Bavaria’s Schloss Elmau is a Jaw-Dropping Cultural and Scenic Getaway
Perched in the open-plain Elmau Valley, Schloss Elmau draws visitors to its impossibly robust cultural and scenic offerings
Located in the Southern German region of Bavaria — in a 900-acre, geographically uncommon open-plain formation known as the Elmau Valley — Schloss Elmau sits surrounded by stunning landscapes and mountains so picturesque they look like an AI-generated screensaver. But at Schloss Elmau, nothing is artificial; from the regionally-sourced materials that outfit the dining rooms to the local ingredients used in the two Michelin-starred restaurants, everything is carefully sourced and organically selected.
Most people don’t expect that a remote luxury resort, located an hour’s drive south of Munich, is also one of the region’s foremost cultural destinations. It hosts over 150 concerts per year in the hotel’s astonishing concert hall, including the annual Chamber Music Week, which brings some of the most renowned classical musicians in the world like frequent guest Ludovico Einaudi, who composed and recorded his album Seven Days Walking while staying at the hotel.
At Schloss Elmau, the facilities are so extensive it takes days just to scratch the surface of everything the property has to offer. Separated between two different five-star hotels located on the property, 147 rooms and suites, eight restaurants, six spas and three libraries encompass the resort. The Retreat, Schloss Elmau’s newer hotel opened in 2015, contains 47 suites, a yoga pavilion, gym, library lounge with fireplaces, three restaurants, and two separate adult and family spas. The Hideaway is Schloss Elmau’s original building, including 100 rooms and suites, with a spa, three outdoor heated pools and outdoor spa built next to the on-site Ferchenbach stream that runs through the property. The Hideaway also houses the property’s concert hall, bookshop, two libraries, five restaurants, lounges and an Oriental Hammam considered the largest west of Istanbul.
Originally built in 1916 by Dr. Johannes Müller, a religious philosopher, theologian, and author, his vision “was to create a sanctuary in which guests could remove themselves from everyday life and become aware of their true selves amidst pristine nature and tranquillity. This is upheld through their cultural experiences, deep musical and artistic history and their specialist retreats,” according to a statement from Schloss Elmau.
Müller’s grandson and Schloss Elmau’s current owner, Dietmar Müller-Elmau, rebuilt the hotel in 2007, creating a truly one-of-a-kind sanctuary that fuses jaw-dropping natural landscapes with world-class cultural experiences. From classical music concerts to symposiums, yoga and dance retreats, talks and lectures, the space is so pristine that it hosted the G7 Summit in 2015 and 2022.
Inside, the contemporary decor includes natural woods accented by rich red, orange and yellow tones, while an elephant motif throughout that serves as the hotel’s trademark symbol. In a cross-cultural dialogue, Asian and European influences appear throughout the hotel: Eastern and Western cultures, philosophies and traditions converge in everything from the hotel’s design elements to restaurant cuisines. Most rooms have stunning mountain views with oversized windows, balcony suites and furniture from Asia and B&B Italia, while its collection of restaurants range from authentic Thai cuisine, to Japanese, to Mediterranean and European classics. If you’re searching for a more traditional Bavarian experience, their Alpine lodge restaurant, Elmauer Alm, has a classic chalet feel that’s only accessible via a 40-minute uphill hike, with stunning views of the Karwendel and Wetterstein mountains.
Müller-Elmau’s desire to preserve his grandfather’s legacy comes in the form of what he describes as “maximum possibilities for the freedom of choice. My grandfather’s ideal of freedom from the self was replaced by the ideal of freedom for the self.” This comes to life in offerings such as daily Jivamukti Yoga and retreats that run the gamut from Pilates to Gaga dance, the improvised, bodily dance style developed by the Batsheva Dance Company.
Apart from traditional alpine activities such as hiking, mountain biking and swimming in nearby Lake Ferchensee, more unexpected offerings like traditional Chinese Medicine treatments, Qi Gong and forest bathing are also available. If you’re up for the challenge, make use of the hotel’s extensive e-bike rentals and take a one-hour ride up the mountains to Schachenhaus, an architectural marvel and UNESCO World Heritage site perched 1800 meters above sea level. King Ludwig II’s royal retreat, built from 1868 to 1872, features an opulent Bavarian design on the ground floor, while upper floors boast an unbelievable mix of styles that draw from the Orient, India and Baroque.
For those who want to take in nature while surrounded by a truly jaw-dropping setting (one that’s fit for the world’s leading politicians) and participate in what feels like a spa-themed amusement park, Schloss Elmau fulfills that wish and more. With a plethora of indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, steam rooms, onsens, a hammam, ice baths and an ice-cold outdoor creek that doubles as a natural cold plunge, finding your favorite is a choose-your-own adventure in and of itself.
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