It is situated in the Valley of the river Isar, by the northern foothills of the Alps, on the route between the old banking and commercial centre of Augsburg, to the north, and Innsbruck to the south-east, beyond which is the Brenner Pass and the route to Lombardy, another region with a rich commercial past and present.

Mittenwald's location as an important transit centre on a relatively low and predictable Mountain pass has been a defining feature of the area for at least two thousand years.

Mittenwald is famous for the manufacture of violins, violas and cellos which began in the mid-17th century by the Klotz workshop.

[3] The most significant landmark in the village is the pink colored Roman Catholic church of Saints Peter and Paul, which is typical of the region.

The church and many of the surrounding buildings, both businesses and private residences, are decorated with elaborate paintings on the exterior walls.