Munich is much more than that

Admit it – you are going there for all that beer…its Hofbrauhaus on your mind not Frauenkirche or Marienplatz! And no one can blame you because Octoberfest is what comes to the mind when one thinks of Munich – the cosmopolitan, chic and carefree city; almost synonymous with Germany. Munich is a pleasurable city that seems to have been invented just so you and I could have fun. But Bavaria's capital and one of Germany's biggest cities also has its fair share of great museums, architectural treasures, historic sites, and world-class shops, restaurants, and hotels. Add the abundant lederhosen and oompah bands and you can already see Berlin turn green! However, what makes Munich even more special is the general bonhomie, the feeling of Gemutlichkeit, or warmth that leaves you with a smile on your face.

Munich’s exploding night scene is another big draw for tourists as are the various "all-nighter" events throughout the year like museum-chasing and musical performances. The kings and dukes of the Wittelsbach Dynasty, which ruled Bavaria for more than 750 years until 1918, got Munich hooked on to the arts and that legacy is still thriving in Munich’s fabulous museums, the Opera House, the Philharmonic, and much more.

Museums and breathtaking architecture are good reasons but still, secretly every one is working on timing to fall in with Fasching and Oktoberfest. Most people get to Munich with dreams of Beer flowing out of beer halls and Kneipes, but an altogether unexpected surprise awaits them when they find a city spritzed with refinement and elegance, filled to the brim with fashionable boutiques and fashionistas, businessmen and tourists populating its five-star restaurants and a future-perfect Munich jumps out at you and says, “Hey, it’s more than Beer”!

Get the whole enchilada on one of Germany’s fastest growing and greenest cities here, because for the uninitiated there would be only beer!

How the monks started it all

The area where Munich sits pretty today was settled in the Roman times but it was the 8th-century Benedictine monks who put the fizzy into the straight-laced Roman colony and put it on the map. The monks also gave Munich its much-loved moniker - Munichen, or 'monk settlement'. The city however was officially born in 1158 when the Imperial Diet in Augsburg sanctioned the short-lived rule of Heinrich der Lowe. In 1180, when Henry the Lion was put on trial, Otto I Wittelsbach became the Duke of Bavaria and Munich was handed over to the Bishop of Freising. Finally in 1240 Munich passed to the House of Wittelsbach and the illustrious family ruled Munich and Bavaria till the 20th century.

Munich became a ducal residence of Upper Bavaria in 1255, when the Duchy of Bavaria was split into two. By the next century the city had seen considerable expansion, had been fortified and given a salt-trading monopoly by Ludwig the Bavarian, builder of the Alter Hof. These events formed the foundations of a wealthy trading city and over the next 200 years the city predictably prospered to become the capital of the Duchy of Bavaria in 1503. Along with prosperity came increasing population and the sundry associated ills like the plague which attacked the city several times from 1349 to 1499 making it imperative for the city’s administration to pay serious attention to sewage and sanitation. Things improved as a result of these efforts and by 1505 the population of Munich had peaked at 13,500.

On a religious note, the Reformation movement did not really touch Bavaria as the reigning Duke Wilhelm IV thought little of it. As a result Munich remained resolutely Catholic and achieved the status of Germany's Counter-Reformation capital. This was also the time when Munich thought nothing of spending fortunes on erecting Renaissance splendors like the Residenz, the Bavarian State Library and Michaelskirche, which today make for good viewing but left the city in financial dire straits. Munich was temporarily surrendered to Sweden during the Thirty Years' War, and came under Habsburg rule from 1705-14.

The city’s sagging fortunes saw some emancipation when Napoleon elevated Bavaria to the rank of kingdom and doubled its size and in 1818 it became the first German state to have a written constitution. Elector Max Joseph was crowned the first King of Bavaria, and gave the world Oktoberfest in 1810 at the marriage celebrations of his son, Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig I.

The start of the 19th century brought good times to Munich with the relocation of the University of Munich and the arrival of Munich's first railway. Ludwig I initiated a massive building program which transformed his capital into a cultural and artistic centre. The most notable structures to have come to life during this period are Konigsplatz, the Alte Pinakothek, Ludwigstrasse, the Ruhmeshalle at Theresienwiese and sections of the Residenz. In 1848, Ludwig handed the crown to his son, Maximilian II who became instrumental in the industrialization of the city.

