Five-star Three MICHELIN Keys Elmau, about 8 km from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Schloss Elmau
A castle hotel of 1916 alone in a mountain valley below the Wetterstein, with a concert hall of three hundred seats, two-star cooking at Ikigai and the rooms where the G7 met twice.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- Three Keys, 2026
- Rooms
- 147, in the Hideaway and the Retreat
- Built
- 1914 to 1916; rebuilt 2007; Retreat 2015
- From the airport
- About an hour from Innsbruck, two from Munich
The hotel
A philosopher's castle, then the G7.
The theologian and philosopher Johannes Müller built Schloss Elmau between 1914 and 1916, with the architect Carl Sattler, as a retreat in a high valley at the foot of the Wetterstein. After the war it sheltered survivors of the camps. From 1957 it became a place for chamber music, and the Amadeus Quartet, Benjamin Britten and Yehudi Menuhin all played here. The writers of Group 47 held one of their meetings in the house that same year.
On 7 August 2005 a fire destroyed most of the top floor. The house was rebuilt and reopened in 2007, and a second building, the Retreat, opened 150 metres to the west in 2015. That June the G7 leaders met here, and they came back in June 2022. Concerts and readings still fill the hall, which seats three hundred, and the families who come for the spas share the house with the musicians.
- Music and books A concert hall with a programme of classical music, jazz and readings, two libraries and a bookshop in the Hideaway.
- Six spas, nine pools Family spas in the Hideaway, an adults-only spa with a Japanese onsen at the Retreat, a hammam and a medical spa.
- Ten restaurants From the two-star Ikigai to a Thai dining room, a fondue stube and a mountain hut, the Elmauer Alm.
Rooms & suites
Two houses, one valley.
The Hideaway, the original castle, has the families, the concert hall and the bookshop. The Retreat, opened in 2015, has larger rooms and an adults-only spa.
- The castle Hideaway rooms and suites One hundred rooms and suites of 25 to 110 square metres in the rebuilt house of 1916, close to the concert hall and the Kids Club.
- The newer house Retreat suites Forty-seven rooms and suites of 55 to 200 square metres, where the G7 heads of state stayed in 2015 and 2022.
Dining
Two stars and a mountain hut.
Restaurants as listed by the hotel; the MICHELIN distinction is from the current guide. Shown for information.
- Ikigai Two Michelin stars Modern, Asian contemporary Christoph Rainer
- Summit Restaurant Listed by the hotel
- Fidelio Thai Listed by the hotel
- Tutto Mondo Restaurant Listed by the hotel
- Kaminstube Fondue The fireside room
- Elmauer Alm Mountain restaurant Listed by the hotel
Recognition
Awards and listings.
- Three MICHELIN Keys 2026
- Die 101 Besten, Hotel of the Year Overall winner, 2025
- Ikigai, two MICHELIN stars Current guide
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 4.30 pm, check-out by 11.30 am. An early room can be guaranteed only by paying for the night before.
- Pets Not accepted, according to the MICHELIN Guide.
- No helicopters The hotel stands in a nature reserve and has no helipad. Arrival is by car, or by train to Klais, fifteen minutes away.
Getting there
Flying to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Munich Airport, for long-haul and European flights, is about two hours away by car, the hotel says. Private jets land at Innsbruck, about an hour away, or at Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. The hotel runs paid car transfers from Munich and Innsbruck airports.
- Milan 40 min
- Nice 1 h 00
- Paris 1 h 15
- London 1 h 40
- Dubai 6 h 20
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does Schloss Elmau have?
- Three, the highest level, in the 2026 selection for Germany. It is one of six German hotels with three Keys.
- What is the difference between the Hideaway and the Retreat?
- The Hideaway is the original castle of 1916, rebuilt in 2007, with family spas, the Kids Club and the concert hall. The Retreat, opened in 2015, has larger rooms and an adults-only spa with a Japanese onsen.
- Can you fly into Schloss Elmau by helicopter?
- No. The hotel lies in a nature reserve and has no helipad. The nearest airfields for private aircraft are Innsbruck and Oberpfaffenhofen.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol Alone at 1,300 metres on the Seefeld plateau, with more than 5,400 square metres of spa and a one-star chef's table.
- Das Kranzbach An adults-only retreat around the country house Mary Isabel Portman built here in 1913.
- Werdenfelserei Built entirely of wood, the first such hotel in Bavaria, with a panoramic rooftop pool at the foot of the Zugspitze.
- Das Graseck Reached by its own cable car, at 900 metres above the Partnach gorge, with medical check-ups among the treatments.
- Maximilian A one-Key hotel in Oberammergau, the next valley to the north.
Staying at Schloss Elmau?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.