How long is the walk through the Partnach Gorge?

The honest answer: nobody publishes an official walking time, and I am not going to invent one. What is published is the length: the gorge is 702 m. At an unhurried walking pace that is roughly ten minutes of actual walking in one direction — my arithmetic, not the operator’s guidance. Almost nobody does it in ten minutes, because the point of the place is stopping.

Length of the gorge702 m

Depth of the wallsover 80 m

Official walking timeNone published

Walk in from the stadium2.2 km, ~25 min

Walk back outAnother ~25 min

Realistic gate-to-gatePlan two hours

Why there is no official figure

I have looked. The operator publishes the price, the hours and the distance you have to walk to reach the entrance, and it does not publish a duration for the gorge itself. That is a reasonable decision on their part: the path is 702 m of galleries and tunnels cut along a rock wall with a river underneath, and how long you take depends entirely on how often you stop. Any site quoting you a confident “allow 45 minutes” got it from somewhere it is not telling you.

The arithmetic, clearly labelled as arithmetic

702 metres at a steady four kilometres an hour comes to about ten and a half minutes. Halve your pace for a narrow wet path and people coming the other way and you are at twenty. That is the range for the walking; it is not a recommendation and it is not from the operator. It is what the published length divides into.

The number that actually shapes your day

The approach is longer than the gorge by a factor of three. From the Olympic ski stadium car park it is 2.2 km and about 25 minutes to the entrance, then the same back. Add the time inside, add a stop, and gate-to-car-park is comfortably an hour and a half to two hours for most people. That is the figure to give whoever is waiting for you. How to get there sets out the journey in full.

Leg	Distance	What to allow
Ski stadium to the entrance	2.2 km	About 25 minutes (operator)
Through the gorge, one way	702 m	My estimate, 10–20 minutes walking
Back to the ski stadium	2.2 km	About 25 minutes (operator)

Insider tip

Work backwards from last entry, not from closing. The hut stops selling 30 minutes before the gorge closes, and the 25-minute walk in happens before that deadline, not after it.

Before you set off

The operator warns that “Kurzfristige Schließungen sind aus Sicherheitsgründen manchmal unumgänglich” — short-notice closures for safety are sometimes unavoidable. Rockfall and high water are the reasons a gorge shuts, and neither gives notice. Check partnachklamm.de the morning you travel, and have a second plan for the day.

Out the far end, or back the way you came

At the top of the gorge the valley opens out and you can carry on up, or turn round and come back through. Coming back through is the short version and the one most day trips take. Going on up is a walk in the mountains and needs its own plan, its own weather forecast and more daylight than a late-afternoon ticket gives you.

Days with the walking built in

If you would rather have the timing handled, the multi-day hiking trips include the gorge entrance and keep going up towards the Zugspitze. Everything else is on the full tour list, and the entry-fee question is settled on this page.

Trips with entry included

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure on most tours — book now, decide later.

Entry included

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to walk through the Partnach Gorge?

No official time is published. The gorge is 702 m long, which at a walking pace works out at roughly ten to twenty minutes one way — my estimate from the published length, not operator guidance.

How long is the Partnach Gorge?

702 metres, with walls over 80 m deep at their highest. The walk in from the Olympic ski stadium is longer than the gorge itself, at 2.2 km.

How much time should I allow for a visit?

Plan an hour and a half to two hours from the ski stadium car park and back, which covers the 25-minute walk each way, the gorge and time to stop. See how to get there.

Can I walk back a different way?

You can turn round and come back through the gorge, or continue up the valley. Going on is a mountain walk in its own right and needs daylight and a forecast — see how difficult it is.