Germany’s talles mountain, Zugspitze, is a popular destination for mountaineers. But is there an easier way to get to the top? Yes! You can simply reach the summit by cable car and/or cogwheel train. That makes a visit to Zugspitze a great day trip from Munich.
Read this guide to find out how to get the „Top of Germany“ and what you will see there.
To experience the mountains more closely, you could also stay in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen for a few days. It’s a great place for excursions, hikes and walks.
Where and What is Zugspitze?
Zugspitze is Germany’s tallest mountain at 2,962 metres (9,718 feet). It is part of the Bavarian Alps. The mountain is located near the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, south of Munich. On a clear day, when a warm wind called Föhn blows, you can see the mountain from Munich. (I used to be able to see it from my former apartment. 😍)
There are two „access points“ for Zugspitze. One is in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The other is at a nearby lake called Eibsee.
How to Get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
You can get to Garmisch
- by train (approx. 1.5 hours from Munich by regional train, you can use the Bayern Ticket),
- by Flixbus,
- by car (on the A95, not advisable on weekends due to heavy traffic).
From Garmisch-Partenkirchen, you can go up the mountain by cogwheel train (explained below).
How to Get to Eibsee?
Eibsee is a very pretty lake about 11 kms/7 miles from Garmisch. It is a very nice destination in itself for a walk around the lake.
But if you want to go to Zugspitze, you will come here for a different reason. The terminus of the Zugspitze cable car is at Eibsee! You can catch a public bus from Garmisch to Eibsee.
The cogwheel train also stops at Eibsee.
How to Get to the Top of Zugspitze
You get to the top of Zugspitze by cogwheel train or by cable car.
Cogwheel Train
A cogwheel train (Zahnradbahn in German) runs half-hourly to hourly (depending on the season and the time of day) between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze plateau. Note: The plateau, at 2,600 metres above sea level, is not the summit.
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the station for the cogwheel train is right next to the train station. Especially in the high season, the train gets insanely busy. You may well be looking at a wait of two hours, so get there as early as you can.
The ride takes about 75 minutes from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the plateau. From Eibsee, it’s about 40 minutes.
Cable Car
The Seilbahn Zugspitze takes you from lake Eibsee to the top of Zugspitze within just 10 minutes. This is an ascent of almost 2,000 metres.
In high season, the cable car will run every 10 minutes. The cabin can hold about 120 people. It is glass all around and also has a section of glass floor.
The views from along the way are pretty insane.
Are the Plateau and the Summit the Same Thing?
I’m glad you asked! No! They are not the same thing.
The summit is at 2,962 metres, the plateau is at 2,600 metres.
You could (at least in theory) walk between the two, but it’s not a good idea unless you have mountain boots and are an experienced hiker.
Better to take the Gletscherbahn cable car. It will get you up and down in just a few minutes.
Ticket Prices
Not cheap. A round-trip ticket is currently (September 2026) 78 € per adult (see current prices here). Round-trip means you can go up and down once by whichever means you choose. Up by cable car, down by cogwheel train (or vice versa), up and down by cable car, up and down by cogwheel train – it’s up to you. You just cannot go up and down more than once.
A round-trip also includes a ride on the Gletscherbahn cable car, which connects the cogwheel-train terminus with the summit of Zugspitze (where the Zugspitze cable car goes).
Make sure to hold on to your ticket. If you lose it, you have to buy a new one. Take a photo just in case, as you will need to scan the QR code to ride the train or cable cars.
What Can You See and Do at the Summit?
The main attraction at the summit is the view, which can be enjoyed from a very large viewing platform. On a clear day, you will be able to see four countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
You can see the golden summit cross, which is off the viewing platform. There is a footpath from the viewing platform to the summit rock and the cross. Please go there only if you are wearing mountain boots and are experienced in climbing in the mountains! This walk is very dangerous. The limestone is very slippery in places and there is only one rope to hold on to. If you slip, you are gone.
