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Garmisch-Partenkirchen Area Questions

Posted by (Cincinnati OH) on

My 23 year old son and I are going to Germany in Sept 2020. After spending our first two days in Munich for Oktoberfest, we are going to explore Bavaria for an additional seven days. We plan on starting our post Munich adventure by spending two days in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area, during which time we hope to go to the Zugspitze and Alpspitze summits and see the Partnach Gorge. Our two days in G-P raises several questions:

  1. Do we need a car to see the two summits and the gorge or will public transportation (or Uber) meet our transportation needs?

  2. Is it reasonable to expect to hike from the top of Zugspitze to Lake Eibsee instead of taking the cable car back down?

  3. Is it worth going to both summits?

  4. Which summit requires less time (and can be combined in one long day with the gorge)?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Posted by
7072 posts

2.) I've never done this but it's a change in elevation of 6,000 ft or so and I understand it takes 4-5 hours. Until you've looked into this hike carefully, pencil it in only lightly.

If time is your concern, as question 4 indicates, and you're dedicating one day to the Zugspitze, then I suggest you plan on spending more than just 2 nights in G-P! Besides G-P itself, G-P is a good travel base for numerous destinations nearby, including Mittenwald, Oberammergau, Innsbruck, Linderhof Palace, Ettal Abbey, and others.

https://www.gapa.de/en/Culture-health/Culture/Attractions
https://bahnland-bayern.de/assets/images/8/BEG_GR_Regio-Ticket_Werdenfels_2016-09-Ansicht-d5508295.jpg
https://www.ammergauer-alpen.de/oberammergau/en/Media/Artikel/Free-bus-and-train-rides

Posted by
17448 posts

You can easily reach Garmisch-Partenkirchen by train and visit the area by public transport. I have done it many times. The train from Munich to G-P takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.

I have been up the Zugspitze only once, up by cogwheel train and down by cablecar. Thus I cannot comment on the descent on foot, but I don not enjoy hiking downhill and would not enjoy it. NOr would I deem it a good use of one’s limited time.

For the Zugspitze, you can get close to the summit but to actually touch the top you must ascent by path and stairs to reach the top. I could not make the final step as it involves=ver a leap over a gap; at 5’ 2” and at an advanced age I was not willing to try.

You cannot reach the summit of the Alpspitze by cablecar or by any means other than physical effort. The Alpspitzbahn takes you to a plateau named Osterfelderkopf. From there there are two cable-protected pathways (via Ferrata or Klettersteif) to the summit. Of these, I would recommend the Nordwandsteig, which I have done and it does not require harnesses.helmets, or other climbing equipment. But there are ledges, ladders, and cables, all of it fun.

For gorges, I prefer the Hoellentalklamm over Partnachklamm, which is less impressive and very crowded. You can combine this with the return from Eibsee (assuming you do not hike down from the Zugspitze) to make a full day.

You really need three nights there to have two full days to explore.

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