Travel Report Mittenwald
Mittenwald isn't a resort name that clearly stands out or has international stature, having said that however, this village is right in the middle of some of the most famous ski resorts.
You can find Mittenwald at about an hour's drive south from Munich in Germany, and an hour north of Innsbruck in Austria. The location is right at the border, making a trip from Germany to Austria just 5 minutes by car.
This became a historic visit for us thanks to the enormous amounts of snow that have been pouring down in Europe in the past weeks (most snow in 30 years). Getting back to innsbruck airport proved a daunting task. The landscape with heaps of snow did add to the wonderfull winter feeling however!
The two most famous areas in the vicinity of Mittenwald are Garmisch-Partenkirchen to its north (Germany) side and Seefeld (Austria) on the south side. Garmisch is not just well-known for its annual New Year's Day ski jumping world cup, the village of 27,000 inhabitants also contains the highest mountain in Germany within its city limits. The Zugpiste with over 2900 meters altitude is located just south-west of the village, and the border of Austria and Germany runs across the Zugspitze mountain. The mountain is accessible from several villages, for example, from nearby Ehrwald in Austria..
South of Mittenwald, just across the border you will find the posh Seefeld. This small village with only 4000 inhabitants is almost closed in the summer almost but transforms in winter to a true "saint-tropez" in the Alps. Many 4 * and 5 * hotels in particular, ensure a pleasant stay. Real 'on the slope apres-ski' a la St. Anton, Saalbach or Gerlos can't be found in Seefeld, it is the nightlife with its clubs and the famous casino that provides the entertainment here. Seefeld is very easy to reach and the extensive parking make sure you can easily come here for a day or more to enjoy its excellent skiing slopes. Seefeld is also easily accessible by bus from Mittenwald.
The village Mittenwald itself is situated quite low at around 900 meters altitude in the Bavarian Alps. The ski area has a top of approximately 1600 meters. In the center there is a car-free area with beautifully painted traditional houses. Besides a focus on tourism, Mittenwald is also well known as an area that produces violins. You also should not be surprised if you during see the occasional German soldier in Mittenwald. The mountain division of the German Army, has some if its barracks here and the training of these recruits is given in Mittenwald. This indicates that Mittenwald is also suitable for novice skiers.
The ski area has two distinct parts, Mittenwald Dammkar and Mittenwald Kranzberg. Although Mittenwald has access to the longest descent in Germany, the Dammkar (up to 2300 meters) with slopes sometimes steeper than 45% , the most attractive skiing is at the Kranzberg area(with Luttensee and Wildensee).
Mittenwald attracts two kinds of visitors, first and foremost families with young children. The area is ideal to learn how to ski, it's not too busy
and everything is easily accessible. There are 2 ski schools with special ski training slopes for children. All lifts come back to this training area at Lutensee. If you are traveling with a group of more advanced skiers they can always come back to this central valley within fifteen minutes.
Second, you will find many cross country skiers in Mittenwald. The village is famous for its long trails through the forest countryside. The popularity of corss country skiing does bring the average age up a bit. We found no real night life and extensive après-ski in Mittenwald. There are plenty of nice restaurants however. Our favourite restaurant in Mittenwald was 'Im Gries', right in the center. We stayed at the Hotel Rieger, a charming family hotel with sauna and swimming pool in the village center. Thanks to the popularity of cross country skiing and nordic walking the tourism season lasts almost all year round here in Mittenwald, its long beautiful walks are even popular in summer with tourists..
Staying in Mittenwald is great value for money, in one of its slope-side restaurants we had a soup,a German bradwurst and something to drink for a total of around 8 euros. Ski rental and Ski passes (day pass 22 euros) are also reasonably priced. A delicious steak in town further, costed us just 14 euros. Driving across the border to Seefeld you would easily pay double.
Our conclusion is that Mittenwald is ideal for families with small children, cross-country skiers, offers a traditional and very comfortable (car free) village, that combines attractive prices with its easy to access to larger ski areas close by, making it an ideal base. Thanks to its location at an hout from both Munich and Innsbruck airport the village is easily accessible. Are you thinking about a holiday in this region? Look here for current offers of ski holiday accomdation in Karwendel.
Travel Report Mittenwald
