Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [298]
Most of the resorts have plenty of reasonably priced accommodation, though some places levy a surcharge (usually about €3) for stays of less than two or three days in peak seasons. Most resorts also charge a Kurtaxe (resort tax; less than €2) for overnight stays, but this entitles you to certain perks, like free tours, a city bus service and entry to special events.
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Getting Around
There are few direct train routes between main centres, meaning buses are the most efficient method of public transport in the Alpine area. If you’re driving, sometimes a short cut via Austria works out to be quicker (such as between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Füssen or Oberstdorf).
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GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN
08821 / pop 26,000
A much-loved hang-out for outdoor types and moneyed socialites, the double-barrelled resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is blessed with a fabled setting a snowball’s throw from the Alps. To say you ‘wintered in Garmisch’ still has an aristocratic ring, and the area offers some of the best skiing in the land, including runs on Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze (2964m).
The towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen were merged for the 1936 Winter Olympics, and to this day host international skiing events. Today a clock on Richard-Strauss-Platz is leisurely counting down the hours to the 2011 Alpine World Skiing Championships, the first time the event will have been held here since 1978.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen also makes a handy base for excursions to Ludwig II’s palaces, including nearby Schloss Linderhof and the lesser-known Jagdschloss Schachen.
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Orientation
The train tracks that divide the two towns culminate at the Hauptbahnhof. From here, turn west on St-Martin-Strasse to get to Garmisch, or east on Bahnhofstrasse to reach Partenkirchen. From the Hauptbahnhof the centre of Garmisch is about 500m away, the centre of Partenkirchen about 1km.
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Information
Gräfe & Unzer ( 2120; Rathausplatz 15) English books and hiking maps.
Hobis Cyber Café ( 2727; Zugspitzstrasse 2; per 1hr €3; 5.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 5.30am-noon Sat, 7-11am Sun) Internet access in the town’s best bakery.
Klinikum ( 770; Auenstrasse 6) Full-service hospital.
Mountain Rescue ( 3611; Auenstrasse 7) Post office (Bahnhofplatz)
Sparda Bank (Hauptbahnhof)
Tourist office ( 180 700; www.gapa.de; Richard-Strauss-Platz 2, Garmisch; 8am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon Sun)
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Sights & Activities
ZUGSPITZE
Views from the top of Germany are literally breathtaking, especially during föhn weather when they extend into four countries. Skiing and hiking are the main activities here. To get to the top, you can walk (right), or take the cogwheel train (Zugspitzbahn) or a cable car.
The Zugspitzbahn ( 797 01; www.zugspitze.de; return adult/child €36/20) has its own station right behind the Hauptbahnhof. From here it chugs seven times a day along the mountain base to the Eibsee, a forest lake, then winds its way through a mountain tunnel up to the Schneeferner Glacier (2600m). From there a cable car makes the final ascent to the summit.
Alternatively, the Eibsee-Seilbahn (return adult/child €36/20), a steep cable car, sways and swings its way straight up to the summit from the Eibsee lake in about 10 minutes – it’s not for the faint-hearted! Most people go up on the train and take the cable car back down, but it works just as well the other way around.
Expect serious crowds at peak times in winter and through much of the summer. Skiers may find it easier, but slower, to schlep their gear up on the train, which offers exterior ski-holders.
SKIING
Garmisch has two big ski fields: the Zugspitze plateau (2964m) and the Classic Ski Area (Alpspitze, 2628m; Hausberg, 1340m; Kreuzeck, 1651m; day pass adult/child €31/17.50). A Happy Ski Card (two days, adult/child €65/39) covers all the slopes, plus other ski areas around the Zugspitze, including Mittenwald and Ehrwald (an incredible 231km