Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Germany's highest mountain, the 1936 Olympics host, and the Alps' best-value full-size resort.
Our Take
Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics and has been trying to reconcile that history with contemporary skiing ever since. The Zugspitze at 2,962 meters is Germany's highest peak and provides the glacier skiing via cable car from Garmisch -- technically glacier terrain with year-round operation. The Classic area around the Hausberg and Alpspitze peaks has the resort's best groomed intermediate terrain and the famous Kandahar World Cup downhill course, one of the oldest and most technically demanding in the World Cup circuit. For Western European skiing, Garmisch is remarkable for its combination of scale (60km pistes, 28 lifts), altitude (Zugspitze glacier), and value -- lift tickets are significantly cheaper than Swiss or French comparably-sized resorts, and the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen has the infrastructure of a substantial Bavarian city rather than a purpose-built ski resort. The train from Munich takes 90 minutes, making it the most accessible serious ski destination in Germany. The Bavarian food, beer, and cultural context is completely distinct from the Swiss and French Alpine experience -- and in a good way.
Nerd Stats
Zugspitze Summit
9,718'
Piste Length
60km
No. of Lifts
28
Train from Munich
90 min
Fun Facts
- The Zugspitze at 2,962 meters is Germany's highest mountain. You can reach it by cog railway, aerial cable car, or by skiing down from the glacier.
- Garmisch hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics -- and the city hosted again briefly in fantasy, having bid unsuccessfully for 2018.
- The Kandahar downhill course at Garmisch-Classic is one of the oldest World Cup venues, hosting the famous Arlberg-Kandahar race since the 1930s.
- Munich is 90 minutes by train -- Garmisch is technically a Munich day-trip ski destination, though most visitors stay multiple nights.