Bavaria lost its independent status and became part of the new German Reich in 1871 when Bavaria's last king, Ludwig II, dubbed 'the mad king' backed the losing side in the Franco-Prussian war. , and the state was finally absorbed into the new German Reich in 1871. Ludwig II was declared mentally unfit in a dubious psychological exam in 1886, subsequently arrested and soon after found drowned…all cloak & dagger!

By the turn of the 20th century Munich was rising again and with more certainty as a city facing the future – it had fantastic civic facilities, was home to creative geniuses like Kandinsky, Strauss, Ibsen and Mann and expanding its industries. WWI brought Munich down to its knees again and the city later became pivotal for Adolf Hitler's National Socialist movement. Munich had to work hard in later decades to cut away from this stigma as the hub of Hitler's operations post-1933 as well as recover from getting bombed out by the Allied forces in WWII.

The postwar years saw Munich picking up the pieces, putting salve on its injuries caused by Nazi occupation and the war and finally emerging triumphant as a hub for publishing, fashion, cinema and mega companies like Siemens, BMW and truck maker MAN. Today Munich lays claim to one of Germany’s best cities with the highest quality of life, a booming economy and a happening entertainment scene. Its combination of artistic vibrancy and big-city bells & whistles attracts thousands of visitors each year, most of whom leave ‘beer-ed out and waiting for more”

Bavaria Beckons

Between the months of May and September, Munich has tourists bouncing off the wall and you can blame it all on the fine weather. If you are planning on traveling to Munich during the ‘rush hour’ be warned that though you may get good deals on flights, finding a good play for some shut eye is going to be hard. You could give the slightly “off –seasons” of April-May and September-October a thought because these are great months to visit Munich, too. There are fewer visitors, not counting the Oktoberfest mob and plenty of sunshine and it is still pleasant enough to bike the city. Going to Munich between November and March is a mixed bag with few visitors, below-freezing temperatures and sunless skies.

A good idea here would be to time your visit to coincide with one of Munich’s ever present, fab events and festivals. Seriously, go ahead and do it, you know you want to!

Three ways to Munchen

The Munich International Airport or the Franz Josef Strauss International Airport which is quite a mouthful and the second biggest German airport makes flying in to Munich a pleasure. The airport has two terminals out of which the German flagship carrier Lufthansa and its partner airlines from Star Alliance use the new swanky, Terminal 2 while all the other airlines use the efficient, older, Terminal 1. Flying in remains the favorite way for most tourists to get in to the city as both EasyJet and Air Berlin make a stop here and make it an economical trip to an otherwise slightly expensive city. Both terminals are well connected to the city center by S-Bahn on S1 or S8 lines.

Munich connects to most of the European biggies like Vienna, Prague, Zurich, Rome and Paris through the Hauptbahnoff, conveniently located close to the city center, right next to Marienplatz. This makes traveling to Munich by train a popular option.

Driving to Munich along Germany's excellent roads can be fun, but your car will be next to useless once you've arrived. Also, if you are arriving in Munich during the ski season, you would have to face big burly crowds and slow moving traffic. However, if you want to ride in to Octoberfest explore the car – share option at this site. If you can handle sea sickness, take one of the ferries that go between Germany and the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Getting about the city

Getting around in Munich takes little effort as the city’s public transport is excellent. Walking along the central pedestrian zone from the Hauptbahnhof to Marienplatz will get you to most of the major city attractions and if you need to travel a longer distance or are staying in a place too far away from the center to walk you can rely on Munich's excellent public transport network (MVV) to get you there efficiently and on time. The system is zone-based and most places of interest are within the inner-city white zone.

You can also use the underground that runs with the efficiency and punctuality that Germany is famous for and won’t cost you a lot. If you have time on your side during your Munich trip, do take a few bus rides to get the full flavor of the city, get your bearings and understand how Munich works for the regular Muncheners. A novel but expensive way to get around is via pedicabs. Munich is quite bike – friendly and hamstrings supporting, you can rent a bike to travel around the city – safely, enjoyably and on your own time.

Pillow talk!

