Lily

Is it necessary to take the cog wheel train from Garmish to get to the Zugzpitze or can you drive to the cable car itself and go up from there?

whitey

Hi Lily,

Last year we drove to the station in Ehrwald, Austria and took the cable car to the top of the Zugspitze. Great views, it was alot of fun.

J62

You can take either the cog wheel train (Zugspitzbahn) or cable car. Cable car is obviously much faster. They don't run from the same place. The train is right in Garmish, while the cable car is a couple miles outside town, directly below the peak.

go to www.garmisch-partenkirchen.de then click on the english link.

J62

Yes, whitey is correct, you can take a cable car from either Germany or Austria.

enzian

On the "Germany" side, you can drive past Grainau to the Eibsee, and take the cable car from there, instead of taking the cog-wheel train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Zeus

You get a much nicer view from the cable car in Austria than from the cogwheel train. It's a little scarier in the cable car, especially when you have to transfer from one to another, but as long s you don't long down through the cracks in the flooring you'll be fine.

Larryincolorado

You can start with the train out of G-P. Shortly after you switch to the cograil train, it goes past the cable car terminal, and you can get off the cog train and go from there by cable car. I did it in 1988. I think the same ticket covers either way to the top, but I can't remember for sure.

TuckH

>>On the "Germany" side, you can drive past Grainau to the Eibsee, and take the cable car from there<<

Before returning to your car, take an hour or so and hike around the circumference of the Eibsee for lovely views of the peak having the lake in the foreground...

Lily

Do you know how long it takes to get to the top with the cable car from Eibsee? Is this an all day event?

enzian

Nope---the cable car only takes about 10 minutes: http://europeforvisitors.com/germany...sportation.htm

It's quite a ride. From the restaurant area at the top, there is a short "Klettersteig" (cabled climbing path) with steps and ladders to get you to the "very" top, if you like.

Do follow the recommendation to walk around the Eibsee, even if only partway.

Lily

Thanks everyone for the great info.

111op

I'm taking a look at this map:

http://www.zugspitze.de/bilder/rundreise.gif

If you drive to Eibsee, isn't there another route via the train (starting from the Zahnradbahn)? Does this go through a glacier or something like that? But from the map it looks like a tunnel.

Which part is the "Schneefern glacier"?

http://www.zugspitze.de/zugspitze/rundreise_en.php

Thanks.

TuckH

>>If you drive to Eibsee, isn't there another route via the train (starting from the Zahnradbahn)?<<

I believe so - we took the cable car.

>>Does this go through a glacier or something like that? But from the map it looks like a tunnel.<<

Yes, it is a tunnel and it is for this reason that we opted not to go up that way.

>> Which part is the "Schneefern glacier"?<<

It's where the tunnel terminates on that glacier. One then transfers to the Gletscherbahn (Glacier cable car) to arrive at the Zugspitze.

111op

This is going to sound like a stupid question -- but if one takes a train through the tunnel, then I assume one doesn't see the glacier at all? Wouldn't the cable car from Eibsee always be more interesting?

Or maybe there's something to do or see when the train emerges from that tunnel?

Thanks.

111op

By the way, I'm asking but I don't know if we'll end up there. But we should have a car and it seems like we should drive to Eibsee.

I'll also investigate the routes on the Austrian side (www.zugspitze.at).

TuckH

>>then I assume one doesn't see the glacier at all?<<

Correct.

>>Wouldn't the cable car from Eibsee always be more interesting?<<

That's why we chose to take the Eibsee Seilbahn.

>>Or maybe there's something to do or see when the train emerges from that tunnel?<<

I don't know, but I doubt it...