Itinerary Include flights Leave this field blank Expand all Oberammergau to Oberammergau Day 1 Start Oberammergau A transfer (90 mins) is provided from Munich airport to your hotel in Oberammergau (subject to a minimum of 2 people booked on a departure in total). Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Explore Ammer Valley villages; walk to Pulvermoos Wildlife Sanctuary A perfect introduction to your walking week starts with a short (15 mins) ride on the little red train to Bad Kohlgrub. From here, you walk through the rolling Ammer Valley's string of sleepy farming villages. Unterammergau, in particular, has a splendid Rococo church. Then walk across to the Pulvermoos, a wildlife sanctuary and habitat for 60 bird species including Corncrake, Dipper, Whinchat and Snipe. 2 options: walking time 2.5hr, distance 9km/5.5km or walking time 4hr, distance 16km/10mi. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 3 Cable car up Laber; walk down to Ettal village with its Benedictine monastery Start with a cable car ride to the top of the Laber (1685m) for panoramic views of Germany's highest mountain - Zugspitze (2962m) - and the Austrian Alps beyond. You then wind your way down through cool pine forests to the village of Ettal. After lunch, visit the amazing 14th Century former Benedictine monastery, an outstanding example of Bavarian Baroque architecture. Return on an easy path along the pretty valley, passing the Barenhohle cave where there's a figure of the resurrected Christ. Walking time 3.5hr, distance 12km/7.5mi or walking time 4.5hr, distance 14km/8.5mi. 2 options: walking time 3.5hr, distance 12km/7.5mi or walking time 4.5hr, distance 14km/8.5mi. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 4 Follow the shore of Staffelsee; afternoon optional boat cruise Staffelsee is one of the larger of the many picturesque blue lakes dotted around this part of Bavaria. This beautiful stretch of water offers easy walking along the shoreline with plenty of swimming opportunities. Stop off in the attractive riverside village of Uffing (the boat landing station is a fantastic place for lunch and offers magnificent views of the lake backed by mountains). In the afternoon, either relax in the sun on the panorama deck of the little lake cruiser (pay locally), passing hidden coves and the lake's 7 islands (one even has its own tiny chapel), or return on foot along the quiet side of the lake. Walking time 3.5hr, distance 12km/7.5mi or walking time 5hr, distance 18km/11mi or walking time 6hr, distance 22km/13.5mi. 3 options: walking time 3.5hr, distance 12km/7.5mi or walking time 5hr, distance 18km/11mi or walking time 6hr, distance 22km/13.5mi. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 5 Free day A day off from walking today. Maybe take the local bus to Mad King Ludwig's fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein with its breathtaking setting on a rocky outcrop. Or take the funicular to the top of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze, and discover a 360 degree panorama of endless peaks spanning Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. Or, if you prefer to stay closer to home, spend the afternoon by the Wellenberg outdoor pool, where there is also a sauna, Jacuzzi and spa. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 6 Kolben chairlift; various walks along Sonnenberg Ridge available The Kolben chairlift whisks you up to 1270m, from where there's a choice of routes up to the spectacular Sonnenberg ridge. Your route down passes a succession of crashing waterfalls and the reconstructed 19th Century whetstone mill at Schleifmuhle, followed by a pretty path through the meadows. Walking time 4hr, distance 13km/8mi or walking time 6hr, distance 17km/10.5mi. 2 options: walking time 4hr, distance 13km/8mi or walking time 6hr, distance 17km/11mi. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 7 Walk to Linderhof Palace; return via the Linder Valley Today's walk includes an unmissable visit to Schloss Linderhof, the gloriously over-the-top Rococo palace built by Mad King Ludwig in 1878, inspired by Louis XIV's chateau in Versailles. There are gorgeous French and Italianate terraced gardens and a golden fountain which erupts once every hour with a 30m plume of water. Return to the hotel along a tranquil path which winds back down the Linder Valley, through the village of Graswang with its beautifully preserved old farmhouses and pretty 17th century frescoed church. Walking time 1.5hr, distance 6km/4mi or walking time 3.5hr, distance 13km/8mi. 2 options: walking time 1.5hr, distance 6km/4mi or walking time 3.5hr, distance 13km/8mi. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 8 End Oberammergau The tour itself ends here after breakfast. A transfer back to Munich Airport is included (subject to a minimum of 2 people booked on a departure in total). Meals included: Breakfast
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Hotel The Hotel Alte Post is a family run hotel located within the heart of Oberammergau's town centre. Dating back to 1612, it is one of the oldest inns in the town and has been run by the Preisinger family since the end of the 1900s. It is a traditional Bavarian style building, with white washed walls and beautiful frescoes painted on its outside walls. The rooms are ensuite, comfortable and of a good size and most rooms come with views onto the village. The hotel's dining areas are rustic yet cosy, with wooden pannelled walls and even an old tiled stove, whilst the newly renovated Kofel Blick café is stunningly modern with a nod to its traditional past. The hotel's terrace is also perfect for dining, whilst watching the goings on in the village square and admiring the view of the Kofel mountain. Room Upgrades:Room upgrades (Superior or Deluxe rooms) may be available on request for a supplement. Please enquire at the time of booking for further details, availability and prices. All prices are based on 2 persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people travelling in your party or you are travelling alone, there will be a compulsory supplement for a single room for the tour duration. For a solo traveller there is an additional charge to cover transfer costs.
