Alpspitze Klettersteig aka Alpspitz Ferrata: Hiking & Climbing Guide

Klettersteig Alpspitze, also known as the Alpspitz Ferrata, is one of Germany’s most famous Via Ferrata trails.  The Klettersteig Alpspitze trail is a beginner-friendly trail leading to the top of the Alpspitze mountain at an altitude of 2,628 m (8,622 ft).

In this guide, you will learn how to get to the Alpspitz Ferrata, what it’s like to climb up on the Alpspitze Klettersteig trail, the hike back to the starting point, and how you need to plan your trip.

This epic trail is situated near the gorgeous Bavarian town of Garmisch Partenirchen and pretty close to the German-Austria border.

The Alpitze Klettersteig itself starts from the top station of the Alpspitzbahn Cable Car at Osterfelderkpf at an altitude of 2,057 m (6,749 ft) and takes you all the way to the summit of Alpspitze at an altitude of 2,628 m (8,622 ft).

View while walking  from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen train station to the valley station of the Alpspitzebahn cable car

As for the best time to do the Alpspitze Ferrata, it is definitely the summer as that is the time when the weather is the best for Via Ferrata.

Experienced hikers also climb Alpspitze outside the summer season but know that outside the summer season, it’s not an easy klettersteig.

Even in summer, make sure you wait until there is no snow anymore on the klettersteig trail.

Also, mind the fact that the cable car is not open all year long. If you want to make sure if it’s open and the klettersteig trail and it has no snow anymore, call the following number: +49 8821 9818 50

The first cable car going up in the morning is at 8:30 in June and 8:00 from July to September.

A cute house on the way to the valley station of the Alpspitzebahn cable car along the cogwheel train rail track

STEP 1 – GETTING TO ALPSPITZBAHN CABLE CAR

In any case, first, you need to travel to Garmisch-Partenkirchen which is about 90 km / 55 miles from Munich and 63 km / 39 miles from Innsbruck.

By car: If you travel by car, park your car in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the station and then take the Cogwheel Train (Zahnradbahn) to Kreuzeck-/Alpspitzbahn.

On google maps, enter Kreuzeckbahn, Am Kreuzeckbahnhof 1, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

This is the address of the parking lot where you can park free of charge between 6 am and 10 pm. You only need to pay for parking if you stay longer and in that case you pay 9 € for one day.

By public transport from Munich: Take the train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then take the Cogwheel Train (Zahnradbahn) to Kreuzeck-/Alpspitzbahn station.

The station for the cogwheel train is located a couple of minutes away from the main train station of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Check the train schedule to GP, here, on the website of Deutsche Bahn.

STEP 2 – TAKE THE ALPSPITZE CABLE CAR

Make sure, you take the Alpspitzbahn cable car and not the Kreuzeckbahn cable car.  They are quite close to each other.

As you will see, from here, you can also hike up or down in about 2-3 hours. But if you also want to do the Via Ferrata and enjoy the place, there is not much time for that. Believe me, for this Via Ferrata trip, the best option is using the cable car.

The Valley Station of the Alpsitze Cable Car in Bavaria, Germany

ALPSPITZE CABLE CAR OPENING HOURS

March – June: 08:30 – 17:00

July – Sept.: 08:00 – 17:30

The Alpspitze cable car departs about every 15 minutes.

The first ride going up is at 8 am and the last ride coming down is at 17:30.

The journey takes only 9 minutes.

ALPSPITZE CABLE CAR PRICES

One way (ascent or descent):
21.50 € / Adult
17 € / youth (16-18 years)
11 € / child (6-15 years)

Two ways:
35.50 € / Adult
28.50 € / youth (16-18 years)
18 € / child (6-15 years)

If you only buy your ticket for going up and later you decide to take the cable car also for going down, you can still get a second ticket for about 13 €.

This mean that you don’t have to pay for the full price of the single ticket again. To get the discount, simply present your ticket at Restaurant Alpspitze where they also take food and drink orders.

STEP 3 – CHECK OUT ALPSPIX

If you are at Osterfelderkopf, why not check out the viewing platform (Aussuchtsplattform) there.  The view is very nice from there. But be sure that from the klettersteig trail is much more beautiful.

ALPSPITZE KLETTERSTEIG MAP

This is an awesome map.

Where you see, You are here (Standort), that’s where the top station of the Alpspitze cable car is. That’s where you start your hike and that’s where you finish it.

Above that, you see trail #7 Ferrata / Klettersteig. That’s the first route you’ll take.

Then, on the other side, you see trail #8 Nordwandsteig which is the hiking trail for returning to the top station of the Alpspitze cable car.

Alpspitze Klettersteig map (Via Ferrata Bavaria, Germany)

PART 1 – HIKING TO THE TRAILHEAD OF THE ALPSPITZ FERRATA

From the AlpspiX viewing platform, follow the signs showing the Alpspitze Ferrata. You have to walk about 20 minutes to get to the trailhead of the Alpspitze Klettersteig route.

The trail starting at Osterfelderkopf leading you to the Alpspitze klettersteig 

View along the way as we approach  the Alpspitze klettersteig trail

This part is super easy. The view on the way is breathtaking.

When this part ends and the Via Ferrata trail is about to start, you can put your gear on.

The trail starting at Osterfelderkopf leading you to the Alpspitze klettersteig 

PART 2 – VIA FERRATA TRAIL

On the map above, again, it’s trail #7.

