• Two ways up: the cogwheel train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen takes 75 minutes, the cable car from Lake Eibsee 10 minutes, and the ticket lets you go up one and down the other
• Plan a full day, since the round trip by train and cable cars takes 3 to 4 hours and the operator recommends arriving early
• Last train up leaves Garmisch-Partenkirchen at 2:15pm, and the cable car's last ride up is 30 minutes before closing

Zugspitze is Germany's highest mountain, at 2,962 meters. A cogwheel train climbs from Garmisch-Partenkirchen past Lake Eibsee and through a 4.5 km tunnel to the glacier plateau, home to the country's highest church and, in winter, a family toboggan run.

The Gletscherbahn lifts you on to the summit platform and its golden cross. The record-breaking cable car drops two kilometers back down to Eibsee.