Best Ski Vacations: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Photo by Eigenes Werk

Packed with old-world Alpine architecture, it doesn't get any more Bavarian or charming than the twin towns of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The scenery, crowned by the mighty Zugspitze (2964m) which lies partly in Germany and partly in Austria, is inspirational.

Garmisch and Partenkirchen are spread out beneath a great horse-shoe of jagged peaks formed by the Wettersteingebrige and Ammergauer mountain ranges. The scenery is so spectacular that it does not matter that the skiing is not quite premier league, although there are some challenging slopes, particularly the infamous Kandahar downhill.

One of the drawbacks of the ski resort is that the various ski areas are fragmented.

There are three ways of reaching the Zugspitze slopes, from Garmisch itself there is a choice between cable car and cog railway. The railway with a short cable car ride at the end is more fun. The cable car takes you to the very top of the Zugspitze, but as it is unthinkable, to all but the most extreme skiers, to ski down to the Glacier, it is necessary to take another cable car down to the slopes on the Zugspitze Platt.

There are six resorts in the region: Garmisch-Partenkirchen own ski areas; the Zugspitze glacier plateau, Alpspitze-Kreuzeck-Hausberg and Wank-Eckbauer, plus the Austrian resorts of Seefield, Mittenwald and the Schneearena Tiroler Zugspitze, which includes Ehrwald and Lermoos.

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