Mittenwald is a village of about 7,000 in the last Bavarian valley before Austria, pressed up against the vertical grey wall of the Karwendel. Goethe called it a living picture book, which has been quoted at it ever since, and the reason is the painted house fronts. It also happens to be one of the great violin making towns of Europe, and that is not a tourist invention.
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What Is Here
LUFTLMALEREI IS THE PAINTED FACADE TRADITION AND MITTENWALD HAS THE BEST OF IT. Whole house fronts painted with saints, trompe-l'oeil architecture, false columns, window surrounds and scenes, done in lime fresco directly onto the render. The hero image is the main street. It is not restored heritage theatre: people live in those houses, and the paintings are maintained because they are the houses' own decoration.
VIOLINS HAVE BEEN MADE HERE BY HAND SINCE 1684 AND THEY STILL ARE. Matthias Klotz brought the craft back from Italy and the town became a centre for stringed instruments; the Geigenbaumuseum covers it properly, and there is a state violin making school and a handful of working workshops where you can watch. THIS IS THE REASON TO PREFER MITTENWALD OVER ITS LOUDER NEIGHBOURS: it is a working craft town rather than a resort with a museum.
THE KARWENDEL CABLE CAR GOES TO 2,244 METRES AND ENDS AT A VIEWING PLATFORM BUILT LIKE A TELESCOPE. The upper station sits in the Karwendel nature reserve with a free high-altitude trail, the Dammkar run beneath it, and a view back over the Wetterstein. It is less crowded than the Zugspitze and gets you nearly as high.
THE LEUTASCHKLAMM IS A GORGE ON THE AUSTRIAN BORDER WITH A WALKWAY THROUGH IT, reachable on foot from the village, and the path crosses between countries without ceremony. There is a ticketed section and a free section, which confuses people, and both are worth doing.
THE LAKES ARE SHORT WALKS AND THEY ARE THE BEST FREE THING HERE. The Lautersee and the Ferchensee are both within an hour on foot, clear, swimmable in high summer, with the Karwendel reflected in them. The Isar river rises nearby and runs past the village.
The third image is the Karwendel wall itself under snow, and that is worth saying plainly: two of our three photographs of Mittenwald are winter frames. The summer version of this valley, with the lakes open and the high trail walkable, is described in this post rather than shown in it.
IT IS A SKI AND SNOWSHOE TOWN IN WINTER, smaller than Garmisch, with the Dammkar's long ungroomed descent as its serious offering and good cross-country trails along the valley floor.
When to Go
Late June to early October for the lakes, the gorge and the high trail. September is the best month here.
December to March for snow, which is when the painted houses look best and when the village is at its quietest outside the holidays.
Avoid the shoulder weeks of late April to early June and late October to early December, when the cable car and the gorge take their maintenance closures and the valley is between seasons.
Check the cable car status before relying on it, since high wind closes it and the Karwendel is exposed.
Getting There
By train, Mittenwald is on the Munich to Innsbruck line, about an hour and three quarters from Munich and forty-five minutes from Innsbruck, with the station in the village. THIS IS ONE OF THE EASIEST ALPINE VILLAGES IN EUROPE TO REACH WITHOUT A CAR.
By train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen in about twenty minutes, which makes the two an easy pair.
By car, about ninety minutes from Munich. The village centre is largely pedestrian.
The Gastekarte matters here. Most accommodation issues a guest card giving free local buses and discounts, so ask at check-in rather than buying tickets.
Is Mittenwald Safe for Women?
Mittenwald is a small, quiet, prosperous alpine village and is extremely safe. The FCDO publishes no advised-against areas anywhere in Germany, and its terrorism wording is the strongest it uses: terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Germany, with restaurants, MARKETS, shopping centres, places of worship, sporting events and crowded public spaces named as possible targets. That is worth knowing in a country where a Christmas market is often the reason for the trip, and the response is awareness rather than avoidance. On crime the FCDO puts German levels on a par with the UK and names theft and pickpocketing at airports, railway stations and in crowded places, with the specific advice not to leave bags unattended. It also gives one unusually concrete warning: exchange currency only at banks and legitimate bureaux, because counterfeit notes are passed to visitors at street kiosks.