Honestly, it’s a very easy Klettersteig. I highly recommend it for beginner Via Ferrata climbers.

The trail starts with exciting vertical ladders and sections with pegs in the rock.

View from the pegs on the Alpspitze klettersteig 

As you ascent, the view will get more and more spectacular. So, make sure that you also keep looking behind you, when you are climbing up.

You can see Garmish-Partenkirchen from the via ferrata trail and dramatic mountain ranges and peaks.

On the way to the summit of Alpspitze (Via Ferrata in Bavaria, Germany)

On the way to the summit of Alpspitze (Via Ferrata in Bavaria, Germany)

PART 3 –  ON THE TOP OF ALPSPITZE

Once you are on the top of Alpspitze, you can take a rest, enjoy the panoramic view, have a picnic and take photos at the summit cross of Alpspitze.

Stunning view form the summit of Alpspitze (Via Ferrata in Bavaria, Germany)

Right on the top of Alpspitze in front of the summit cross (Via Ferrata in Bavaria, Germany)

PART 4 – HIKING DOWN FROM ALPSPITZE TO THE ALPSPITZ CABLE CAR

Route: Alpspitze – Nordwandsteig – Osterfelderkopf

Now comes trail #8 on the side, the Nordwandsteig trail. It takes you back to the top station of the Alpspitze cable car.

The klettersteig trail was super fun but the hike down was a surprise for me.

The terrain is super rocky on the way down. It was quite tiring to hike down.

Hiking back to Ostefelderkopf from Alpspitze (Via Ferrata in Bavaria, Germany)

There is also a lot of Via Ferrata elements such as ropes, ladders and pegs on this trail but you don’t need your Via Ferrata kit to use them.

The two most exciting parts of the way down were a long vertical ladder and a tunnel built in the mountain.

All in all, I can say that the Zugspitze hiking trail is an epic hiking option if you are in Bavaria or in Munich.

The hiking trail to Ostefelderkopf from Alpspitze is pretty rocky (Via Ferrata in Bavaria, Germany)

I was so happy to get back to the cable car station. We were considering hiking further back to the train station of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It would have been another 3 hours of walking at least.

In the end, we decided to chill and have a drink at the Restaurant Alpspitz and we took the last cable car down at 17:00.

As we just missed the cogwheel train, we walked again 50 minutes to get back to the train station. In total, we hiked including klettersteig 7 hours. That’s already pretty descent.

6.1. VIA FERRATA KIT

This is actually what I did from day one because I knew I wanted to do Via Ferrata more than once. These are the three most important things for your Via Ferrata gear.

There are a lot of good brands for making Via Ferrata climbing equipment. I use Salewa and Edelrid and I am really happy with them. Both the Salewa and Edelrid Via Ferrata set are very good quality.

• Harness: This is the link between you and the ropes.
• Via Ferrata Set: This will keep you from falling.
• Helmet: This will protect your head from falls and rockfalls.

I bought them separately. But you can actually buy everything in one package, like this Edelrid climbing set.

The brands that I use are really good brands and it was worth paying for them. I can say that I made a really good investment with the products I purchased for Via Ferrata climbing.

6.2. WHAT TO WEAR

• Best and most suitable hiking boots. I highly recommend the brand Mammut. That’s what I’m also wearing.
• Hiking backpack: Try not to pack much but you really need a backpack for claiming.
• Gloves: To protect your hands while using the ropes
• Hiking socks
• Comfortable leggings and shirt

6.3. PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR

• iPhone for taking photos. In this blog, mostly all my photos were taken with my iPhone.
• Mobile phone chain: This is very practical if you want to take photos while climbing or hiking.
• GoPro Hero 7 for adventure photography
• Power bank if you want to take a lot of photos and make videos, a power bank is essential.

6.4. WHAT ELSE SHOULD BE IN YOUR BACKPACK

• Rain-jacket: Before your trip, check if you need a light rain jacket
• Sun protection cream: In summer, in the mountains, the sun is very strong, and regardless of what type of skin type you have, you need to protect your skin from the strong traditions of the sun.
• Sunglasses
• First Aid Kit: It might just be a scratch, but in a Via Ferrata you’ll be thankful for a band-aid. A first aid kit should always be in your pack.
• Snacks such as energy bars, fruits, sandwiches
• Water: Bring at least 2 L of water in summer with you.

There are many excellent places close to the Höllentalklamm such as Zugspitze, Höllentalklammklamm Gorge, and Eibsee Lake, and a lot of cool things to do such as walking with alpacas and climbing in an adventure park. You can easily spend one week there and take fantastic day trips from Garmish.

Such dreamy destinations should be coupled with dreamy hotels or resorts. Check out some of the loveliest hotels in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

LUXURY HOTEL IN GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

Obermühle 4*S Boutique Resort: It’s a 4-star superior hotel offering an indoor swimming pool, various saunas, steam baths, a children’s playground, and a cozy lounge. It’s located in the heart of  Garmisch-Partenkirchen and has a stunning panorama garden with a view of the Zugspitze mountain peak.

MID-RANGE HOTEL IN GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten: It’s also an awesome hotel situated in the center of Garmisch-Partenkirchen offering Alpine-style rooms and serving both Bavarian and international delicacies.

BUDGET HOTEL IN GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

Atlas Posthotel: It’s a traditional Bavarian hotel inside out in the heart of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They serve authentic and super tasty Bavarian dishes and beers.