Oberstdorf Village

It first achieved fame as a spa resort and a Nordic skiing centre. (It has an exceptionally good cross-country network of 85km, and world class ski-jumping, hosting an annual four-hill ski jumping tournament.) It’s a full-on, attractive, bustling mountain community – one of the largest in rural Bavaria, and nestling in Germany’s highest valley. It has a delightful pedestrian precinct and an extensive array of attractive shops and hotels, plus a first class spa (Vital-Therme Oberstdorf) and swimming pool complex. But as the locals are keen to point out, there’s a lot more to the place than the “Three Ks” – Käse (cheese) Kühe (cows) and Kuren (spas).