A small, quiet German village at around 750 m right at the foot of the Zugspitze, closest to the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn cog railway up to the glacier. Calm and scenic, it suits people who want the mountain on the doorstep and a peaceful base over nightlife, accepting that the serious skiing is a rail ride up.
- 750 m Village base
- 2,627 m Top lift
- 1,900 m Vertical
- 80 Pistes mapped
- 72 Lifts
Terrain, lift and aspect figures shown are for the whole Zugspitze — Grainau shares the area's linked lift pass. Its own base altitude is shown above.
The village
Guide coming soon. A full write-up of Grainau is on the way. The live weather, snowfall, map and where-to-stay details below are all ready now.
Snow & weather
Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.
- Feels like
- —
- Conditions
- —
- Wind
- —
- Fresh snow (3-day)
- —
Live data © Open-Meteo.com
Average monthly snowfall
Terrain & aspect
For the whole Zugspitze.
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Freeride
- Flat / ungraded
Slopes mostly face NE.
Aspect derived from run bearings · OpenSkiStats / © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Skiing & terrain
A level-by-level guide to skiing from Grainau is coming soon. The difficulty split and slope aspect (for the whole Zugspitze) are shown here now.
On the map
Legend
Run difficulty
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced / Expert
- Freeride / Extreme
- Unknown
Run types
- Downhill — groomed
- Downhill — ungroomed
- Downhill — gladed
- Nordic (groomed)
- Ski tour
- ☾Lit (night)
- △Not patrolled
- →One-way
- ❄Snowmaking
Lifts
- Operating
- Operating (private)
- Non-operating
- Lift station
Slope-gradient grading
Downhill / ski tour
- Flat<3°
- Easy3–14°
- Intermediate14–22°
- Advanced / Expert22–45°
- Freeride / Extreme>45°
Nordic
- Easy<6°
- Intermediate6–9°
- Advanced>9°
Aspect (sun exposure)
- N — least sun
- E — morning
- S — most sun
- W — afternoon
Legend after OpenSkiMap
Stay in Grainau
A small, quiet German village at around 750 m right at the foot of the Zugspitze, closest to the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn cog railway up to the glacier. Calm and scenic, it suits people who want the mountain on the doorstep and a peaceful base over nightlife, accepting that the serious skiing is a rail ride up.
Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.
Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.
Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.
From simple to high-end, with pools and spas to thaw out in.
Nearby resorts & areas
Other bases within reach — including the rest of the Zugspitze.
Getting to Grainau
Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Munich (MUC) — search and compare without leaving the page.
Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. · Weather data © Open-Meteo.com (CC-BY 4.0), ERA5 reanalysis. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.