Mittenwald Transportation

Getting to Mittenwald is normally easy enough especially if coming from Munich. Trains leave hourly from Munich and take just under two hours with no changes necessary. A one-way ticket is only a little over €21 but you can use the Bayern Single Ticket for €21 and return for free the same day. Even better, the group Bayern Ticket is only €29 and is good for up to five people for the entire day.

Unfortunately, when we went, the part of the trip between Garmish and Mittenwald was under construction so we had to take a bus for the last portion of the trip making it a bit less comfortable and about 45 minutes longer.

For those not inclined to hiking up mountains, there are motorized ways to “climb” to the top of the alps. The most popular in Mittenwald is the Karwendelbahn which whizzes you up 1400m in about 7 minutes. This will set you back €13.50 one-way or €22 return in a very modern enclosed cabin. Many pay to go up and walk back down.

On the other side of the valley is the Kranzberg Sesselbahn which is only €5 and €7 respectively but only climbs about 220m. This is a done in a more rustic outside seated contraption more like a ski lift. Well, I guess it is a ski lift in winter! It takes 15 minutes one-way so a bit slower as well.

We just walked up which with such short trails seemed a good choice though it was quite hot on the first day so maybe it would not be a bad choice especially if hiking midday in summer.

Both times we’ve visited Mittenwald, parking has not been a problem. Of course, the first time the town was just about shut down because it was off season and no one seemed to be there, but our second visit was in nicer weather and there were more people in town. Still, no problem with parking.

We drove in from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and as we approached the town, we simply followed the parking signs. Each time the roads led us to near the train station (Bahnhof) and there is a nice parking lot near the station. It is a paid lot so once you find your spot, you put your money in the machine (it wasn’t a lot – I believe we paid less than €3 for several hours), and then put the ticket in your car window near the driver’s side. It will show you the time you need to be back to your car as well as the date and how much you paid. My photo is a generic ticket, not specifically from Mittenwald, but they are all very similar to this. In this example, we paid two euros on June 5, 2012, and had to be back to our car by 2:29 pm.

While I felt very safe in Mittenwald, use common sense precautions and don’t leave valuables in plain sight of others – lock them in your trunk before leaving your car.

You can try to drive around the town and try to park in the city center but you will not have much luck. Park in the big parking lots outside of town and walk in to the center.