsee, Partnach Gorge & Mittenwald Day Trip
Private carMunich: Private Alpine Day Tour by Tesla — Zugspitze & Eibsee
Entry includedPick-Up in Munich: 2-Day Hike to Zugspitze via the Knorrhütte
Frequently asked questions
Does this tour include Partnach Gorge entry?
No. It includes the return bus to the Partnachklamm and excludes the ticket, printing the tariff on its own listing as 10 € for adults and 5 € for children of 6 to 17. You pay at the entrance. See the tour-by-tour reading.
Is a 5.0 rating from five reviews worth anything?
It is worth reading and not worth much as a score. Five people cannot tell you how a tour handles a bad day. What is useful is that all five wrote about the gorge, which no other tour’s reviewers on this site did.
How long is the day?
About seven hours from Munich, including roughly an hour and a half on the train each way. If you are already staying in Garmisch-Partenkirchen the gorge is a morning, not a day — see the day trip comparison.
Can I do the same thing without a tour?
Yes. A train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, bus 1 or 2 to Skistadion, then 2.2 km on foot and about ten euros at the hut. The tour buys you the arranging, not the access. Whether that is worth it depends on your day.