Munich plays to all kinds of budget when it comes to picking a place to get some shut eye. Seasoned travelers would direct you to the Eden-Hotel-Wolff but be warned that quality in Munich doesn’t come cheap. We recommend the Creatif Hotel Elephant as a much better value option for a Munich stay and if you are looking for a real low-budget option try the Kurpfalz or the Easy Palace which needs a tram ride out of the city center but is very worth it. However, if you are going to be in Munich for a longer period of time or are vacationing with family, renting an apartment would be not only economical but also more fun.

However, if this is your “burn some Euros” trip, make yourselves comfortable in the €392 a night Holiday Inn Munich or the € 356 a night Hotel Olympic. In the same range falls the Kempinski Hotel Airport Munchen with rooms on an average for €355, King’s Hotel First Class at €345, Bayerischer Hof Hotel at €342, the uber luxurious Mandarin Oriental Munchen for €329 and the Le Meridian Munchen at €15.

Munich does well in the mid range option with hotels like Sofitel Munich Bayerpost and Hotel Aurbacher both at €189. There is tough competition from others like K&K Am Harras Hotel at €187, Hotel Wallis and Hotel Der Tannebaum both at €184 and the Best Western Hotel Nurenberg at €183.

In between the Euro Burning and Sensible Spending lie the ones that qualify for Splurging Sensibly. Check out Apart Hotel Munchen Sendling (€235), Feringapark Hotel Munich (€226), Park Inn Munich East (€225) and Tryp Munchen at € 224.

All of the above listed hotels offer world class services, are luxurious and ensure your Munchen trip is comfortable and memorable. However, you can stay in comfort with good services and facilities like free Wi-Fi and hearty German breakfasts and take back good memories of the city without having to spend all your savings. Munich’s budget hotels give a hop, if not a total berserk run to the larger establishments, for their money with superb facilities, thoughtful services and great locations. Try some of these: City Hotel (€150), the stylish boutique hotel Advokat for (€150), the popular Octoberfest haunt Hotel Deutsches Theatre (€145), Best Western Aparthotel Munchen (€145), Holiday Inn Munich-South (€139) and Prinzregent An Der Messe Hotel (€139).

If you are a single traveler, on a tight budget or an Octoberfest junkie go straight to the A&O Hotel Bayerstrasse just which is a great bet and very economical at just €45. Other great options for budget and single travelers to explore are: Royal Hotel (€74), Schweiz (€77), Hotel Dolomit (€95), Herzog Wilhelm Hotel (€99), Mark Hotel (€81) and the slightly more expensive ones – Hotel Condor (€110), Mercure Hotel Munchen City Center (€137) and Regent at €139.

A great resource for checking out hotels for all pockets is here.

Breaking Bread in Munich

Munich is a great place for a foodie to be in because even if it did not have a single restaurant that served international cuisine, the abundant Bavarian cuisine wouldn’t leave you with time to notice it. Luckily, Munich is full of great restaurants bars and pubs that serve a delicious melee of cuisines, suit all kinds of budgets and best of all stay open till 4 am in some cases!

Don’t leave Munich without sampling the hearty Bavarian cuisine and the best place to do that is Kafer-Schanke in Prinzregentenstrasse. Kafer- Schanke is a very typical Bavarian gourmet restaurant and one of the most upmarket places in town. Enjoy the mouthwatering Bavarian dishes fused with innovative techniques and other cuisines in an elegant and relaxed atmosphere.

If you want to experience real luxury reserve a table for dinner at Mark's, the signature restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It spells opulence right from the marble staircase that leads up to the mezzanine restaurant to the lavish setting with fine crystal and china and the sumptuous fusion Bavarian and Oriental cuisine. Put Tantris (left) at Johann-Fichte-Strasse next on your list of the finest places to eat out in Munich. The Garden Salon at this boldly decorated extravaganza is a memorable treat with its creative cuisine and impeccable credentials that have stood the test of time.

One of trendiest places to grab a bite in Munich is the Barysphar in Tumblingerstraase. Popularly known as the 'food club' the place also hides a popular bar venue in the cellar. Nage und Sauge is a quirky little restaurant on Mariannenenstrasse and the favorite watering hole of the twenty – something, swanky crowd that revels in its fantastic atmosphere and indulgent dishes like the very delicious foccacia. When you go to Nage und Sauge make sure you go at least once to the washroom and get a good look at yourself in the TV monitor installed in your cubicle. Don’t ask us why!

