The walk from the olympic stadium to the gorge is quite for for little children. They usually have horse carriages but not on our day. I would recommend using that service. The views were amazing and our 7 year old was just sure that Elsa from Frozen had done all this. It was about a 30 minute walk in the gorge. Great for a family day out.
A bit of a hike, especially in a heavy snow storm, but very pretty. The ice formations are very cool!
The gorge offers some stunning views of nature: especially during Winter when stalactites can be seen growing within. The ground can be slippery in some areas, and there are occasionally sections of the gorge that are without lighting. Make sure you come prepared with some hiking shoes, and even a torch if you have one.
An interesting walk- nature and historical. Walking the gorge and thinking of the lumber men that guided the trees through it is an experience! It must have been an incredibly dangerous job as they didn't have the prepared walkways we stand on now. Aside from that, the natural experience of the sheer walls and rushing water is something to behold! The walk is not difficult although you might need to duck sometimes if you're tall and I definitely suggest something water repellent. You can walk over the gorge too but it's much more strenuous and you might need to stop for air. However, it's a much different view and quite spectacular itself. Since I live here, I've been 3-4 times with visitors in the last year but still need to do one of the night torch trips and when it's frozen up. Well worth the 3 euro per adult fee.
We did a nighttime torch lit tour of Partnach Gorge with our kiddos. Our youngest is 8, so we didn't have to worry about carrying kids or frisky toddlers getting away from us. The kids (and the adults) thoroughly enjoyed the nightscape by firelight. There were still a few ice formations along the gorge, even though it was unseasonably warm. The hike is not taxing at all. If you have very little ones the night tour isn't probably a good idea, but with supervision, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to take kids during the day. It's NOT stroller friendly though. There is a fantastic little place right at the mouth of the gorge trail (forget the name), where you can get fantastic food and desserts. There's a friendly dog that hangs out inside to keep guests company too (loved that!). The entire hike up the gorge and back only took our family of 6 about an hour, so not bad. We felt this one of our favorite outings in Garmisch!
We toured this gorge in Feb 2015 twice actually. Once at night and once in the daytime. The night visit was an organized tour by torch light. The gorge is beautiful and you really should take the time to visit it. It does require a lot of walking cause you must park some distance from it. Takes about 2-3 hours to enjoy all of it. There is a restaurant before you get there go place to rest after walking the gorge.
The gorge is stunning in winter as the falls are frozen solid with enormous icicles. The path can be a little slippery, and waking boots or sturdy shoes are advisable. However, if you wish to walk further along the valley away from the gorge, then you will need walking boots.
My family of four (mom/dad, 2 kids - 11/13 yrs old) really enjoyed this hike along the Partnach Gorge in Feb 2015. I imagine other seasons are nice as well, but winter time is absolutely extraordinary with all the HUGE icicles hanging from the canyon walls. A fairly easy hike for most (pretty flat and smooth), but can be a bit slippery with some patches of ice on the walkway. They do put out lots of gravel and some rock salt. The gorge's tunnels can be a little dark in spots and are rather low if you are over 6'2". Many hiking areas around the world are free, but this spot is still well worth the small price of 3.50 Euro/adults & 2 Euro/kids. You must park down at the public parking lot by the Olympic ski jump stadium and walk up to the entrance so the 20-30 minute hike after you pay at the entrance is actually about 1 hour (or 2 hours round trip) walking at a leisurely pace from the parking lot. Something great to do for a break from skiing/boarding for a day. Enjoy the scenery!!
We took a hike to the Partnach Gorge the other day with our kids ages 6 and 10. It's quite a long walk from the parking lot by the Olympic stadium to the gorge but no other recourse unless you take the carriage ride. I found the walk to the gorge entrance to be longer than the actual hike through the gorge just FYI. The road was snowy and slushy so snow boots were a must but otherwise the walk was not challenging, just long.Inside the gorge the trail is quite narrow but relatively clear of debris and an easy walk. It is also surprisingly flat except at the very end when there is an uphill through the cave. We came early afternoon and found the light was disappearing by the time we were done, around 3 pm. I would recommend to come earlier, like closer to noon.The snowy gorge and huge icicle formations were amazing and every view is a photo op. It was slow going on some of the narrower parts and difficult to pass but not too unpleasant. Most people are patient. It was too crowded for so me of the lengthy photo taking that was going on in some of the best spots - wish people would just snap a pic and move on as it really clogs the trail to do lots of posing.I would definitely recommend it however - very unique natural spectacle.
Very nice place to visit! We really enjoyed it! We went through and back. It might be nice to plan a trip that includes the bridge as well. We leave that one for next time.