Experience the best of Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, two villages joined in 1935 ahead of the Winter Olympics of the following year, lies in a wide valley beneath the Wetterstein range. Houses in the old streets carry painted facades and wooden balconies, and the Olympic ski jump stages the New Year event of the Four Hills Tournament. The composer Richard Strauss lived here and died in the town in 1949.

The Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres Germany's highest mountain, can be reached by a cog railway and cable cars. The Partnach Gorge, a deep cut with a rock path and waterfalls, begins beside the Olympic ski stadium. Nearby, Linderhof Palace, Ludwig II's smallest castle, stands in a forest valley, Mittenwald is a violin-making town of painted houses, and Oberammergau is famed for woodcarving and for its Passion Play, staged every ten years.

Weißwurst with sweet mustard, Leberkäse, pretzels and Kaiserschmarrn, a shredded sweet pancake, are standard fare, washed down with wheat beer. Skiing runs from December to March and walking from June to October. At altitude the evenings turn cool even in midsummer.