The Best Views in Town:
To capture the breath-taking cityscape that features the majestic Alps as a backdrop you have several options.
- St. Peter Tower in old town.
- The hill at Olympic Park, reached by subway. The Olympic Park is also a nice area to take a stroll among the various Olympic stadiums and athletic facilities that are still in use. Oftentimes, there are events going on at the Olympic Park, e.g. outdoor movies by the lake, which is a great thing to do on a warm summer evening, or exhibitions.
- Top of the Olympic Tower, which provides an even wider view than the Park. There is also a restaurant at the top though I am not sure of the quality.
Walking and Biking Possibilities:
Munich offers a plethora of strolls and bike routes, too many to list. You could go from the Olympic center to the Schwabing quarter, follow the the wide Leopoldstrasse boulevard into the heart of town… The options are endless. Here are a few of my favorites.
- Don’t miss the beautiful city park, called the English Garden. It is enchanting with its green lushness and it is so big that when you need a break there are, of course, beer gardens inside the English Garden and cafes nearby.
- The Isar River offers great opportunities for active pursuits and it is easily accessible from the city. I recommend accessing it from the Deutsches Museum area. The river’s banks have been re-naturalized and Munich residents use them for bathing, running, cycling, walking their dogs and many other outdoor activities – including barbecues. You can also purchase a bottle of good Munich beer at one of the kiosks strewn around the area and sip it while having a picnic, listening to the rushing water and indulging in some laid-back people watching.
- By train, you will have easy access to hiking in and around Munich. You may also consider taking a day trip to Salzburg in Austria, which is a fairly quick train ride from Munich.
- Munich is a cycling paradise and has well-developed bike trails that are set apart from the roads so you are away from cars.
Restaurants and Food:
- If you’re a veggie lover, you might enjoy the Prinz Myshkin, offering sophisticated vegetarian cuisine.
- Viktualienmarkt, is a permanent outside market where vendors sell delicious cheeses, veggies, fruit, wine, meat and sausages… You name it! It started out as a farmer’s market and inched its way up to a gourmet market over the years. Its pretty-sounding name stems from the old word for food, “Viktualien”! It’s also the place to get the absolute best authentic Bavarian pretzel. Turn to Karnoll’s Backstandl for the real thing.
- For traditional food in a welcoming traditional setting with a modern twist, visit Munich’s first microbrewery – Giesinger Bräustüberl! This little privately owned brewery had its humble beginnings in a garage in a small Munich neighborhood called Giesing (hence the name) and has successfully grown into a major brewery with a real traditional Bavarian restaurant. The beer is truly delicious and it is nice to see that Bavaria, a region so insistent on its purity law for beer, has begun to embrace other types of brews.
- Another great option for traditional food is Georgenhof in Schwabing featuring a lush beer garden and an impressive interior with typical dark gleaming wood paneling.
- Ballabeni. The gelato here is as good as the long queue implies! Don’t be deterred by the line, it moves quickly. My absolute all-time favorite is Lemon Basil. My husband and I make sure to get gelato there whenever we are in Munich.
- For a bit of a quirky beer garden experience, make your way to the Alte Utting! Enjoy local beer and a variety of snack shacks on and around this decommissioned passenger ferry that has been elevated to new heights after retiring from decades-long service on Lake Ammersee in Munich’s south.
- If you get a craving for authentic Italian Pizza, pay a visit to Il Grano, and don’t be deterred by the red plastic chairs. The pizzas are perfect and the patio seating has you gaze at stone sculptures belonging to the City Museum across the way.
Beer Gardens – yes they need their own list:
- Another beloved brewery is Augustiner which is the second privately owned Munich brewery, but is much older than Giesinger. Founded in 1328, it’s in fact, Munich’s oldest brewery. The brewery has a number of beautiful beer gardens strewn throughout the city.
- Hirschgarten (Deer Park). Located in Nymphenburg, which means you can easily add a historical element to your beer exploration by visiting the Schloss Nyphmenburg, the baroque summer residence of the Wittelsbach rulers.
Museums:
- Deutsches Museum – Munich’s renowned science museum.
- The Jewish Museum
- The Stadtmuseum (city museum) features permanent and temporary exhibitions, focused on Munich.
- You are in BMW’s hometown, and the BMW-Museum is close to the Olympic center so the two sights might be make a good choice for one afternoon. A highlight is the famous cylindrical tower that still houses the BMW headquarters.
Art Museums:
There are many options for art museums throughout the city, but here are a few of my top choices.
- The Pinakotheken
- Haus der Kunst
- The Lenbachhaus
- Brandhorst Museum with its impressive and unique architecture. A bonus for this museum is that amazing artisan gelato is available across the street at Ballabeni – see Restaurants and Food above.
Where to Sleep – Hotels:
We have a number of centrally located hotels on our recommendations list
Sights in the Downtown Area:
- Marienplatz (Mary’s square). Dominated by the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) and its famous Glockenspiel, a small spectacle set in an alcove on the front side of the building that includes bells and dancing figurines. This two-part music-box like mechanical display tells the story of the marriage of Duke Wilhelm and Renata of Lorraine featuring a joust and, on the lower part, the cooper’s dance, which dates back to the time of the plague in 1517. According to myth, coopers are said to have danced through the streets in this time of desperation to spread vitality and hope.
- Dom zu unserer lieben Frau (Cathedral of Our dear Lady), also known as Frauenkirche, an impressive masterpiece with the famous two towers and the red roof. The cathedral can hold about 20,000 people!
- Sendlinger Strasse is the nearby shopping pedestrian area where you will find the Asam Church, a Rokoko style church wedged tightly between other buildings. The inside is amazing!
Getting Around – Public Transportation:
The city boasts excellent public transportation. You can take subway trains – called U-Bahn, recognizable by the white letter U on a blue background, buses and trams. These can all be accessed with one type of ticket or pass, it’s just important to choose the correct area or time coverage. You can find more information here. All means of transportation are easy to use, safe and clean.
Of course this is only a glimpse of this fabulous wondrous city and there are so many more things to do and see. One thing I can guarantee, you will not be bored!