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Reviewed September 2014 Jim Armstrong Trip: Self-Guided Walking in Southern Bavaria Bavaria at its best. A spectacularly picturesque area with soaring mountains, lush green valleys, forests, lakes and pretty villages. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Sitting outdoors on top of the Zugspitze (ca. 9000 ft.) enjoying the stunning views and eating Apfelstrudel and drinking Löwenbräu on a gorgeous September afternoon! What did you think of your group leader? N/A: self guided. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? I would advise decent walking boots, and poles if you use them, and waterproof jacket and trousers as it can certainly rain here. Take insect repellant and bite cream too. The area is photogenic so a good camera with plenty of memory is a must. I forgot mine!!! Make sure you have the extensive trip notes as the walks can be quite complicated. Due to an oversight we didn`t receive ours and would have been at a loss, but another member of the group who we became friendly with shared hers. This issue has been resolved with Exodus and we still had a wonderful time. The paths are well signposted anyway and, as mentioned in another review, the recommended routes can be customised to suit your own tastes. Is there anything else you would like to add? I did this trip with my daughter Ruth Keir who has also written a review. We were very lucky indeed with the weather, it was quite hot and we avoided being out in two spectacular thunderstorms. The family-run chalet-type hotel was delightful and typical of the area. The rooms were spacious, comfortable and well-equipped. The hotel provided wi-fi at 5 Euro per device per week. The food was Bavarian in style and had many local specialities. It was mostly delicious with generous portions, although they struggled initially with vegetarian dishes. The hotel staff were all friendly and helpful and most willing to resolve any issues. The walks were varied in terrain and length and we were delighted with the ones we chose. The scenery was always worthwhile and the notes pointed out many extra little detours and places of interest. You were never far from a pub (Gasthof) or cafe or restaurant and most of the staff could understand clear English if not all spoke it, so the longer walks could be broken up with a beer or Radler (shandy) or two. As well as the Zugspitze which was reached by funicular railway from Garmisch-Partenkirchen (say that after a couple of beers!), then cablecar, the other must-see is Neuschwanstein castle. It is simply spectacular outside though not so much inside as it was never finished. It is best photographed from the Maria bridge (Marienbrücke) about 15 minutes walk away. The bridge was mobbed and we didn`t stay one minute longer on it than we needed! The castle is reached by bus from Oberammergau and must be pre-booked either online or at the tourist office a day or two in advance. It was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and we spent the week finding out about his bizarre life. He also owned Linderhof palace which is in one of the walks and is definitely worth seeing inside. The Zugspitze should be visited early in the day as it gets overrun later on. It cost 51 Euro return each from G-P, Neuschwanstein cost 13 each and Linderhof about 9. Oberammergau itself is beautiful with many frescoed buildings. Woodcarving is a local speciality worth investigating. The town has many restaurants but we only ate out once or twice as we were so well-fed at the hotel. I would thoroughly recommend this trip as it is entirely up to you how much walking you do, although you will miss some wonderful scenery if you don`t do any. The local public transport is well-organised and the tourist card you are given at the hotel gets you free bus travel.
Reviewed September 2014 Ruth Keir Trip: Self-Guided Walking in Southern Bavaria Beer in Bavaria A lovely week walking through the meadows and mountains of Bavaria. Local brew went down a treat. Let down by lack of walking notes however.... What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Completing a 21km walk round the Staffelsee and having a well earned beer to celebrate! A beer at the top of the Zugspitze (highest mountain in Germany) was also great - can you see a theme emerging here?! What did you think of your group leader? Myself and my Dad did this as a self guided trip. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? I booked this trip as a self guided option mostly owing to disorganisation and there not being much else left for my chosen week. I think self guided has the potential to work really well but we only got a lot out of it by borrowing the extensive walking notes from a Headwater client. This trip is offered jointly with them. All the other people on the trip had booked with Headwater and had excellent notes. The level of detail was impressive but necessary. The Germans are very into outdoor activity and the 'wanderwegs' - walking routes- are well signposted but you need to be able to find the start and know which bus to get etc. On average per 4 hour walk the Headwater notes had 2 full A4 pages of information. They also had 1 or 2 boot notes for different abilities and lots of local information. The Exodus trip notes were as per this website and totally useless! If I was going self guided again I'd be likely to book with Headwater for this reason I'm afraid. The taxi driver collecting us at the airport also had a Headwater sign so look out for this if you don't see an Exodus one. The hotel was a lovely family run place in a traditional Bavarian wooden house which looked like a cuckoo clock. The food was excellent however one of the Headwater clients was a vegetarian and struggled. I think she went some way to furthering the cause of vegetarianism in Bavaria during the trip but bewarned!! The hotel gave provided a tourist card which allowed free local bus travel which was excellent. The tourist information office was very useful too. Is there anything else you would like to add? The scenery is amazing and we were lucky with the weather. Look out for mossie bites :( We visited Neuschwanstein which was beautiful. Everyone talked about how steep the walk up to the castle was but unless you are very unfit I don't really see what the fuss was about, you're on a walking holiday after all! The tour of the inside was a bit of a waste of time however unless you are really into Wagner inspired wall decoration. King Ludwig's story is interesting and worth finding out about. There is a hair raising bridge round the bad of the castle 'Marienbrucke' which offered fabulous views for classic photos albeit amongst a hellish tourist scrum. Book your visit online at least one day in advance, the tourist info staff will do this for you if you ask nicely. Linderhof palace was worth a visit and part of one of the walks. The church in Oberammergau apparently has amazing interior paintings but we walked by it every day without realising! Zugspitze is worth a look but go early as it gets really busy. Considering adding a couple of days in Munich at the end. Reply from Exodus Reply from Exodus We would like to thank Ruth for her review. We were very sorry to read that she did not receive her route notes and that she had to borrow some during her trip. We provide our clients with the same standard route notes as our sister company, Headwater, and have investigated why Ruth did not receive these. We were happy to read that Ruth and her father still had a great holiday.
