← Ski Ski resort · Zugspitze, Germany

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.

  • 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.

⛰ Part of the Zugspitze — 213 km on one pass →

The village

Guide coming soon. A full write-up of Grainau is on the way. The live weather, snowfall, stats and where-to-stay map below are all ready now.

Snow & weather

Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.

Conditions now · Grainau
Fetching live mountain weather…

Live data © Open-Meteo.com

Average monthly snowfall

Avg. monthly snowfall (cm) · 10-yr means Weather data © Open-Meteo.com (CC-BY 4.0), ERA5 reanalysis.

Terrain & aspect

For the whole Zugspitze.

42% beginner 45% inter. 9% expert
N · blue: 3% N · red: 7% N · black: 5% N · orange: 0% NE · blue: 8% NE · red: 12% NE · black: 2% NE · orange: 1% E · blue: 8% E · red: 12% E · black: 1% E · orange: 1% SE · blue: 2% SE · red: 6% SE · black: 1% S · blue: 1% S · red: 2% S · black: 0% S · unknown: 0% SW · blue: 2% SW · red: 3% SW · black: 0% SW · orange: 0% SW · unknown: 0% W · blue: 4% W · red: 4% W · black: 3% W · unknown: 0% NW · blue: 2% NW · red: 5% NW · black: 5% NW · orange: 0% NESW
Downhill runs only
  • 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

Grainau
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

Map & ski data © OSM (ODbL) via OpenSkiMap · basemap OpenFreeMap · terrain Mapterhorn
See the official piste maps on Skimap.org →
Where you'll stay

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.

Ski-in / ski-out

Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.

Apartments

Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.

Chalets

Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.

Hotels & spa

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.

~approx 45 km away
Faces east
Germany · Lenggries

Brauneck

23.5 km (OSM) 715–1,594 m
18% beginner 63% inter. 20% expert
Vertical
879 m
Pistes (mapped)
26
Lifts
18
~approx 45 km away
Faces north-west
Germany · Bad Hindelang

Hindelang Oberjoch

22.2 km (OSM) 1,128–1,556 m
15% beginner 80% inter. 4% expert
Vertical
429 m
Pistes (mapped)
15
Lifts
5
~approx 59 km away
Faces east
Austria · Serfaus

Serfaus Fiss Ladis

169.3 km (OSM) 1,222–2,817 m
21% beginner 53% inter. 12% expert
Vertical
1594 m
Pistes (mapped)
126
Lifts
48
~approx 59 km away
Sölden ski area Faces east
Austria · Solden

Sölden

103 km (OSM) 1,346–3,245 m
53% beginner 32% inter. 14% expert
Vertical
1899 m
Pistes (mapped)
62
Lifts
38
~approx 62 km away
Faces east
Germany · Oberstdorf

Skigebiet Fellhorn/Kanzelwand

31.7 km (OSM) 918–1,965 m
43% beginner 49% inter. 7% expert
Vertical
1048 m
Pistes (mapped)
26
Lifts
13
~approx 67 km away
Faces east
Austria · Finkenberg

Mayrhofen Hippach

107.4 km (OSM) 616–2,468 m
46% beginner 41% inter. 13% expert
Vertical
1853 m
Pistes (mapped)
85
Lifts
53
~approx 69 km away
Faces east
Germany · Oberstdorf

Skigebiet Ifen

21 km (OSM) 1,257–2,019 m
49% beginner 30% inter. 21% expert
Vertical
762 m
Pistes (mapped)
16
Lifts
4
~approx 72 km away
Faces north
Germany · Oberstaufen

Hinterstaufen

17.5 km (OSM) 744–1,183 m
62% beginner 35% inter. 3% expert
Vertical
439 m
Pistes (mapped)
12
Lifts
8
Complete your trip

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. Village grouping & editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.