Zugspitze Hike

The Zugspitze hike starts at the ski jumping stadium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and leads through the Reintal valley to the summit of the Zugspitze. It then heads back over the Zugspitzplatt towards the German-Austrian border via the Gatterl down to Ehrwald.

Our tip for nature lovers: The scenery and ambience are breathtaking, so you can easily accept the moderate difficulties.

Tour tip: If you want to climb Germany's highest mountain under your own steam, we recommend the generous crossing from north-east to south-west. At the same time, the tours via the Reintal and the Gatterl are the easiest ascents to the Zugspitze. However, you should allow at least 3 days to fully enjoy the magnificent scenery.

For the 3-day variant, we recommend staying overnight at the Reintalangerhütte on the ascent and at the Knorrhütte on the descent.

Ascent: The trail through the Reintal begins at the car park of the ski jumping stadium. First through the wild Partnachklamm gorge and then on forest roads until you reach the Bockhütte. From there, the route continues on beautiful hiking trails past the Reintalangerhütte in the direction of the Knorrhütte on the Zugspitzplatt. Now over gravel slopes and glacier remnants past the Sonn-Alpin, before the final section to the summit climbs sharply once again. The last passages to the summit lead over the two cable car stations.

Descent: You can take the Eibsee cable car from the Zugspitz summit or the cog railway from the Zugspitzplatt. To get back to the starting point, take the cogwheel railway to Garmisch station and from there take bus 1 or 2 to the ski stadium car park. Alternatively, follow the ascent route down to the Knorrhütte. The trail then branches off southwards to the Austrian border at Gatterl, continuing along magnificent hiking trails to Ehrwald at the foot of the Zugspitze.