Check out Ododo on Buttermelcherstrasse for that late night/early morning snack and try the wide selection of fondue and sandwiches on offer in trendy, minimalist surroundings. Though not a very stylish place, Chinesischer Turm is a famous and popular place with tourists and locals alike and is one of the settings for the main action during the annual Oktoberfest. Situated in the picturesque English Garden and open all year round, the Chinese Tower serves huge amounts of original Bavarian beer and traditional food.

Tizian on Maxburgstrasse is a relaxed and friendly restaurant that serves great pasta and pizzas and is a great place to just hang out on a hot afternoon. Grab a seat by the fountain on a Friday or Saturday night and you can enjoy your food with great music in a lively place decorated in an art nouveau style.

Other places worth exploring are Dallmayr on Dienerstrasse, famous for its coffee; Mangostin on Maria-Einsiedel-Strasse that actually offers three restaurants - Papa Joe's Colonial Bar and Restaurant, Keiko, a Japanese restaurant, and Lemon Grass with Thai cuisine and an open wok kitchen.

Shake a Leg

Munich, surprisingly to a lot of people, has an explosive night scene that rivals big brother Berlin. Every area has its own special restaurants and bars that could rock your socks with energetic all night sessions or calm and relaxed late evenings. Most of the action is concentrated in Kunstpark Ost, around Grafinger Strasse and the area in Schwabing. Kunstpark Ost is a receptacle of clubs, bars, rehearsal rooms and restaurants, also better known as ‘Little Harlem’. For a vibrant live music scene head to Schwabing that has several bars which play country and western, jazz or Latin American music. The Schwabing night life is vibrant and especially so is the area around Munchener Freiheit and on Occamstrasse. For a more alternative scene head to Haidhausen and get the best of the gay scene at the Glockenbachviertel, located south of Sendlinger Tor. Just east to this area is where several new bars have opened up on the streets around Gartnerplatz.

Munich’s nightlife revolves around its hundreds of bars and the ones you must not miss are Alter Simpl (left) on Turkenstrasse, Tresznjewski on Theresienstrasse Schumann's on Odeonsplatz, the ultra-hip Gartnerplatz quarter, cocktail bars like Ksar Club on Mullerstrasse and Lizard Lounge on Corneliusstrasse.

The city offers a fantastic array of clubs and the top of the heap include Alabamahalle on Domagkstrasse and Babylon-2 on Rosenheimerstrasse - the largest club in Munich, with huge, packed dance floors and a laser show that is well worth seeing. A more intimate experience can be had at the Atomic Café on Neuturmstrasse and if you are looking for the best and most fun gay club head to New York on Sonnenstrasse.

The P1 (left) on Prinzregentenstrasse is an upmarket club, loved by Munich's glitterati is expensive, exclusive and tough as nails to get into. The nearest thing to P1 in terms of moolah and elusiveness is the nearby Park-Café on Sophienstrasse though it isn’t as glorious as it once used to be.

The Top 5 Munich Sights

Hofbrauhaus: (Pic right) Beer has flown freely at this legendry tavern and the place has been attracting thirsty travelers ever since 1605 when it became a royal brewery. Munich folklore anoints Hofbrauhaus as the fountain from which the famous Bavarian jollity and conviviality - 'gemuchtlikheid' poured forth along with the beer giving Munich its unique place among all the other fun loving cities of the world. Visit Hofbrauhaus to soak in the famed brew poured out of mega liter – sized steins by rosy cheeked Bavarian beauties in “drindles” and enjoy the foot – tapping music played by the traditional Bavarian “Oompah” bands. Don’t leave without a good helping of some robust German fare like liver dumplings potato soup and the ever present Wurst.

Marienplatz: No visit to Munich can go untouched by a visit to the historic Marienplatz. The square, located in the heart of the city is dominated by the 19th century Neo-Gothic Town Hall and attracts tourists for its amazing architecture as well as the famed Glockenspiel, both built in. The Glockenspiel is a delight for everyone with its 43 chiming bells and the moving clockwork figures that display vignettes from Munich's history. Go up a thoughtfully installed lift to the top of the Town Hall to get a very memorable view of the city before you come down and admire the statue of the Virgin Mary in the center of the square, which incidentally started out life as a buzzing farmer's market.

