Zugspitze and Garmisch Partenkirchen
 

My friends and I are staying in Munich and wish to make a day trip to Zugspitze & Garmisch Partenkirchen.
I find the information on the web a bit confusing.
If anyone can clarify... is it best to train from Munich to Garmisch Partenkirchen and then go to Zugspitze? Is GP where everyone goes to get to the Zugspitze (is that the start of the mountain trip?).

Any help would be appreciated... Thanks

Yes, the train goes directly to GP and the train to the Zugspitze is a little walk but very close. You can't miss it.
You take the train to Grainau and then the Cogwheel train between Grainau and Eibsee, then the cable car. All for one price.
Most usually take the train from Munich after nine for the savings.

http://zugspitze.de/en/service/ueberuns/oeffnungszeiten

Train schedule. It you leave Munich on the first train after nine am you can catch the 11:15 train to the mountain.

Perfect... thanks for the clarification!

Another sight I have seen that might be near the Zugspitze is the Ettal Monastery. Does anyone know if this is doable in the same day as Zugspitze & Garmisch? Is it a highlight or something not so interesting?

Thanks again!

It is nice but you would have to go by bus from the Oberau train stop as the train does not stop there. There is the Partnach gorge by the old Olympic stadium that is beautiful if you have time.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/530158187355506672/

Signage at G-P train station is clear for Zugspitze train. The cogwheel train is very slow, though, and as per first post, you could disembark at Eibsee cablecar station and take cablecar up/ down to shorten that part of it (all on one ticket, so interchangeable). If you take the cogwheel train right to the end it adds another 40mins or more I think, whereas cablecar is about 10mins.
Check weather before you go. I did not mind it being completely clouded in and snowy last year, as my kids had not seen snow before, but many people naturally want to see the mountaintop views.
Also, if you like walking, get off at the Kreuzeck stop on way back and take cablecar up for nice trails.

The cogtrain is slow but interesting. We always take the cable car down. When you get to the top you can walk over to Austria.

Hi Karinena,

This is what I usually propose for a quick one-day trip to Garmisch.

Take the train from Munich to Garmisch, get off the train and take the stairs down to the tunnel, and follow the signs for the Zugspitzbahn. Take the train from Garmisch to the Zugspitzplatt (yes, you usually have to change to the cogwheel train at Grainua). At the Zugsptizplatt, take the cable car all the way up to the summit.

At this point, you will have been travelling for about 3h30. If you leave Munich at 08.32, you'll arrive in Garmisch at 09.54; you'll leave Garmisch at 10.15 and arrive at the Platt at 11.28. It will probably take you 20-30 minutes to enjoy the Platt and then get the cable car up to the summit. You can find these schedules at the German rail site

www.bahn.com

and use "Zugspitze Bf Zugspitzplatt" as your destination.

When you're done at the summit, take the cable car all the way down to the Eibsee -- the cable car runs every 30 minutes, and the trip takes about 15 minutes. The views over the Eibsee are simply fantastic.

I recommend you take some time to enjoy the Eibsee -- walk around it (about 90 minutes) or just sit at the hotel at the lakeside and have some coffee and cake. Then take the Eibsee bus back to Garmisch. It runs about once an hour, and the trip to Garmisch takes about 30 minutes:

http://www.eibseebus.de/startseite.php

Under the "Fahrplan" sign, click on "Anzeigen" to see the schedules.

Get off the bus at the Marienplatz and walk through the pretty town along the pedestrian path, enjoying the shops and cafes and the pretty frescoed buildings and maybe stopping for another snack. Then walk to the train station and catch your train back to Munich.

This will give you the mountain, some countryside, and some views of the town, a well rounded day-trip.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Sorry, I misspelled "Grainau" above -- hope it doesn't confuse!

Here is a map showing this round-trip:

http://zugspitze.de/en/winter/mountain/zugspitze

s