10 days in Bavaria and Tyrol at the beginning of July.

Bavaria is a perfect combination of crystal-clear lakes, lush forests, picturesque towns and the Alps. From there, we continued to Tyrol, with snow-capped peaks, waterfalls, dramatic gorges, wild lakes and spectacular mountain roads.

Day 1 in Bavaria

We stayed in the small town of Schlehdorf, near Lake Kochelsee. We booked the King Ludwig Suite at Gasthof & Hotel Klosterbräu. In the morning, we walked down to the lake, and then drove to the nearby Lake Walchensee, where we went swimming and explored the area. From there, we headed to the gorge and waterfalls at Wanderweg zur Leutaschklamm, where we did a one-hour hike along the gorge, crossing suspension bridges. Afterwards, we explored the beautiful town of Mittenwald, where we had lunch at an excellent local restaurant called Wildfang. From there, we continued to two more lakes: Ferchensee, where we also swam and sunbathed, and Lauter See, where we sat at a café and enjoyed some beer and wine.

Day 2 in Bavaria

Started with a trip up Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. There was still snow at the top. We then took the train down to an intermediate station, where we were the only ones to get off. We did a one-hour hike through the forest, with an amazing view of Lake Eibsee. We then continued by train down to the lake and went swimming. From there, we drove to Neuschwanstein Castle, with the best view of the castle from Marienbrücke Bridge. We parked at P4 near Lake Alpsee, from where a shuttle bus takes you to the bridge and back. Of course, we ended the day with another swim in the lake. In the evening, we explored the beautiful town of Füssen before continuing to our second guesthouse, Gästehaus Drachenfels in Oberstdorf.

Day 3

We rented electric bikes for the entire day in Oberstdorf and set off to explore the surrounding area. We rode through the Stillachtal valley to Freibergsee Lake, and on the way back we followed the river through the Trettach valley until we reached Christlessee – such an incredibly crystal-clear lake that I have never seen anything like it in my life. We covered a total of 40 km.

Day 4 – our last day in Bavaria

In the morning, we did a hike with views of Riedbergpass, and then headed to Breitachklamm Gorge. At the end of the day, we simply relaxed in one of the countless green meadows and went swimming in the mountain river Iller.

Day 5

Today we left Bavaria and crossed into Tyrol. We settled in St. Anton. Along the way, we visited several waterfalls at Stuibenfälle, and I even went swimming in one of them. We then continued to highline179, one of the highest and longest suspension bridges in the world, near Burgenwelt Ehrenberg fortress. Afterwards, we went swimming in the wild Lake Blindsee. We had dinner at an excellent traditional Tyrolean restaurant, Cafe Restaurant zur Geierwally. On the way home, we drove along a spectacular mountain road through the towns of Warth, Lech, Zürs, Stuben and St. Anton.

Day 6

In the morning, everything was covered in fog and there was heavy rain. But we didn’t give up. After breakfast, the rain stopped, and we took three cable cars to reach the highest mountain in the St. Anton area – Valluga, at 2,800 meters. At the first station, we got off and everything was covered in fog; visibility was less than 10 meters. But as we continued up toward the summit, we rose above the clouds and suddenly had excellent visibility. We did a short one-hour hike there, then descended and took another cable car, Rendl, to the other side of the valley. In the afternoon, we took a bus to the Verwalltal valley, where we walked through the forest along the river and around the lake.

Day 7

We left St. Anton and headed toward our next guesthouse in the Oetz Valley. We spent the entire day hiking around Piburger See, through the forest, and swimming in the lake at several wild, secluded spots. In my opinion, it is still the most beautiful lake we have seen. In the evening, we arrived at our guesthouse, Gasthaus Stern. It is a historic 13th-century building that was once part of a Benedictine monastery.

Day 8

Started with a visit to the highest waterfall in Tyrol, Stuibenfall, which drops 159 meters. Afterwards, we went rafting for 12 km – about an hour and a half on the Imster Schlucht section of the river. After the freezing water, we went to the sauna at our guesthouse.

Day 9

We drove to Sölden, where we took the Gaislachkogl cable car up to 3,000 meters to visit the James Bond museum. From there, we hiked to the Langegg cable car and took it further up. We then hiked back down, with spectacular views along the way and sheep grazing in the pastures. We took the Giggijoch cable car back down to Sölden and then a bus to the parking lot.