Reviewed September 2013 Anonymous Trip: Self-Guided Walking in Southern Bavaria WALKING IN OBERAMMERGAU This trip gives you the opportunity and freedom to set your own itinerary, use your own initiative and have more contact with locals. A delightful destination that may be quieter than at first supposed. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Standing on top of The Kofel and taking-in the stunning panorama. Don’t let the dire warnings in the walking notes put you off - it’s undoubtedly high and a scramble to get to the top but if you do the ‘overtaking manoeuvre’ described in the notes, and you’re reasonably able-bodied and sure footed, it’s well worth the small detour. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Consider making use of the local Tourist Information office - they’re very helpful and can book tours for you. We used them extensively including booking our tickets for Schloss Neuschwanstein which, considering the massive length of the queue for un-booked tickets at the castle when we arrived, was definitely a good move and highly recommended. Pre-booking the guided tour enabled us to pick-up our tickets as soon as we arrived at the castle and then go off and look at other things prior to our timed entry. All the walks (we did) were on well signed paths and were easy to find and follow. However, some of the walks described in the walking notes descend over fairly uneven ground with some tricky tree roots at times - walking poles might be advisable. Is there anything else you would like to add? On our trip the hotelier gave us each a (returnable) Guest Card which gave us free travel in the Ammergau Alps area on RVO-Buses plus reduced entry into many of the local sites (Linderhof for example) plus reduced charges on the mountain lifts. Our excursion to Schloss Neuschwanstein was done on public buses that were entirely free! We used the buses because the train was out of action during our visit due to long running maintenance. The trains were replaced a bus service, but there was a cost to use them - using the public buses provided more flexibility and was free. Have I mentioned the free bus transport? During our visit (Aug/Sep 2013) Oberammergau was quiet (apart from the afternoons when the excursion coaches seemed to call in). There is no night-life. We wandered into the town for a drink one evening at about 21:30 and the only place open was the posh hotel by the church; this is not a bad thing - just an observation. If Exodus have organised the transfer from the airport for you, make sure you’ve confirmed where you’ll be collected. We waited at arrivals - our taxi driver waited at the airport exit!
Reviewed July 2013 Anonymous Trip: Self-Guided Walking in Southern Bavaria WALKING IN OBERAMMERGAU A charming and well organised centre full of alpine houses beautifully painted with frescoes , Oberammergau is ideal for walking and other activities. The abundance of well signposted walking and cycle paths give a huge variety of options. Everything looks immaculately tended and cared for. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing Schloss Neuschwanstein in all its fairytale glory - like a film set brought into the real world. Riding the Kolben carousel - a cross between a bobsleigh and a roller-coaster, a 2.6 km long thrill ride down the mountain going as fast as you dare! The intimate splendour of Schloss Linderhof - another of King Ludwig II's fantasy creations. What did you think of your group leader? N/A - self guided. The hotel owners and staff were always willing to help explain local arrangements. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Schloss Neuschwanstein - 1.6 million visitors a year mean long queues despite the Teutonic efficiency of the guided tour system - book online before you go or a couple of days beforehand to get a guided tour at a convenient time. I took the direct bus, arrived at the back of the queue for non-reserved tickets at 11:45. 50 minutes later at the ticket counter I was offered a place on the 17:55 english-speaking tour. Fortunately I was on my own, so they squeezed me in on an earlier tour.Don't be afraid to assemble your own route from the parts of the described walks - the frequent and accessible local transport make this easy Is there anything else you would like to add? Some of the walks are definitely not 'lesuirely' - there are exposed ridges, steep and difficult descents and even Via Ferrata style sections that can be added as options, Stout boots and walking poles are definitely recommended. It was dissapointing that the hotel steam bath, sauna and jacuzzi were being refurbished during my stay - they would ve been really appreciated.Also, note that the Kolben chairlift doue not open until the second or third week in July - this cuts down on some of the options.It's also really easy to arrange your own transfers if flying to Munich - the airport S-bahn, main and local train services take you right into Oberammergau, and Munich is well worth adding a few extra days for sightseeing.
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