In Germany's Upper Bavarian Loisachtal Valley, framed in a beautiful Alpine setting, lies Garmisch-Partenkirchen, far removed from all the hubbub of the big city. Garmisch-Partenkirchen first came to the world's attention as the home of the 1936 Winter Olympics. It is the combination of elegant hotels, restaurants and shops with traditional crafts, Bavarian tradition and friendly sociability that lends the town its inimitable character.

There are lots of interesting places to visit in and around Garmisch-Partenkirchen, including Werdenfels castle ruins, the pilgrimage church of St. Anton, King Ludwig II's Schachen hunting lodge, the Werdenfels Museum, the Olympic ski stadium (1936 Olympic Games), the Richard Strauss Institute, historic Ludwigstrasse and the casino.

The Richard Strauss Institute is chiefly concerned with documenting and researching the life and works of the composer Richard Strauss. The Werdenfels Museum illustrates the history and culture of the region. The "Marianne Aschenbrenner“ collection has priceless dolls from the 19th and 20th centuries. The town also has regularly changing exhibitions of local artists' work.