Nightlife

You can test your luck at the town's casino, Spielbank Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Am Kurpark 10 (tel. 08821/95990; www.spielbanken-in-bayern.de). Admission costs 2.50€ per person, and you must be 18 or over (you must present a passport). The casino is open daily 3pm to 2am. Beginning at 8pm, blackjack tables are open. Friday and Saturday, games of seven-card stud poker are arranged (book in advance). Men must wear a jacket and tie.

If you'd like to meet locals at night, head for one of the taverns. All major hotels have bars, but for a change of pace, go to the Irish Pub, Rathausplatz 8 (tel. 08821/3938; www.theirishpub.de), and order a Guinness. This pub, in the center of town, attracts one of the most convivial crowds in the area.

Many hotels have dance floors that keep the music pumping into the wee hours, but for dancing of a different sort, check out the summer program of Bavarian folk music and dancing, held every Saturday night mid-May to September in the Bayernhalle, Brauhausstrasse 19. During the same season Saturday to Thursday, classical concerts are held at the Garmisch park bandstand. On Friday, these live shows move to the Partenkirchen bandstand. Check with the local tourist office for details about these programs as well as a 5-day Richard Strauss Festival held in June.