When it comes to winter sports, many Germans prefer to travel to Austria or Switzerland, the skiing areas of choice for most Europeans, where the mountains are higher and the snow is guaranteed. However, some beautiful German towns near the Austrian and Swiss borders provide great skiing resorts and service in stunning landscapes. Munich is lucky enough to be withing easy reach of a trip to the snow, as the resorts in the Bavarian Alps are only a 1-2hr train or car ride away. And even if you don’t ski, there’s plenty to see and do.

Cheap train travel
If you’re travelling on a weekday with up to five people, make use of Deutsche Bahn’s Bayern Ticket. For just €21, you can make multiple trips anywhere in Bavaria and to Salzburg in Austria. The Schönes Wochenende Ticket (€28, ‘have a nice weekend ticket’) is valid for unlimited travel for up to five people on slower trains (RB, IRE, RE) anywhere in Germany (and as far as Prague in the Czech Republic) from 24:00 on Friday to 24:00 on Sunday.

Photos copyright Tourist board Garmisch-Partenkirchen.