Accommodation in Grainau

Grainau: das Zugspitzdorf am Eibsee

Grainau calls itself "the Zugspitze village" – and has the best arguments for it: Germany's highest mountain stands practically within the parish, the cog railway to the Zugspitze stops in the village, and the turquoise Eibsee, one of the most photographed lakes in the Alps, belongs to it too. Whoever stays here has the postcard view outside the breakfast window.

The hosts are Alpine through and through: the Eibsee-Hotel sits right on the lake, the Quellenhof stands for the classic country inn, and guesthouses like Haus Hiebl and Haus Tilly keep room rates down to earth. Add a striking number of holiday homes and flats – from the Malerhäusl to the Buchenhof – facing the Waxenstein and the Zugspitze massif.

Beyond the Eibsee circuit and the Zugspitze ascent, the Höllentalklamm gorge with its roaring falls and the quiet Badersee with its nymph statue beckon. Booked directly with the host, the holiday stays commission-free – and the tip on what hour still finds the Eibsee mirror-smooth comes from the lake's neighbour.