Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [301]
You can bed down at the DJH hostel ( 4114; www.oberammergau.jugendherberge.de; Malensteinweg 10; dm under/over 27yr €17.70/21.70) or the exceptionally good-value Gästehaus Richter ( 942 94; www.gaestehaus-richter.de; Welfengasse 2; s €22-35, d €50-70; ) with immaculate en suite rooms, a guest kitchen and filling Alpine breakfast.
Hourly trains connect Munich with Oberammergau (change at Murnau; €16.70, 1¾ hours). RVO bus 9606 goes to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Füssen almost hourly.
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Schloss Linderhof
A pocket-sized trove of weird treasures, Schloss Linderhof ( 920 30; adult/concession Apr-Sep €7/6, Oct-Mar €6/5; 9am-6pm Apr-Sep, 10am-4pm Oct-Mar) was Ludwig II’s smallest but most sumptuous palace, and the only one he lived to see fully completed. Finished in 1878, the palace hugs a steep hillside in a fantasy landscape of French gardens, fountains and follies. The reclusive king used the palace as a retreat and hardly ever received visitors here. Like Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof was inspired by Versailles and dedicated to Louis XIV, the French ‘sun king’.
Linderhof’s myth-laden, jewel-encrusted rooms are a monument to the king’s excesses that so unsettled the governors in Munich. The private bedroom is the largest, heavily ornamented and anchored by an enormous 108-candle crystal chandelier weighing 500kg. An artificial waterfall, built to cool the room in summer, cascades just outside the window. The dining room reflects the king’s fetish for privacy and inventions. The king ate from a mechanised dining board, whimsically labelled ‘Table, Lay Yourself’, that sank through the floor so that his servants could replenish it without being seen.
Created by the famous court gardener Carl von Effner, the gardens and outbuildings, open April to October, are as fascinating as the castle itself. The highlight is the oriental-style Moorish Kiosk, where Ludwig, dressed in oriental garb, would preside over nightly entertainment from a peacock throne. Underwater light dances on the stalactites at the Venus Grotto, an artificial cave inspired by a stage set for Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Now sadly empty, Ludwig’s fantastic conch-shaped boat is moored by the shore.
Linderhof is about 13km west of Oberammergau and 26km northwest of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Bus 9622 travels to Linderhof from Oberammergau nine times a day. If coming from Garmisch-Partenkirchen change in Ettal or Oberammergau.
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Mittenwald
08823 / pop 7900
Nestled in a cul-de-sac under snowcapped peaks, sleepily alluring Mittenwald, 20km southeast of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is the most natural spot imaginable for a resort. Known far and wide for its master violin makers, the citizens of this drowsy village seem almost bemused by its popularity. The air is ridiculously clean, and on the main street the loudest noise is a babbling brook.
The tourist office ( 339 81; www.mittenwald.de; Dammkarstrasse 3; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat, 10am-noon Sun Jul-Sep, shorter hours Oct-Jun) has details of excellent hiking and cycling routes. Popular hikes with cable-car access will take you up the granddaddy Alpspitze (2628m), as well as the Wank, Mt Karwendel and the Wettersteinspitze. Return tickets to Karwendel, which boasts Germany’s second-highest cable-car route, cost €22/12 per adult/child.
The Karwendel ski field has one of the longest runs (7km) in Germany, but it is primarily for hot doggers and freestyle pros. Day ski passes to the nearby Kranzberg ski fields, the best all-round option, cost €22 per adult and €14 per child. For equipment hire and ski/snowboard instruction contact the Vereinigte Skischule ( 5772; www.skischulevereinigte.de; Bahnhofsplatz 3).
The only classic off-piste sight in town is the Geigenbaumuseum (Violin-Making Museum; 2511; Ballenhausgasse 3; adult/concession €4/3; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Feb, Mar & May-Oct), a collection of over 200 locally crafted violins and the tools used to fashion them. It’s also the venue