Zugspitze

I assume you mean the Zugspitzebahn. If you start at the rail station in Garmsich, I recall it taking slightly less than an hour to reach the glacier level. You have to take a gondola lift from here to reach the summit. If you hike, it takes anywhere from 5 to 8 hours to reach the glacier level.

It doesn't take long to reach the top but you may want to plan to spend time up there. We had lunch, wanadered around, and climbed to the summit, Then rode the cable car down to the Eibsee (takes only 10 minutes) and walked back from there.

Rebecca, you didn't say what time of year you are going. In the winter, your choices are either the cable car from Eibsee to the top or the train from Garmish changing to a cogwheel train along the route. I had a car, so we took the cable car up from Eibsee and the cogwheel train back down. The cogwheel train continues past Eibsee, I just don't know how far. We skied when we where there, so I can't help on how much time you I think you'll spend there. The views are fantastic!

The cogwheel Zugspitzebahn continues all the way up to the lower ski lodge on the glacier, and it runs all year long. From there, to reach the summit observatory, you have to take a gondola the last few hundred feet. Note that you can only climb to the pinnacle marked by the cross in the summer.

Thanks to all of your help. We are planning this trip in mid March. If we take the train/cog wheel train from Garmisch to the top and then take the cable car down to Eibsee, does anyone know how long of a walk is it back to Garmisch? Thanks!

I went to the top of Zugspitze in 1988. Unless they have made drastic changes, the cog rail train makes a stop at the Eibsee cable car station. I got off the cog train and went the rest of the way up on the cable car, then came back down the cable car and boarded the next train back to Garmisch-P. You don't have to drive to or walk to get to/from the cable car base station.

Go to the Zugspitze website, www.zugspitze for complete info. There is a map at www.zugspitze.de/zugspitze/rundreise_en.php. It shows the cograil going from the Bahnhof in GaP and stopping at the Eibsee Seilbahn (cable car) station before proceding up the mountain to the Schneefernerhaus.

Thanks, Lee!

The station at Eibsee is a little far from Garmisch for a quick walk, probably about an hour on foot. But as mentioned earlier, you can take the Zugspitzebahn back to Garmisch after exiting the cablecar at Eibsee.

My husband and I were there last Oct. We drove to Eibsee and took the train from there to the top via the gondola. I think it would be a very long walk to Garmisch. We had a car and it was at least 30 min. drive from the Marriott up the hill from Garmisch. I love walking, but it would be too far to walk. Check with your hotel in town for details. The weather was very foggy at the top when we were there. We had a beer at the top and waited for the fog to clear, it never did. Check the weather before you spend the money to get up there. You want to be able to see the view. We only had one day so we had to go that day. Have a great trip.

My husband and I had lunch at the reataurant in Eibsee on the lake and it was very nice. Also, the restaurant/hotel next to the Marriott Rennasance(up the hill) has a beautiful location on the lake for dinner. The food was very good too. It was one of the highlights of our trip last year in Oct.