Rosenheim is the main town of the Inn valley south of Munich, a city of around sixty thousand people at the point where the Mangfall flows into the Inn. Its name means rose home, though the town grew rich on something less romantic: salt. For centuries salt from Bad Reichenhall travelled here through a pipeline of wooden pipes, was boiled in local pans and loaded onto boats on the Inn, and the merchants who handled it built the arcaded houses around Max-Josefs-Platz that still give the old centre its look. Television viewers may know it from a detective series, but the real thing is livelier and less murderous.
For a rider, Rosenheim is a hub. The A8 runs past on its way between Munich and Salzburg, the Inn valley road leads south toward Kufstein and the Tyrol, and the Chiemsee lies about twenty kilometres to the east. You will find several fuel stations, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, and a station with fast trains to Munich. It is the ideal place to fill the tank, eat breakfast and check your route before heading up into the mountains.
The traffic is the price. On a Friday afternoon in summer, the roads into the city and the motorway ramps can be crowded with holidaymakers, so aim to start early or come back late. The old centre is pleasant for a stroll, with the Mittertor gate, the Marienplatz and a few churches, and the riverside paths offer a green escape. From the bridge over the Inn you can see the Alps rise to the south, a reminder of why you are here.
Nature has a say, too. The Inn is a fast, milky green river carrying meltwater from the high Alps, and in spring it can run high and loud. To the south the Wendelstein and Kaiser mountains frame the horizon, and on a clear day the peaks look close enough to touch. Rosenheim is a good beginning and a good ending, comfortable in both roles.