relaxed mountain wildlife and walking (by train)
The best of Bavaria, from the flower-rich valleys to the highest point in Germany.
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Wildlife Travel leaflet Bavarian Alps 2025
Dates
10th – 18th June 2025
Leader
Philip Precey and Chris Kirby-Lambert
Price
£2,545
Single Room Supplement – £450
Included
Return train travel London St Pancras to Munich. Local transport as specified in itinerary. Eight nights accommodation, full board.
Not included
Refreshments. Gratuities. Travel insurance. ETIAS/visa costs. Covid tests and associated costs.
Group size
Minimum 5, maximum 14.
The limestone mountains of the Bavarian Alps may not be as familiar as their higher Austrian or Swiss neighbours, but they are home to some fantastic wildlife. Highlights of our trip should include wet meadows full of orchids (including at least four species of marsh orchid) and home to singing Common Rosefinch, White-backed Woodpecker and Whinchat; scarce butterflies such as Woodland Brown and Dusky Large Blue; high mountain specialities including Ptarmigan, Alpine Chough and Snowfinch; delicate alpine flowers including primulas, gentions and the beautiful Soldanella alpina; and some awe-inspiring mountain scenery, with views taking in four countries. Oh, and if you like apple cake, hot chocolate and Bavarian beer, all the better!
This holiday is based in the scenic alpine town of Mittenwald, nestled amongst the mountains from where we will explore the woods, meadows, wetlands and, of course, the high mountains in the surrounding area.
From London to Munich and then throughout the holiday, we will be doing all of our travel by public transport, travelling first by Eurostar to Paris and then by express train to Munich. In Bavaria, we will take advantage of the fantastic local train service together with the cable cars that give us direct access to the mountains. The holiday is perfect for anyone who appreciates wildlife and walking in the hills, and who enjoys the gentler pace of travel by train and cable car.
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Please note that holidays change, although sometimes only slightly, from year to year and previous trip reports may not reflect the planned itinerary, or other holiday details, for the current trip. Please ask us if you would like to know of any significant differences.
Day 1 A travel day takes us from London St Pancras to Paris, and then on to Stuttgart where we will stop for the night.
Day 2 We continue our journey to Munich, from where we travel south by local train for about two hours to the town of Mittenwald, our home for the next week.
Day 3 A lazy, train-free day. In the morning we will explore the impressive Leutaschklamm gorge, where Sword-leaved Helleborine grows amongst the pine and Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Mountain Green-veined White flit about the paths. After lunch, we take a stroll through the woods to the lake of Lautersee where we will keep our eyes open for Western Bonelli’s Warbler and Red Squirrels amongst the trees.
Day 4 We catch the train to Garmisch Partenkirken and then on to the small lake of Eibsee. We will walk a trail through the forest around the lake, keeping our eyes peeled for Nutcracker and woodpeckers, whilst also enjoying the summer wild flowers. Ending our walk at the cable car station, we will be whisked up to a height of 2962 metres and the summit of Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze. On a clear day the view takes in four countries, with the Alps spread out before us.
Day 5 Today we take the train to the picture perfect town of Oberammergau. The morning will be spent exploring the town before we escape the crowds and explore the meadows of the Pulvermoos, home to Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler and interesting fenland plants, including the rare Moor King Lousewort Pedicularis sceptrum-carolinum.
Day 6 Today we head back to Garmisch Partenkirchen to catch the cable car up to the summit of the nearby peak of Wank. At 1780 metres, this mountain is a more manageable height, but still with some wonderful alpine flowers to be found at the top: Trumpet Gentian, Spring Gentian and Alpine Snowbell all pepper the short turf, while this area gives us our best chances of finding Citril Finch, Water Pipit and Ring Ouzel.
