The Bavarian Mountains: Part 2 – Heimgarten

Hiking up Heimgarten

My second hiking trip in the Bavarian mountains brought me to Heimgarten. It was indeed a challenging hike as the ascend was almost like walking up steps after steps. The descend, on the other hand, was steep and filled with small loose rocks. I had to run down instead because it was a lot simpler.

However, in all honesty, what is a hike without a challenge? Looking back at my hike in Heimgarten, I had no regrets. I am really proud of myself to have overcome all these obstacles. The view was definitely rewarding but the thing about hikes is that it goes beyond just the view. It is more of a personal challenge, pushing oneself to the limit and seeing how much one can achieve.

In total, the entire journey spanned a distance of 19.6km, with a total of 28 242 steps which were equivalent to climbing up 267 storeys.

The Peak of Heimgarten

Upon reaching the top, there was a small Hütte (German for small hut) and I bought a pint of beer to celebrate reaching the top. A word of caution. I felt really dizzy and had to puke several times after drinking the beer. It wasn’t because the beer was bad. The beer was actually really refreshing after almost 2 hours of climbing. I think it was probably due to the fact that beer makes your heart pump a lot faster after consumption. Together with the thinner air right at the top, partial dehydration and really strong sunshine, it had an unpleasant dizzy effect on me. Hence, take precaution and know your alcohol tolerance ability says this reputable drug treatment center.

No pain no gain describes this hike up to the tip of Heimgarten. With stunning views and much calories burnt, Heimgarten is definitely one to remember.

Also note that there is a pathway connecting to Herzogstand, another famous peak. Look out for the sign and follow the path.

With that, I wish you adventurous readers a good hiking trip! Bavaria is famous for its mountains and if you come from somewhere that does not have a landscape like this, I highly recommend incorporating some hikes into your itinerary 🙂

Getting There

I took this hiking trip with the Student Organisation (Studentenwerk) in Munich and here is the route who have taken.

From Munich central train station, take the train towards the direction Kochel and upon alighting in Kochel, take the local bus. The bus number is 9608. Take to the stop called Walchensee Herzogstandbahn. From there, you have the option of taking the funicular up to the summit or you can follow the road signs and hike up.

Do note that you have the option of getting the Bayern Ticket on weekends, which will provide a cheaper option if you are travelling as a group. At the same link provided above, please ensure that you check the proper routes and be sure of which train to take. Kochel is one of the stations in the middle of the route and even though the train is headed towards the direction of Salzburg, for example, it may pass through Kochel. Best option is to check your route through the Deutsche Bahn website.

Getting Back

To take a different route for your descend, follow the sign at the summit that says Ohlstadt. Upon reaching the bottom, walk to the Ohlstadt Bahn station and take the train towards Munich HBF (Central train station). On the Deutsche Bahn website, you can find the specific departure timings. Be sure you heed to that timing. The frequency is usually 1 train per hour so it wouldn’t hurt to check up on the schedule through the link provided above.

You can read the first part of my hike here