Olympia Park: Munich's massive Olympic park complex was the star of the 20th Olympic Games in 1972 and though its purpose has long been served, it remains one of the most admired engineering feats achieved by the city. The complex is a must visit for its enormous stadium that can seat close on 70,000 people and its tinted acrylic glass roof, the largest in the world stretching for 720,000 square feet. The roof does more than offer protection from the elements and also acts as a water reservoir! The collected rainwater is used to fill the adjoining Olympic lake which makes for a wonderful visual treat in itself. You could take tent roof tours or enjoy a spectacular view from the revolving restaurant and observation terrace which tops the 950ft high Olympic Tower. Don’t leave without a visit to the nearby BMW Museum for a fascinating display of the history of Germany's famous automobile manufacturer.

Entrance to Schloss Nymphenburg

Nymphenburg Palace: One of the most visited attractions in the city of Munich is the erstwhile summer home of the Munich aristocracy – the Schloss Nymphenburg. It doesn’t matter that the place is about a 5 mile tram or bus ride from the city centre because going to Nymphenburg is a most rewarding experience. Construction on the palace started in 1664 and what we see today is the sum total of al new additions, some fascinating; some eccentric, by the successive owners. Explore the villa and grounds, watch out for the beautiful frescoes in the main hall and don’t miss the arcaded gallery features a collection of 36 provocative paintings ordered by King Ludwig I showing the most beautiful women of his day. The surrounding park is another delight with its English-style gardens, Ludwig's elaborate coaches on display, and a porcelain museum.

Alte Pinakothek: Munich's art museum, located in a large neo-classical building houses one Europe’s most admirable collections with nearly 1000 paintings featuring the work of the greatest European artists from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Visit it for delightful works by Dutch and Flemish masters, as well as Botticelli and Titian. The gallery is massive, consisting of dozens of rooms, and requires a great deal of time to explore thoroughly.

Lederhosen or Gucci?

Shopping in Munich

Shopping in Munich is a big treat for shopping junkies because it offers a great mix of modernistic, label-oriented markets that have all the international names and designer goods as well as hundreds of places that sell traditional Bavarian crafts like Lederhosen, Dirndl, beer steins, wood carvings, pewter dishes, porcelain and lovely German foods such as stollen and marzipan. Traditional crafts are easily available in many artists’ boutiques in Munich, but you should try the areas near Maximilianstrasse and Theatinerstrasse for the best stuff.

Neuhauserstrasse and Kaufingerstrasse areas in the city centre are the main shopping areas of the city and are populated with huge department stores and global retail chains. However, that’s all the stuff you could get at home as well, so for a more Bavarian flavor try boutiques in Schwabing, especially the Leopoldstrasse which is a trendy shopping street.

One of the major attractions in Munich is the Viktualienmarkt (right) – the city’s bustling, riotously colourful food market at the eastern end of the Marienplatz pedestrian zone. The market has been around in this place since 1807 and is a focal point of life in Munich. At the heart of the market is a traditional maypole surrounded by a beer garden, and alongside it is the rebuilt Schrannenhalle, where grain was traded before its destruction by fire in 1932, re-inaugurated in 2005.

While shopping in Munich do remember that all items carry Mehrwertsteuer –a 19% Value Added Tax (less if you are buying food or books) and is included in the price of purchased items. Visitors from non-EU countries are entitled to a tax refund from participating stores displaying the Tax Free Shopping logo.

One day in Munich

If you were to do the ‘see all in a day’ tour of Munich chances are you would be dead tired by the evening. So if you have just a day in Munich, spend it judiciously by selecting the top 4 – 5 places to concentrate on. Your best bet for ‘one day in Munich’ would be to spend it all on the Old Town starting at central square, Marienplatz. Start with a coffee and a hearty breakfast at one of the cafes scattered around the place Marienplatz and plan to come back mid morning to catch the 43-bell Glockenspiel reveling. Before going off to another attraction, climb up the steps of the Town Hall for one of the most memorable views of the early morning Munich.

