Villas in Upper Bavaria

Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berchtesgaden suit mountain walkers and skiers, while Schliersee and the Chiemgau are nearer Munich for families. Munich itself is a city break. This is Alpine country, but most homes are holiday flats and Bavarian-style houses rather than chalets or pool villas, and the mountain areas are easier with a car.

Where

Villas: 209
From, per week: £283
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: Munich is the main airport, about an hour and a half from Garmisch and the Chiemgau. Salzburg is closer for Berchtesgaden, Freilassing and Ruhpolding, and Innsbruck for Garmisch and Mittenwald. Flights from London take around an hour and three-quarters to two hours.

Where to stay in Upper Bavaria

Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Werdenfels (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Farchant, Wallgau)

Garmisch-Partenkirchen has the largest group of our Upper Bavarian homes. The Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain at about 2,960 metres, is reached by rack railway from town or cable car from the Eibsee, and has a small glacier ski area. The Garmisch-Classic area covers the lower slopes, and the Partnach Gorge is a short walk from the ski stadium. Mittenwald is known for violin making. Munich airport is around an hour and a half away, Innsbruck about an hour.

Best for: Germany's highest mountain, proper skiing and big Alpine walks

Not for you if: You want somewhere quiet and cheap in peak weeks: Garmisch is Bavaria's best-known mountain resort.

Schliersee, Tegernsee and the Inn valley (Fischbachau, Schliersee, Rottach-Egern, Oberaudorf)

Fischbachau and Schliersee sit in green valleys an hour from Munich, with direct trains from the city. The Spitzingsee and Sudelfeld ski areas are close by, and the Wendelstein, with its rack railway and cable car, rises above Bayrischzell. Rottach-Egern, on Tegernsee, has the Wallberg cable car and lakeside beer gardens. Oberaudorf, down in the Inn valley on the Austrian border, has a small family ski hill. Munich airport is around an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Families who want lakes, small ski areas and trains to Munich

Not for you if: You want empty lakeshores at weekends: Munich day trippers fill Tegernsee and Schliersee when the sun is out.

The Chiemgau and Chiemsee (Reit im Winkl, Ruhpolding, Siegsdorf, Aschau im Chiemgau, Unterwössen, Chieming)

Reit im Winkl and the nearby Winklmoosalm are among the more snow-sure places in the German Alps, and Ruhpolding hosts biathlon World Cup races. Siegsdorf has a mammoth museum. Aschau sits below the Kampenwand cable car and Hohenaschau castle. Chieming and Übersee are on the Chiemsee, where boats from Prien cross to Ludwig II's palace on Herrenchiemsee. Salzburg airport is about 45 minutes from Ruhpolding, and Munich around an hour and a half.

Best for: Cross-country skiing, lake days and gentle mountain walks

Not for you if: You want high, glacier-backed peaks: the Chiemgau mountains are lower and greener than the Werdenfels.

Berchtesgaden and the Salzach (Berchtesgaden, Bischofswiesen, Schneizlreuth, Freilassing)

Electric boats run the length of the Königssee to the chapel at St Bartholomä, with walks into the Berchtesgaden National Park from the far end. Buses climb to the Kehlsteinhaus, the Eagle's Nest, in the summer months, and the salt mine runs tours all year. Schneizlreuth is a quiet valley village near Bad Reichenhall. Freilassing sits on the Austrian border, a short train ride from Salzburg. Salzburg airport is 15 to 40 minutes away.

Best for: The national park, boat trips on the Königssee and easy Salzburg trips

Not for you if: You want to avoid crowds at the big sights: the Königssee and Eagle's Nest are busy all summer.

Munich and the Ammersee (Munich, Utting, Dießen)

Munich has the second-largest group of our homes here, mostly flats, with the old town, museums and the English Garden. Trains run to the Alps for day trips. Utting and Dießen are on the Ammersee, about 45 minutes south-west of the city, with steamer boats, swimming spots and the large baroque church at Dießen. Munich airport is around 40 minutes from the centre by S-Bahn, and about an hour from the Ammersee by car.

Best for: City breaks, beer gardens and lake days by train

Not for you if: You want a house with a garden: Munich stock is almost all city flats, priced high during Oktoberfest.

The Ammergau (Bad Bayersoien, Unterammergau)

Bad Bayersoien is a small spa village on its own lake, a few minutes from the Wieskirche, a rococo pilgrimage church on the UNESCO list. Unterammergau is next to Oberammergau, with its painted house fronts and the theatre for the Passion Play, staged every ten years. Linderhof Palace is about 20 minutes away, and Neuschwanstein closer to 40. Munich airport is roughly an hour and three-quarters away.

Best for: Royal palaces, painted houses and the Wieskirche

Not for you if: You want lifts and nightlife: this is a quiet, rural corner with small ski areas.

When to go to Upper Bavaria

Summer brings the mountain huts and higher cable cars into full use, roughly from June to October, and the Bavarian school holidays from early August to mid-September are the busiest weeks. September is often settled, though Munich fills up and prices rise for Oktoberfest from late September. The ski season runs roughly from mid-December to March, with the Zugspitze glacier, Garmisch, Sudelfeld and the Winklmoosalm the most reliable. Many lifts close for maintenance in November and after Easter.