At 2,962 meters, the Zugspitze is Germany's highest mountain. Visitors from all over the world take the modern Zugspitze cable car or the cogwheel and glacier railway to the summit, where they can enjoy a unique 360° view of 400 peaks in Germany, Austria, and Italy. On clear days, the view stretches for miles, giving you an incredible feeling of space and freedom.
The new cable car to the Zugspitze went into operation in December 2017 and is called the "record-breaking cable car" for three reasons:
Information about the construction of the cable car and stories about the mountain can be found on the website of the Bavarian Zugspitze Railway.
Between the Zugspitzplatt, where the cog railway ends, and the Zugspitze summit, the Gletscherbahn cable car runs every 10 minutes. This cable car is 1,000 meters long and covers the last 360 meters of elevation in about 5 minutes.
The glacier railway has been transporting guests to the summit since the end of 1992.
The cog railway runs from the valley via Lake Eibsee to the Zugspitzplatt glacier station – and has been doing so for almost 100 years.
The cog railway operated by Bayerische Zugspitzbahn Bergbahn AG is one of the few cog railways still in operation in Germany. It was built in three stages between 1928 and 1930.
The valley route begins in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and passes through the Hausbergbahn, Alpspitz-/Kreuzeckbahn, and Hammersbach stations on its way to Grainau from there, the route continues to Eibsee and via Riffelriss to Zugspitzplatt.
The journey takes about an hour from the Zugspitze railway station in Grainau, and 40 minutes from Eibsee to the destination.
Technical data:
Rack railway – glacier railway – cable car or simply the other way around: on a Zugspitze round trip Germany's highest mountain can be experienced from all sides.
Rack railway: from Grainau to Zugspitzplatt (2600 m)
Glacier railway: from Zugspitzplatt to the Zugspitze summit
Cable car: from the Zugspitze summit to Eibsee
Rack railway: back from Eibsee to Grainau
(and of course it also works with the cog railway to Eibsee, from there with the cable car up and down with the glacier and cog railway)
The Zugspitze and Eibsee are among Germany's biggest attractions. With the valley station of the record-breaking cable car to the Zugspitze just a few minutes away from the lake, there are two good reasons to come here. However, there is only one access road and limited parking.
Bavarian Zugspitze Railway
Travel between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Eibsee is free for Grainau guests with a valid guest card.
From Eibsee station, you will also need a ticket for the long journey by cog railway to Zugspitzplatt and then onward by glacier railway to the summit of the Zugspitze.
RVO Bus
Bus 9840 runs on the route Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Grainau – Eibsee. Here too, travel is free with the Grainau guest card.
German Railways
The journey with Deutsche Bahn from Munich Central Station to Garmisch-Partenkirchen takes approximately 90 minutes. From the DB station, it's just a few meters to the station of the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn, which runs via Hausberg, Kreuzeck-/Alpspitzbahn, and Hammersbach to Grainau and then on to Eibsee and the Zugspitzplatt.
If the parking spaces are occupied, this will be indicated on information boards at the end of the motorway, and alternative parking spaces located along the railway line will also be indicated. www.zugspitze.de.
Car
At the valley station of the cable car gibt es zwei öffentliche kostenpflichtige Parkplätze. Informationen zur aktuellen Auslastung gibt es unter
Parkplatz Eibsee and Parkplatz Seilbahn Zugspitze.
If the parking spaces are full, information boards at the end of the highway will indicate this, and alternative parking spaces located along the railway line will also be indicated.
For guests staying in Grainau, the journey to Eibsee takes 18 or 15 minutes from Hammersbach or Grainau Zugspitzbahn stations on our Zugspitzbahn railway. Those who board the cog railway in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Hausberg, or Kreuzeck-/Alpspitzbahn have a maximum journey time of half an hour.
All travel times and parking options at www.zugspitze.de
The bus and the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn railway run every hour.
No. Deutsche Bahn (German Railway) operates trains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen station. From there, take bus 9840 or the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn (Bavarian Zugspitzbahn). The bus stop and train station of the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn are just a few minutes' walk from the train station.
Yes and no. The bus fare to Eibsee is included. For the Bavarian Zugspitze Railway, please purchase a ticket from Grainau.
Unfortunately, this is not possible due to capacity reasons.
The Eibsee Hotel and the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn have public parking spaces at Eibsee.
The Parkgebühren beim Eibsee Hotel depend solely on the duration. The Parking fees at the Zugspitzbahn also depend on whether a mountain railway ticket is purchased.
If the parking spaces are occupied, this will be indicated on information boards at the end of the motorway, and alternative parking spaces located along the railway line will also be indicated.
Information on current capacity utilization at Parkplatz Eibsee and Parkplatz Seilbahn Zugspitze.
Please note the information provided by the parking lot operators:
Night parking is prohibited in all parking lots. More detailed information can be found at https://zugspitze.de/parken.
There are two large campsites in Grainau for overnight stays: The Zugspitze Camping Resort and the Camping experience Zugspitze.
Beautiful hiking trails lead from Grainau to the valley station. The leisurely hikes take about one and a half hours and have only a few meters of altitude.
There is no blanket answer to this question, but getting up early is definitely worthwhile.
Yes, the valley station of the cable car is just a few minutes away from Lake Eibsee.
There are refreshment stops in the valley and on the mountain. You can find more information at www.eibsee.de under www. zugspitze.de/Gastronomie.de
You can swim and relax in our Zugspitzbad regardless of the weather.
The natural spectacle in the Höllental Gorge in Grainau and the Partnach Gorge In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the rain makes no difference.
In heavy rain or storms, however, they are closed to visitors for safety reasons.
Please observe the current traffic situation. In the main season as well as at weekends and on public holidays, the parking spaces at the Eibsee / Zugspitze valley station are often full early. As soon as you reach the end of the highway, signs indicate alternative parking areas from which you can reach your destination by public transport. The signs always show the current situation.
Seilbahn Zugspitze
Glacier cable car
Rack railroad
Bergstrecke
Grainau – Zugspitze
Talstrecke
The cog railway valley route between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Grainau is closed. A rail replacement service will be provided on the route: Monday to Friday between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Grainau, Saturday and Sunday between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Eibsee.
The Hausberg stop will not be served. A replacement stop will be set up at the intersection of Zugspitzstraße and Höllentalstraße for the Hammersbach stop. Due to the longer travel time of the bus, there may be delays in the schedule.
The mountain railways have regular maintenance work in spring and fall. Audit work on. During these technical safety checks and maintenance work, the facilities will be out of service. Short-term changes due to weather conditions or technical requirements are possible.
More information at:
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