Day 7 An early start takes us to the town of Murnau. From here we spend the day exploring the fantastic wetlands of Murnauer Moos, one of the largest valley mires left in central Europe, a mosaic of wet meadows, species rich fen and sphagnum bog. The Moos is home to a bewildering variety of marsh orchids, Siberian Iris, uncommon butterflies including False Heath Fritillary and Dusky Large Blue, and breeding Whinchat, Common Rosefinch and White-backed Woodpecker.
Day 8 Today we walk out from the hotel to the cable car up to the top of the Karwendel at 2244 metres. With snow still lying on the ground in patches amongst the scree, this is real alpine territory. We will look for Primula auricula, Primula minima, Moss Campion and Purple Saxifrage amongst others. Alpine Chough should put in an appearance, with Alpine Accentor, Snowfinch and Ptarmigan also strong possibilities at this height. After lunch we leave the mountains, and head to Munich, where we will have one night in a comfortable hotel near the train station before continuing our journey Day 9, taking the train via Stuttgart back to Paris, and the Eurostar home.
Please note that the itinerary may be changed to suit the weather or other practicalities at the discretion of the leaders.
We stay at the Hotel Bichlerhof, a comfortable, family-run hotel in the attractive town of Mittenwald, at 910m altitude. All rooms have en-suite facilities.
We will also have one night in Stuttgart and one in Munich, staying in comfortable hotels close to the respective train stations.
From our arrival in Mittenwald, we will be having breakfast in the hotel dining room: evening meals will be taken at the nearby Post Hotel, and we will take picnic lunches with us each day.
All of our travel on this holiday will be by public transport: local trains, the cog railway that takes us up Zugspitze and three cable cars (Zugspitzbahn, Wankbahn and Karwendelbahn).
Group travel
Train schedules for summer 2025 are not yet released, but should be similar to 2024, as follows.
10th June depart London St Pancras 10.24, arrive Paris Gare du Nord 13.50; depart Paris Gare de l’Est 15.55, arrive Munich Hbf 21.36
18th June: depart Munich 10.29, arrive Frankfust (M) Flughafen 13.51; depart Frankfurt (M) Flughafen 14.41, arrive Brussels Midi 17.35; depart Brussels Midi 19.22, arrive London St Pancras 20.27
It would also be possible to join the trip by flying to Munich, where the airport is connected to the central station by train, or by taking the Nightjet sleeper train to Munich from either Paris or Brussels. Contact us to discuss options.
Time zone
France and Germany are one hour ahead of UK time.
Entry requirements
If you hold a British passport you can travel to countries in the Schengen area (including France and Germany) for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. Your passport must be issued less than ten years before the date you enter the country and valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.
Starting in mid-2025 British passport holders will need to apply for the ETIAS European Travel Authorisation to visit Schengen countries. This must be applied for online prior to travel, at a cost of €7 (free for over 70s). Once granted, your ETIAS will be valid for three years
At this time of year the weather in the Alps should be pleasantly warm and sunny, with average temperatures around 20°C. As with everywhere, the weather is less predictable now than it used to be, and there may be considerably cooler or hotter weather and some rain, or even snow at higher elevations. We will adapt our excursions accordingly.
You need to have a good level of fitness to get the most out of the planned activities on this holiday. This is a relatively energetic trip, which involves quite a lot of walking. We will walk from the hotel to the train station each day, and you can expect to be on your feet all day. The longest walk will be about 10km around Murnauer Moos, about 8km around Eibsee, and an (optional) downhill walk of around 6km from the Wankberg. While the walking is generally easy to moderate, at a ‘naturalists’ pace, there will obviously be hilly areas and uneven ground. Walking boots are essential for all areas as the ground can be wet or rocky. Walking poles are highly recommended if you find them useful.
There are steps up into the trains, as well as at the accommodation. You should be steady enough on your feet to get in and out of a (slowly) moving cable car and not have too much of a problem with heights. We will be changing trains on both international journeys. There are not always escalators or lifts at train stations, so you MUST be able to carry your own bags comfortably up and down stairs and get them on and off the trains.