THE KARWENDEL IS A SERIOUS MOUNTAIN RANGE AND THE CABLE CAR MAKES IT ACCESSIBLE WITHOUT MAKING IT EASY. At 2,244 metres the upper station is cold, windy and often in cloud when the valley is sunny, with snow possible in any month. The marked routes from the top include exposed sections, and THE DAMMKAR IS AN UNGROOMED AVALANCHE-PRONE DESCENT in winter rather than a piste.
AVALANCHE RISK IS REAL IN THIS VALLEY and the Bavarian avalanche warning service publishes a daily bulletin. Off-piste and ski touring here require that bulletin, equipment and knowledge, not enthusiasm.
The gorge walkways are wet, narrow and high, with sections suspended over the water. They close for rock fall and in ice.
Summer afternoon thunderstorms are frequent and the high trail is exposed. Be down by early afternoon.
The lakes and the Isar are snowmelt-cold even in August, and the Isar runs fast with cold currents.
Mobile coverage drops in the side valleys and the gorge. Tell someone your route.
The Mittenwald Packing List
A valley at 900 metres, a cable car to 2,244, and snow in the photographs for a reason.
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is the right first layer in every season here, because the valley and the Karwendel summit are two different climates fifteen minutes apart by cable car and you will be warm walking and cold standing within the same hour. From October to May add a heavyweight merino base layer, plus merino base layer bottoms, which we leave unlinked here only because this post is at its affiliate link cap.
A Columbia Fast Trek II fleece and a Marmot PreCip Eco rain jacket, and take both up the cable car whatever the valley weather is doing.
A merino beanie, which is a summer item at 2,244 metres and not only a winter one.
Walking shoes with grip and Darn Tough merino socks for the gorge walkways, the lake paths and the high trail. Wet gorge decking is slippery.
Not linked and worth packing: SUNGLASSES AND HIGH-FACTOR SUNSCREEN for the high platform, where snow reflection burns in any month; A SWIMSUIT AND A TOWEL in summer for the Lautersee and Ferchensee, which are the best free afternoon here; A WATER BOTTLE; SOMETHING TO COVER YOUR SHOULDERS for the churches, including the painted St Peter and Paul; AND YOUR GUEST CARD, which pays for the buses. Germany is card-friendly and small village businesses still prefer cash, which includes some of the violin workshops.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Mittenwald
Emergency numbers: 112 for police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone including a locked mobile, with operators who will find an English speaker. It is the single number across the whole European Union.
The Karwendel cable car reaches 2,244 metres from a valley at about 900, so the upper station is cold, windy and frequently in cloud when the village below is in sun, with snow possible in any month. Take a fleece and a shell up whatever the valley weather is doing, and wear sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen because snow-reflected UV at that height burns in summer. MARKED ROUTES FROM THE TOP INCLUDE EXPOSED SECTIONS and THE DAMMKAR IS AN UNGROOMED AVALANCHE-PRONE DESCENT rather than a piste. AVALANCHE RISK IS REAL IN THIS VALLEY and the Bavarian avalanche warning service publishes a daily bulletin that off-piste and touring plans depend on. THE GORGE WALKWAYS ARE WET, NARROW AND SUSPENDED OVER WATER and close for rock fall and ice; the Leutaschklamm has both a ticketed and a free section and crosses the Austrian border on foot, so carry ID. SUMMER AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ARE FREQUENT on the exposed high trail, so be down by early afternoon. HIGH WIND CLOSES THE CABLE CAR. The lakes and the Isar are snowmelt-cold in August and the Isar runs fast. MOBILE COVERAGE DROPS in the side valleys and the gorge. Lifts and the gorge take maintenance closures in late April to early June and late October to early December.
