Bavarian Alps, Germany

Schloss Elmau

Price per night from$719.77

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR620.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Schloss Elmau Photos

Style

Genteel Alpine giant

Setting

Wetterstein foothills

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Two-time G7 Summit host Schloss Elmau is an all-singing, all-dancing resort hugged by the Wetterstein Alps. Guests are as varied as the alpine activities; politicians and philosophers share saunas and fondue with mountain-climbers and musicians, moved by the same desire to exercise both body and mind. Gigantic Schramm beds are pivoted to face the surrounding peaks, ensuring a great night’s sleep after hitting the hills (and all the right notes) under guidance from the sports concierge, cultural programmers and wellness gurus.

Smith Extra

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A cocktail each at the bar

Facilities

Photos Schloss Elmau facilities

Need to know

Rooms

147, including 60 suites.

Check–Out

11.30am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4.30pm.

More details

Rates include a lavish buffet breakfast served in La Salle, with additional à la carte options in Ananda, Summit Pavilion, and Tutto Mondo.

Also

The hotel welcomes guests with mobility issues. Although there are no specific adaptations for wheelchair users, all rooms in the Retreat have lift access, widened doorways and space to manoeuvre, and the hotel will happily arrange any specific kit you may need.

At the hotel

Concert hall, bookstore, library, lounges, boutique, games rooms, indoor archery, cinema, meditation garden, sports concierge, tennis courts, ice rink, jogging trails, e-bikes to borrow, electric shuttle service, charged laundry service, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, free bottled water, yoga mats, bathrobes, slippers and Speick bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Rooms are spread across the original Hideaway building and more recently added Retreat, and furnished with far-flung finds from Indonesia and Iran. Full-height windows frame idyllic views of the Wetterstein mountains and the valley below, but it’s worth plumping for a suite with a balcony or terrace to enhance the close-to-nature feeling. Although lots of the bathrooms are blessed with natural stone baths, there’s something extra special about the Summit Suite Retreat’s freestanding tub, which overlooks soaring peaks.

Poolside

You could stay a week and still might not complete a lap of Schloss Elmau’s seemingly endless swimming spots. The rooftop pool is primed for ogling Mount Wetterstein’s summit, and there are several heated outdoor infinity pools at the Hideaway Badehaus Spa (for over-16s), including the suitably named sunset pool which is oriented west for catching the last light glimmering off the mountain peaks. Long soaks in the Japanese onsen and infinity pools at Shantigiri Spa are for adults only, with indoor and outdoor kid-friendly pools at the Hideaway and Shantigiri Family Spa. Down by Ferchenback creek, you can either make a splash in the wild, running waters, or stick to the heated 25-metre lap pool which overlooks the river.

Spa

Unwinding across Schloss Elmau’s six spas is as much about the varying treatments as soaking up the mountain views through glass-walled lounges, saunas, and cabins. Glimmering pools, thermal baths, and Japanese onsen reflect snow-capped peaks, and are heated to differing temperatures — including a cold plunge and ice fountain for circulation-boosting dips. The adults-only, column-flanked hammam is clad in Bavarian Jurassic stone, and houses four treatment rooms, an oriental tea lounge, steam baths, and soaking tubs beneath domed ceilings. The massage menu and list of beauty treatments are equally extensive, promising everything from shiatsu and foot reflexology to Hawaiian lomi-lomi techniques and hydrotherapy in the saltwater pool. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are on hand to administer ancient herbal remedies, and lead t’ai chi and qigong classes in tranquil outdoor spots. Motivational instructors make cardio and strength training feel like a breeze, with the yoga pavilion, pilates and dance studios, and meditation garden offering an assortment of ways to move your body. Personal training and nutrition plans are also in the mix.

Packing tips

Come with an open mind and a thirst for adventure, as both will be nurtured at this sprawling sanctuary. Plus, the thoughtfully curated bookstore means you can leave the hardbacks at home.

Also

Steering away from the clinical German spa aesthetic, the specially designed bathrobes come in 14 jewel-bright colours which you’re welcome to wear all day long.

Children

Mini mountaineers of all ages are welcome and will be kept endlessly entertained outdoors and in.

Best for

Babies and up; although little Smiths with adventurous spirits will get the most out of the Alpine activities.