There is an indoor replica of the golden summit cross where you can safely take photos.
You can set foot into Austria for a few minutes, as the border runs across the mountain. (No passport required.)
You can visit a small indoor exhibition explaining snowflakes.
What Can You See and Do at the Plateau?
At the plateau, you can walk to the remains of the glacier. You can visit Maria Heimsuchung, Germany’s highest chapel. You can see the Hochfernerhaus, once Germany’s highest hotel, now a research station studying the behaviour of Alpine rocks as the permafrost thaws.
If there is sufficient snow, you can also go tobogganing.
Food & Drink on Zugspitze
There are food options at the summit and the plateau. All the restaurants are self-service and fairly pricey (though not outrageously so).
Summit
At the summit, there are three options:
- Panoramic restaurant Panorama 2962 with a view of Eibsee on the German side
- Restaurant on the Austrian side
- Münchner Hütte, run by the German Alpine Club (this is where all the mountaineers go – expect long lines)
Plateau
At the plateau level, there are two options:
- Sonnalpin, a self-service restaurant
- Gletscher 2600, in a glass pavillion, vegan and vegetarian dishes only
Visiting Zugspitze by Organised Day Trip
If all of the above sounds like a bit much, you can also go on an organised day trip to Zugspitze.
Such a tour includes coach transportation, a guide and one round-trip ticket per person. With the coach parked at Eibsee, you will ascend to the summit by cable car where you have (quite a lot of) free time to take photos, eat lunch etc.
Make your own way down (by cable car) to the plateau to meet up with your guide for the cogwheel-train ride back to Eibsee.
The advantage of a tour is that you don’t have to worry about public transportation, renting a car or how to get tickets. The guide is knowledgeable and will be able to share facts of which you wouldn’t be aware otherwise. Also, with a few hours of free time at the summit, you don’t have to rush around.
The disadvantage is that the tour company is setting the schedule. Moreover, you cannot spontaneously join the tour. You will have to book a few days in advance – so if the weather changes, you might be spending quite a bit of money for zero views.
In such a case, you won’t get a refund. There is also no option for going back down into the valley quickly and checking out the town instead.
This tour, as operated by Autobus Oberbayern, runs every Sunday between May and October.
I work for this company as a tour guide, but this is not an affiliate link and I do not make any money if you book.
Fun Facts About Zugspitze
How Do You Say Zugspitze?
The z in German is always unvoiced. It’s a fairly harsh sound like a „ts“ or a „cz“ in „czar“. The pronunciation is roughly Tsoog-spit-tse.
One Mountain, Two Countries
The German-Austrian border runs across the mountain. When you are on the summit, you can walk over into Austria. No need to show your passport today, but you can still see the old checkpoint.
If you buy a ticket for the Austrian cable car, you can also descend to the town of Ehrwald.
One Mountain, Three Summits
Originally, Zugspitze had three summits. Today, only two remain. One is home to the golden summit cross.
Why A Cogwheel Train?
… and not a regular train? Because the gradient is so steep that a normal train would not be able to make it up or down the mountain. The incline is also the reason why the train goes fairly slowly.
Cable Car of World Records
The Zugspitze cable car holds three world records (quoted from zugspitze.de):
„The cable car’s steel support is the highest of its kind at 127 metres. The difference in altitude between the valley and mountain stations is two kilometres. The section between the last support and the summit is the longest freely suspended section of rope in the world (3.2 kilometres).“
A Disputed Hut
The Münchner Haus, built and owned by the German Alpine Club’s Munich Chapter, was heavily disputed. The Munich Chapter’s membership was dominated by hard-core mountaineers who strictly opposed building any hut or shelter. If you couldn’t make it up and down in one day, they felt, you had no business being on Zugspitze.
Today, the Münchner Haus is a popular and busy spot on the top of the mountain, frequented by many who would definitely not be able to make it up and down in one day …