US State Department travel advisory: the Germany advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/germany, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
Main hospital: there is no hospital in Mittenwald. The nearest emergency department is the Klinikum Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the Auenstrasse, about twenty-five minutes away by road or train, and it is an established alpine trauma centre. Dial 112 for police, ambulance or fire, and note that A MOUNTAIN EMERGENCY IS ALSO 112, dispatching the BERGWACHT mountain rescue service, while the Austrian alpine number 140 applies if you have crossed into Austria in the gorge or on a Karwendel route, which is easy to do on foot here. Give your position by trail or lift station. The village has a pharmacy with the duty rota posted on the door. Germany is in the EU, so a UK Global Health Insurance Card or an EU European Health Insurance Card gives you state-provided medically necessary care on the same terms as a resident. That is not the same as free: German healthcare involves patient contributions and the card does not cover repatriation or private treatment, so travel insurance sits on top of it. German hospitals are excellent and English is widely spoken in them, particularly in university cities. An Apotheke, marked with a red A, handles minor problems without an appointment and the duty rota for out-of-hours is posted in the window. Tap water is drinkable everywhere. Dial 112 for an ambulance and 116117 for the non-emergency medical service.
Official health authority: the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health body. covers the Bavarian regional health reporting
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in Berlin.
Official tourism authority: the German National Tourist Board. covers the Karwendel cable car status, the gorge openings and the Mittenwald violin workshops
Takeaways
Come for the painted houses and the violin workshops, which are real working trades.
Take warm layers up the cable car in July. It is 2,244 metres.
The lakes are free, walkable and the best afternoon here.
Carry ID. The gorge path crosses into Austria.
Solo women safety assessment: Mittenwald is about as easy as solo travel gets. It is a village of roughly 7,000 in a wealthy Bavarian valley, with a station in the middle, a largely pedestrian centre you can cross in ten minutes, and a long habit of international visitors who come for the instruments and the mountains. There is no district to avoid, the streets are quiet and safe in the evening, and eating alone in a Gasthaus is entirely ordinary. 112 REACHES POLICE, AMBULANCE AND FIRE free from any phone. NOTE THAT THERE IS NO HOSPITAL IN THE VILLAGE: the nearest emergency department is the Klinikum Garmisch-Partenkirchen about twenty-five minutes away, which is an alpine trauma centre. 112 also dispatches the BERGWACHT mountain rescue service, and because the gorge path and some Karwendel routes cross into Austria on foot with no formality at all, know that the Austrian alpine emergency number is 140 and carry ID. EVERYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG HERE IS THE MOUNTAIN. The cable car takes you from about 900 metres to 2,244 in minutes, where it is cold, windy and often inside cloud while the village sits in sun, with snow possible in any month and snow-reflected UV strong enough to burn in July, so carry the fleece and the shell up and wear sunglasses. Marked routes from the top are graded as mountain paths and include exposed ground; the Dammkar is an ungroomed avalanche-prone descent rather than a ski run, and this valley has a genuine avalanche problem with a daily Bavarian bulletin that any off-piste plan depends on. The gorge walkways are wet, narrow, suspended over fast water and closed in ice or rock fall. Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent in summer on exposed trails, mobile signal drops in the side valleys, and the lakes and the Isar are snowmelt-cold all year.
Reading On
Mittenwald is the quiet alternative in the Bavarian Alps and the cluster divides by what each town leads on. The Garmisch-Partenkirchen packing list is twenty minutes down the valley and leads on the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, which is the bigger resort and the busier one; the Fussen packing list leads on Neuschwanstein and the castles an hour west; and the Berchtesgaden packing list covers the far eastern corner and the Konigssee. The valley's railway runs to both capitals, so the Munich packing list and the Innsbruck packing list are both under two hours away and Innsbruck is the closer of the two. For the country, the Germany travel guide for women and the Germany packing list carry the rail network and the regions. For why wool handles a warm valley walk and a cold summit platform in one outfit, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women. Every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women, and the base layers are at the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