Recommended rooms

Many of the suites across both the Retreat and Hideaway comfortably sleep up to four, deploying sofa-beds and bunk beds, but the most spacious stay is the Family Suite Sous Le Toit Hideaway which accommodates up to six.

Crèche

The year-round Kids Club welcomes children aged two to five for free and without any pre-registration (open from 9am to 6pm in the off season, and 9am to 9pm during school holidays). Older children can make friends and let off steam in the Teens & Kids Club (open daily from 1pm to 6pm throughout the school holidays).

Activities

Whatever the season, Schloss Elmau’s kids’ calendar is filled with energy-busting pursuits. In summer, tennis, golf, horseback riding, basketball, volleyball, water polo, table tennis, mountain biking, and trampolining keep little ones out in the fresh mountain air all day long. The winter months are just as active, with skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, tobogganing, ice skating and curling as well as dog-sledding workshops and snowmen-building sessions. Budding footballers (aged eight to 15) can join soccer camps led by German League coaches, and learn-to-swim courses (for over-fours) will soon have the whole family feeling confident in the water. The resort’s in-demand ‘edutainment’ workshops expand curious minds and build skills in IT, photography, science, carpentry, chess, creative writing, and other enriching subjects.These are mostly available in both English and German, and should be booked ahead of your stay.

Swimming pool

All ages are welcome to swim in the pools at the Shantigiri and Hideaway family spas, as well as the Nature Spa by Ferchenbach creek.

Meals

Graze the kid-friendly buffet at La Salle (with a dedicated chef’s counter for little ones), or gather around Tutto Mondo’s rustic tables for crowd-pleasing, casual dishes including pretzel dumplings, homemade pasta, and chocolate mousse. Fondue nights in cosy Kaminstube also go down a treat.

Babysitting

Babysitters are available from €15 an hour depending on the number of children and time of day.

No need to pack

Equipment for almost all activities can be rented from the sports concierge, including tennis racquets and court shoes. Cribs can be added to any room for free.

Sustainability efforts

The hills surrounding Schloss Elmau are alive with rare wildflowers and goat-grazed hummock meadows, which form part of a nature reserve protected by the plastic-free resort. The rooms are naturally ventilated by fresh mountain air, the entire complex is heated by wood chips sourced from local forest waste, and supplied by pristine, mineral-rich water from an alpine spring running through the grounds. There are over 80 on-site charging stations for electric vehicles, in addition to a fully electric shuttle service.

Food and Drink

Photos Schloss Elmau food and drink

Top Table

Beside one of the wood-burners in winter, and out on the terrace come summer.

Dress Code

Everything from spa robes or ski suits to dinner jackets to cocktail dresses goes here.

Hotel restaurant

There are 10; wherever you start, just be sure to save two-Michelin-starred Ikigai for a special occasion. The Japanese-French fusion restaurant offers an omakase dining experience overseen by executive chef Christoph Rainer, plating the finest sushi and sashimi throughout the kaiseki-style courses. Glass-walled Summit and Summit Pavilion at the Retreat are headed up by chef Philipp Schlosshauer, where ingredients are foraged from the forests and bountiful valleys which unfold before you. Also at the Retreat, Tutto Mondo keeps things casual and comforting with dishes such as gently braised Bavarian beef cheek and Wienerschnitzel. Family-friendly La Salle is an all-day affair, with an elaborate morning buffet which shifts into an open kitchen set-up for European lunches and dinners. At the Hideaway, Thailand, China, and the Philippines provide the inspiration for evenings-only Fidelio. Adults-only Ananda is an indoor-outdoor restaurant set within the Badehaus spa, bringing health-boosting salads, snacks, and homemade cakes to your garden lounger. Private parties can take over Ganesha, an intimate dining room warmed by a crackling fireplace, or opt for fondue nights at wood-panelled Kaminstube, the hotel’s answer to a Swiss chalet. The Bavarian snacks and raclette reward those who make the 40-minute uphill hike to Elmauer Alm, a high-altitude hut which puts the Karwendel and Wetterstein mountains on dazzling display.

Hotel bar

Whether you’re starting the evening with a fireside glass of wine or ending with an under-the-stars nightcap, Schloss Elmau’s lounges and terraces are filled with put-your-feet-up corners and sink-into seating. The atmosphere at the Hideaway’s Al Camino Jazz Piano Bar & Lounge is more upbeat — and it’s where you’ll find visiting musicians for live performances from 9pm to 11pm.

