Garmisch

Off the slopes, Garmisch is year-round holiday destination which caters extremely well to visitors. There is a huge selection of places to stay, with services spread out over a wide area, although you may struggle to find a bargain.
Numerous events are regularly held in the town, so not only is it very expensive, it can also be very busy.
The area also has loads of sporting attractions and if you are feeling lucky there is even a casino to try your hand in. For a town the size of Garmish, it's surprising there are only 3 snowboard shops, especially as none are that great.

Restaurants are plentiful and cater for all tastes, if not all budgets. Most places serve up a variety of disgusting sausages and potato dishes; however, you can find almost every international cuisine.

If you do want to taste a local dish and don't mind sucking on bland pieces of horse meat, then check out the Max Cafe. Veggies should pay a visit to the Grand Cafe instead.

Accommodation: The area can accommodate over 20,000 visitors with a number of places in the main town area as well as spread out into the countryside. Prices are not cheap and even though there is a large number of pensions and self-catering places, no real budget options exist. Still one thing is for sure, most places are of a very high standard and hotels come loaded with restaurants, bars, pools, and sporting centres.

The tourist information office is located in the centre of Garmisch and does an excellent job trying to locate a place to stay.

Nightlife here is okay, set to a Bavarian theme. An excellent choice of German beers are available in a number of bars where the booze flows fast and well into the early morning hours. Mind you, the music in most places is enough to make you want to leave. Check out the Irish Bar or the Rose and Crown. Theres little in the way of Apres-ski bars, but there are a few small umbrella bars dotted around the centre.