UKC

Mrs D and I are looking forward to a Dolomites road cycling holiday in July.  On our way back to Hoek via Innsbruck, we'd like to break the drive somewhere in Southern Germany not too far off route.  Ideally : character small town / village hotel (but camping not out the question), just out of the Alps.  Nice scenery/cycling/lakes.

Not an area I know at all.  Any suggestions/recommendations?  Many thanks.

Immenstadt in Allgau is nice. My own bias leans very heavily to Regensburg but that’s not really on your trajectory. 

Not far from 65's suggestion, we often stop at Landhaus Reichenbach, a mile or so from Nesselwang

In reply to:

Thanks for the suggestions.   I'll do a little Googling on them.

Lakes & cycling - check out Murnau, the Froschsee and Reigsee are quite picturesque. Alternatively, the Amersee / StarnbergerSee / Woerthsee area is also good, but lakeside accommodation can be pricey as they're as to Munich as Surrey is to London.  Can't advise on specific places to stay, you'll need to google yourself. Alpenhof Murnau is very nice, but 5 star and priced accordingly...

Ages since we went that way, but if you come north on the scenic route via Garmisch you can get on to the Romantische Strasse with a string of outrageously picturesque towns and villages, like Alsace on steroids.  We took pot luck on rural and roadside inns, cheaper and more hospitable than the hotels in the main tourist traps like Dinkelsbuhl.  Lots of good side-trips for cycling, e.g. https://www.romanticroadgermany.com/general/biking.php

Go to Fussen/ Schwangau and the Forgensee/ Alpsee and have a look at Neuschwanstein, the castle that is the inspiration for Disneys fairy castle. The whole area is a tourist ooh and aah as it gets and plenty of campsites and cycling.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.   In the end we plumped for Rothenburg ob der Tauber a bit further North than originally planned.  Now to plan some bike routes and sight seeing !

Really hope you're big fans of shops selling wooden toys...

To give you an idea of the scenery, you know the motorbike chase at the end of the film 'The Great Escape'? That was filmed near Fussen.

Itnteresting! The middle-age criminal museum full of torture instrurments is apparently a highlight according to my son who went there when he was twelve, otherwise who knows, it's kinda the middle of nowhere.

I'm sure we'll find something worth doing. It's a wine region after all.