Last orders

Breakfast is from 7.30am to 11.30am, lunch from noon to 2pm, and dinner from 6.30pm to 10pm in La Salle; 6pm to 9.30pm in Tutto Mondo, from 7pm (Wednesday to Saturday) in Ikigai, and from 6.30pm to 10pm in Kaminstube.

Room service

Bavarian bites can be delivered to your room between 6am and 10pm.

Location

Photos Schloss Elmau location
Address
Schloss Elmau
In Elmau 2
Krün
82493
Germany

Perched high on the Elmau Valley’s slopes in the Bavarian Alps, Schloss Elmau is ringed by the Wetterstein mountains just over an hour outside Munich.

Planes

Innsbruck Airport is a 40-minute drive across the Austrian border, and Munich Airport is around two hours by car. The hotel can help with transfers from Innsbruck (€220 each way) and Munich (€380 each way) on request.

Trains

Klais station is served by the Mittenwald Railway, and is only 10 minutes’ drive from the hotel. You can request a free pick-up from and drop-off at the station ahead of your stay.

Automobiles

Take Schloss Elmau’s (free) electric BMWs out for a spin, or leave your own set of wheels in the hotel’s secure parking area (with free valet service).

Other

Ask for the hotel’s helipad coordinates if you’re planning to arrive by air.

Worth getting out of bed for

Mountain-cradled stays at Schloss Elmau can be as restful or reinvigorating as you like, whatever the time of year. Guided tours take guests of all abilities into the surrounding Wetterstein, Karwendel, Soiern, Ester and Ammer mountains, where the intrepid can tackle the Birkarspitze, Alpspitze, and Zugspitze peaks with rock climbing instructors. The resort’s bike station is stocked with wheels for racing, mountain trails, and winter slopes (with specially fitted spikes), putting beauty spots such as Schachen Castle, the Izar Valley, Lautersee lake, and the mountain village of Mittenwald within pedalling distance. Keen runners can tap into the hotel’s spiroergometry sessions after hitting the scenic jogging routes around the property, which meander along river bends to Ferchensee and Eibsee lakes (both beautiful wild swimming and kayaking spots). Or sign up for one of the resort’s fitness challenges and swimming camps, hiking, biking or trail-running weeks, led by triathlon champions, Ironman veterans, and Olympic medallists. 

When snow blankets the valley, days can be spent skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, tobogganing, dog-sledding, and skating across the hotel’s private ice rink. Don’t discount a day trip to Munich, Schloss Elmau’s all-electric BMWs can whizz you to the Bavarian capital in an hour. To exercise the mind, the resort’s 300-seat concert hall hosts world-renowned musicians for near-nightly performances, in addition to political debates and cultural symposiums which gather thought-provoking speakers on stage.

Local restaurants

The resort’s 10 restaurants should more than satisfy the alpine appetite, but if you find yourself in Krün, it’s worth stopping by Wirtshaus zum Isartal. Local sausages and homemade bread draw hungry hikers to this traditional Bavarian tavern, which serves local brews straight from old wooden barrels in its beer garden.

Reviews

Photos Schloss Elmau reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this two-hotels-in-one resort in the Bavarian Alps and unpacked their classical sheet music and hiking boots, a full account of their climb-every-mountain break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Schloss Elmau in Germany…

The bright sparks behind Schloss Elmau have struck a near-genius balance of nature immersion and appreciation for the arts in the Bavarian Alps. The original castle (now known as the Hideaway) and its concert hall were built in 1916 by Dr Johannes Müller, a free-spirited theologian who delighted in hosting musicians, poets, dancers, and painters within his wood-panelled walls. 

After momentarily falling into the Nazis’ clutches, the cultural haven was resurrected by two of Müller’s children, Sieglinde and Bernhard, and later expanded by the current proprietor and philosopher, Dietmar Müller-Elmau. We haven’t even scratched the surface of the resort’s vibrant and varied history, or the famous faces and heads of state who come to recuperate in the mountains. Be it a rhythmic dance retreat, or a week spent in saunas, up snow-blanketed summits, and snacking on sushi between classical performances, everyone leaves singing Schloss Elmau’s praises.

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Price per night from $719.77

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