Tirolian Alps on the way to Venice

There isn't a really great place to stop between Munich and Venice besides Bolzano. Innsbruck isn't that great in my opinion. A short jaunt away from that line will open some doors for some fantastic Alps towns. Kitzbuhel, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, and Stubai in Austria, as well as Dolomites in Italy are all somewhat on your way and offer incredibly fun summer and winter activities.

"on a scenic non touristy town" Just be aware that "non-touristy" in the Alps usually means one of two things- 1) Hard to reach on public transportation with few amenities for tourists, like lodging and restaurants 2) Not interesting enough to attract many visitors (ie, Reutte, Vaduz, Bregenz, Feldkirch, Sargans, etc). Perhaps a happy medium might be a town that has some tourist infrastructure but less so than the biggies? Although none of these are directly on the train route to Venice, here's a few suggestions: Ehrwald or Lermoos in Austria, Grainau in Germany (near Garmisch-Partenkirchen) or Male and Dimaro in the Val di Sole in Italy.

What time of year are you planning your trip? I also like Lermoos, Austria which is just south of Garmisch. It also depends on what you are looking for. Lermoos is located in the Zugspitze arena with beautiful views of the mountain and lots of trails to hike in the surrounding hills/mountains and the valley. There is a lot of lodging and restaurants available along with a grocery store. Seefeld looks like a great town in Tirol, Austria to stop. Haven't been there yet. Unfortunately, the Dolomites are not easily accessible by train. To get an idea of what's available in these towns, check their town website using this format: www.town-name.countrycode So, for Lermoos, use www.lermoos.at (at for Austria, de for Germany, it for Italy).

Hi Jan, If you delete "non touristy" from the question, you'll find a good number of places to really appreciate the alps. I'd suggest Mittenwald, Germany first. The quintessential Bavarian village with an alpine back. In addition, Mittenwald has a good cable car trip, the Karwendelbahn and a local brewery. http://www.karwendelbahn.de/english/summer http://www.brauerei-mittenwald.de/english/index.php While I'm not a big fan of Innsbruck, it is worth a day plus the Nordkettenbahn takes you up to spectacular hights and vistas. http://www.nordkette.com/en Both Mittenwald and Innsbruck are on the same train line. Hope this helps. Paul

Let me elaborate on 'touristy'. I would like to find a spot with fewer Americans.

Most of the places mentioned above are not on the main line from Munich to Venice. One very scenic possibility that is on the main line would be to get off in Jenbach Austria and take the Zillertalbahn narrow gauge railway to one of the many villages in the Zillertal. We have been to Mayrhofen a couple of times and really enjoyed it. http://www.zillertalbahn.at/

" I would like to find a spot with fewer Americans." Then avoid any town included in Mr. Steves' books and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Actually, I think he mentions Ehrwald, but you're more likely to run into Dutch or Belgians here than Americans.