Stroll along the Altstadt area stopping first at Peterskirche - the oldest church in Munich that stands at Rindermarkt. Get a god look at the church’s bell tower fondly called "Old Peter" that towers over this 13th-century Gothic church before a brisk walk to the Viktualienmarkt right behind the church. This open-air market laced with a crisscross of dozens of stalls is called "the stomach of Munich." Get some fresh juice, cheese, wine and sausages in this wonderful place and walk north of the square to get to Heiliggesistkirche or the Church of the Holy Ghost, a late Gothic hall -- type church with much later baroque ornamentations.

Just north east of the market and the church, along Dienerstrasse lies Maximilianstrasse, home to Munich’s most fashionable street, lined with boutiques and houses of fashion. It is the Fifth Avenue of Munich but like everything else Munich has its own unique stamp on it. Maximilianstrasse (above) also has some of the leading art galleries of Europe but if you want to spend quality time at the Alte Pinakothek, you’d have to give them a miss for this time.

It really takes 4 hours to get around the whole of the Alte Pinakothek but if you concentrate only on the masterpieces you can do it in an hour and a half. The collections were started by the ruling Wittelsbachs at the beginning of the 16th century, and were expanded with subsequent bequests and additions. Watch out for works by Albrecht Durer, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Raphael.

Take a lunch break at one of Munich’s many warm, inviting restaurants before heading for the Deutsches Museum (right) to revel in the country’s scientific and technological progress. Enjoy a well earned rest at the Englischer Garten – one of the most beautiful parks in the country before returning to your hotel to get a night time makeover and head out again for the typical Munich pub crawl, dinner at one of the trendy restaurants and some live music.

After you return to your hotel, set out for your wildest and most rollicking evening in Munich by heading for the fabled nightlife. There is a lot more to Munich than can be seen in one day, but hopefully, this itinerary would give you a taste of this big pie.

The Incognito Munich

Pay a visit to the Alter Sudlicher Friedhof, one of Munich's oldest graveyards which hasn’t been in use for the last 50 years. Built in 1563, this beautiful cemetery was used for those taken away by the Plague.

Go to the Lake Starnberg to watch a beautiful morning unfold – it is one of the most wonderful sights of this great city

Take a rewarding day Trip from Munich to Schloss Neuschwanstein.

Visit the Kloster Andechs or the Andechs Monastery for its beautiful architecture.

Top Tips for the smart traveler

General

Munich and Germany on the whole is not a very plastic oriented country. So unless you are at a large shop or petrol pump or hotel, loose the credit card and take cash

Stay safe by carrying less cash – ATMs are easily available for you to get your supply

Staying at hostels and cooking yourself can get you by on about € 50 a day whereas, a mid range hotel and restaurant and too many museums can total up to existence at a € 100 a day

Although all restaurant bills include a service charge, topping it up by approx. 5% is a good enough tip in Munich

Families

Munich is considered generally a very safe city for visitors, however, in this Beer Mecca, inebriation is a problem. When with family, try to avoid getting too intoxicated and avoid places with a concentration of younger crowds as here you might encounter bar brawls etc

Head to Amalienstrasse at the corner of Schellingstrasse for the best breakfast in town – a student haunt this one is great for families because of its rich array of breakfast goodies and oh! Did we mention you can get it in under € 10?

A great hotel for kid-laden families is the Hotel Garni Kriemhild (left) in Guntherstrasse. Close to Nymphenburg and just about 10 minutes from Schloss Nymphenburg, Kriemhild is a blessing for vacationing families.

If you have time and kids on your hands you would be heartless to leave Marienplatz without skipping in to the toy museum in the Old Town Hall.

Couples

Visit Munich during Octoberfest; the unbridled, almost pagan revelry is made especially for couples looking to have some fun

Stroll around the fashionable streets of Maximillianplatz

Take a boat cruise on the Isar River at sunset – the views are breathtaking and the experience so romantic

What these guys are saying!

Frommers’ recommends spending time on the right bank of the Isar River, (above) especially in Haidhausen which was the epicenter of artists and creative types during the 70s.

Frommers also recommends going to one of the bars or cafes around Pariser Platz or Weissenburger Platz

Fodor’s recommends eating out at Prinz Myshkin for the unique flavor of its dishes and the great ambience

The Guardian recommends taking sleeping in at the Anna Hotel and digging into some delicious rhubarb consommé with ravioli or wild garlic and curd cheese dumplings at the Terence Conran designed Lenbach.