Minibus Hire Across Germany

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Coach Hire: Zugspitze and Alpine Days

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain base, not a city stop. Most coach days start at the foot of the Zugspitze or head out to Linderhof and Oberammergau, and the plan turns on queues, weather and drivers' hours.

The Zugspitze loop

The usual group plan is a loop. The coach sets the group down in Garmisch for the cogwheel train, which climbs via Grainau and the Eibsee and then into a 4.5 km tunnel up to the Zugspitzplatt. From that glacier plateau, the Gletscherbahn cable car finishes the climb to the 2,962 m summit. The group comes down on the Seilbahn Zugspitze to the Eibsee, where the coach collects them.

Groups of 15 or more get group terms, and coach parking at the valley stations is free when booked via the online group form of the Zugspitze railway. The Eibsee is reached by a single road, and in summer its car parks are full early, so queues build. On fine days, aim to be there before 10:00.

Mercedes-Benz 59-seat coach, exterior
Mercedes-Benz 59-seat coach, exterior

Stopping in town

For the town itself, no official coach stop or parking list turned up, so the stopping places in Garmisch and in Partenkirchen are settled with the operator. There is no low-emission zone. The New Year ski jump at the Olympia-Skistadion, every 1 January, brings very heavy traffic to Partenkirchen.

Airports for a group flying into Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Stadiums and arenas with coach access

  • Olympia-Skistadion — Ski jump and ski stadium of the 1936 Winter Olympics; hosts the New Year's Day ski jump (Neujahrsspringen) of the Four Hills Tournament every 1 January

Day trips by coach from Garmisch-Partenkirchen

  • Partnachklamm (Olympia-Skistadion) — about 3 km, about 5 min
  • Eibsee (Seilbahn Zugspitze valley station) — about 11 km, about 15 min
  • Ettal Abbey — about 15 km, about 20 min
  • Mittenwald — about 18 km, about 20 min
  • Oberammergau — about 19 km, about 25 min
  • Schloss Linderhof — about 26 km, about 30 min
  • Walchensee — about 31 km, about 30 min
  • Wieskirche — about 45 km, about 45 min
  • Innsbruck, Austria — about 56 km, about 55 min
  • Neuschwanstein (Hohenschwangau, via Oberammergau) — about 65 km, about 1 h 10 min
  • Tegernsee — about 73 km, about 1 h 10 min
  • München — about 90 km, about 1 h 5 min
  • Salzburg, Austria — about 191 km, about 2 h 25 min
  • Berchtesgaden — about 202 km, about 2 h 30 min

Coach rules in Garmisch-Partenkirchen that change the plan

  • Flughafen München (MUC) is about 136 km by road from Garmisch, about 1 h 35 min in light traffic. Memmingen Airport (FMM) is about 142 km (about 1 h 50 min). Innsbruck airport in Austria is about 51 km (about 50 min) and is cross-border context only.
  • Trains from Munich arrive at Garmisch-Partenkirchen station in the town centre; the Zugspitze cogwheel train leaves from its own Zugspitzbahn station in Garmisch.
  • Garmisch-Partenkirchen has no low-emission zone.
  • Zugspitze for groups: groups of 15 or more get group rates, and parking at the valley stations is free for coaches booked through the railway's online group form. The Eibsee has only one access road and its car parks fill early in summer, which causes long queues; the railway advises arriving before 10:00 on fine days. The public Eibsee car park has a height limit of 2.10 m.
  • A common group plan: set down in Garmisch for the cogwheel train up, come down by the Seilbahn Zugspitze to the Eibsee, and have the coach collect the group at the Eibsee valley station.
  • Partnachklamm: the path beyond the gorge towards Vordergraseck is closed for works from 21 September to 20 November 2026; the other paths around the gorge stay open. There is no mobile phone reception in the gorge, so groups should load their tickets before they go.
  • Schloss Linderhof: about 550 car spaces and 14 coach spaces on site (paid). Route: A95 and B2 to Oberau, B23 to Ettal, then the ST2060. The palace is open 09:00 to 18:00 from 15 April to 15 October and 10:00 to 16:30 from 16 October to 14 April; the park buildings except the Königshäuschen are closed in winter, and the Moorish Kiosk is closed for restoration, with reopening hoped for in 2028. Linderhof is closed on 1 January, Shrove Tuesday and 24, 25 and 31 December.
  • Mountain and winter roads: in ice or snow German law requires winter tyres, for coaches at least on the permanently driven axles and the front steering axles. The shortest road to Füssen and Neuschwanstein crosses Austria (Ehrwald, Reutte); the all-German route via Oberammergau is about 65 km.
  • The Neujahrsspringen on 1 January brings very heavy traffic to Partenkirchen around the Olympia-Skistadion.
  • A Zugspitze day trip from Munich and back is about 200 km of driving plus mountain time, within the EU drivers' hours rules (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006): no more than 9 hours' driving a day (10 hours twice a week) and a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours' driving.

Linderhof, Ettal and Oberammergau

Schloss Linderhof is about 30 minutes away, by the B23 through Ettal and then the ST2060, with 14 paid coach spaces on site. Summer hours (15 April to 15 October) are 09:00–18:00; in winter it is 10:00–16:30, and all park buildings but the Königshäuschen shut. The Moorish Kiosk is under restoration, with reopening hoped for in 2028.

Ettal Abbey lies on the same road. Oberammergau, the village of painted houses and woodcarving, is about 25 minutes from Garmisch; its Passion Play is staged every ten years, next in 2030.

Partnachklamm

The gorge starts near the Olympia-Skistadion, about five minutes by road. Entry is by QR-code ticket, and phones get no reception inside, so everyone loads their ticket beforehand. Prams, buggies and rollators cannot go through. Paths around the gorge close for works from time to time, so confirm access when you book.

Long days and winter roads

From Munich and back, a Zugspitze outing is roughly 200 km at the wheel, before any time on the mountain. Under EU rules the driver may drive 9 hours a day, 10 on two days a week, and must stop for 45 minutes after 4.5 hours at the wheel. In ice or snow, winter tyres are a legal requirement.

Questions organisers ask

How far is Munich Airport?

Roughly 136 km; allow about 1 h 35 min on clear roads. Memmingen is about 142 km.

Where does the coach meet us after the Zugspitze?

At the Eibsee valley station, if you come down on the Seilbahn Zugspitze. On busy summer days the access road queues, so agree a time with some slack.

Can we see Linderhof and Neuschwanstein in one day?

It can be done on German roads via Oberammergau, but it is a full day, and Neuschwanstein's fixed entry time sets the schedule.

Other group trips we arrange

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