Summer holiday mountain resorts and hotels etc.

We are looking for a mountain resort or cabin-type experience that is within 3-5 hour drive from here. Secluded and quiet would be nice, but preferably within walking / short drive of hiking trail, lake or other similar nature activity and with spectacular views. I've looked (online) at a lot of places, but don't have personal recommendations and have seen very little of the mountain areas to the south/SW of Munich. How far would we need to go to get high enough to escape some of the heat (or, is that pretty much guaranteed)?
The one exception that I have seen is Garmisch-Partenkirchen and it was a very nice little town, but not exactly what I'm looking for. Perhaps there are cabins or rental houses in the surrounding mountains that could work.

I have done searches of the forums and found only winter mountain recommendations. Does no one vacation in the mountains in the summer -- where do Germans go in summer?

I'm not opposed to Austria or Switzerland either (of course), but would rather avoid Italy as we'd have to rent a crappier car, I think, to take it there.

Finally, there will be 4-6 in the group and sharing a 2-3 bedroom cabin or chalet would be great.

ANY recommendations would be welcomed, even if you say our plan is a bad idea, just tell me why!

Many thanks.

" where do Germans go in summer? "
Ibiza usually, thank christ

Funny - thats where we went 8 times over the last 8 years.
And enjoyed it - and it wasnt PARTY PARTY PARTY!

But we arn't going anywhere this year so far

Go to DAV.de they`ll have afew places, but you better be able to read German

Thanks taking a look at it now -- that's the German attorney's association -- or is my German that bad??

Has anyone else taken/attempted a short holiday such as this?

My tip would be the Berchtesgaden area; very beautiful scenery and lots of Germans there who don't like Ibiza. It can get quite crowded at weekends, but it's easy to escape the crowds because there are so many hiking trails in the area. It's only about a two-hour drive from here. The Königssee is gorgeous.

Berchtesgadener Land
Berchtesgaden

Munich to Berchtesgaden day trip, How to get there, times, tickets and prices etc
Königssee - Lake in Southern Bavaria, Information, activities, and reviews

A bit further afield, Ramsau (near Schladming) is a very nice plateau in the shadow of the Dachstein mountain. Lots of nice small villages around there. This is SE of Salzburg, probably 3-4 hours driving time.

Ramsau am Dachstein

Ramsau:


I don't really see the attraction in Garmisch myself; I find it a fairly ugly, sprawling town and the mountains there aren't especially attractive. Wherever you do decide though, be aware that the temperature won't be significantly lower.

If the limit is a 5-6 hour drive, in Switzerland that would take you to some nice places in the Grisons/Graubünden, for instance, or the Bernese Oberland.

We had a great hiking holiday near Grindelwald two summers ago - rented a chalet just above the village for two weeks and went on hiking trips from there (we had young children with us, so most days we'd take the cable car - only because of the children, of course - and then walk down).

The village itself is always very busy (loads of tourists going up to the Jungfraujoch), and these past couple of weeks must have been busier still since it seems that hundreds of people have been coming daily to watch whether any more chunks of the Eiger are about to fall into the valley. Maybe all the excitement has died down by now. At any rate, that whole area is absolutely breathtaking. It does get hot during the day but evenings and nights are nice and cool. Also, since the village is quite big there are a couple of decent-sized supermarkets and other shops, so if you are in a chalet you can cook your own food and not spend a fortune eating out all the time.

Rent a rustic mountain hut. Hüttenpartner. They are all for Austrian huts. The website even has an English version.

Many, many great suggestions. Thanks to everyone.

Please keep them coming though, if anyone has other ideas or experiences.

I'll report back afterward, where we went and how it was. Maybe even photos if I'm feeling ambitious...

I've had Forsthaus Graseck, above Garmisch-Partenkirchen recommended to me as a nice alpine/wellness lodge. Haven't been there myself, but the website description is interesting enough. Includes a private gondola to the lodge.

Deutsche Alpine Verein, yes your German is that bad.