Not an exotic destination but given how hard traveling anywhere is these days, it still felt so good to be able to explore a new place. I am a huge fan of Germany, such an underrated place but so much to see and do and all of it on your doorstep. It may also have something to do with the fact that everything seems so familiar to me, the hearty food, beer, beautiful cities and large blokes with moustaches, just like being at home 😂
The flight to Munich takes about 1.5h from London and getting from the airport to the town centre couldn’t be easier. There is a very efficient network of S Bahn trains (suburban) taking you wherever you need to be. It’s all very well signposted and the ticket was about 11 euros pp.
We booked the hotel Metropol which was conveniently located a few minutes walk from the central station (https://www.hotelmetropol.de). The area round the station is slightly on the edgy side but it didn’t feel unsafe for 2 tourists to be walking around. The hotel was all you needed for a weekend break, good location, comfy room and a super tasty buffet breakfast. I love European style breakfast with hams, sausages, vegetables, stacks of fresh bread and cheese so I was in heaven.
The weather was amazing on the day we arrived so we decided to generally do very little and just eat and drink our way through Munich’s beer gardens. We started off in the Viktualienmarkt which is an open food market right in the old town. There a number of stalls selling fresh produce and other items and all of it is surrounded by bars and restaurants. We chose to have our lunch in Zwickl restaurant. We had pork meatballs with a potato salad and Käsespätzle, which are tiny pasta bits cooked in a cheesy sauce, incredibly delicious. It was about 13 euros per dish which is an ok price I guess for the centre of Munich.
Once fed and watered, we set off to Englischer Garten which is this enormous park right in the centre of Munich. You can spend hours there, so many lovely paths to stroll, there is a river you can swim in as well as surf, there are multiple beer gardens and food options available. The day we were there, it was full of people sunbathing and enjoying the weekend. Really worth a visit and would be great to explore on a bike or an e-scooter.
For our second day in Munich, we downloaded a walking tour which took us past all the main attractions we skipped the previous day. It was a really great way to explore the city and fun too trying to work out the directions 😂
There were a lot of highlights on route, one of them being St Peter’s church in the Old Town. It is one of the oldest churches and it is very impressive inside. That day, we walked in straight after a service and the air was thick with incense which made the visit somewhat mystical too.
No visit to Munich is complete without having a pint in the famous Hofbrau. This huge brewery and a restaurant can sit 5000 people and I’m kind of glad we didn’t visit during Oktoberfest as I can imagine the place would be absolutely manic. It was still pretty lively for a Sunday afternoon and one pint quickly turned into 2 and then food followed. It is a fun experience and yes, it is totally touristy but who cares, the beer and food were good and so was the atmosphere.
Other highlights of the tour included the Jewish synagogue (a very striking building) and the shrine celebrating Michael Jackson (yes, it was weird). One place where I stopped and was quiet for a moment was this:
It doesn’t look like much, just some cobbles of different color. The story behind is quite moving though. Not sure how many of you know that Munich was where Adolf Hitler’s movement really took off and when the city was all controlled by the Nazis, everyone entering Odeonsplatz (one of the main squares) had to do a Nazi salute (nothing pleasant would await you if you didn’t). The above pictured side street and the golden cobbles represent those who decided not to salute and turned left just before entering Odeonsplatz.
On our second evening, we visited Augustiner Keller for some food and it didn’t disappoint. We were treated with the most delicious meat feast and a great beer. The place is huge and has one of the largest beer gardens I have ever seen. Defo worth a visit.
On our last day, we decided to pop over to Nymphenburg Palace. It’s a beautiful former royal residence, slightly out of the town centre but you can get a cab there easily. We didn’t go inside the palace but the grounds were super impressive and it was a very peaceful place to go for a stroll.
If you have more time here or the city doesn’t interest you as much, you can venture out of Munich and be at the foothills of the Alps in just over an hour. This was our plan but the weather got in the way. I guess that gives you a reason to come back 😁
Overall, I really enjoyed my few days in Munich. The city is easy to navigate, there is plenty to see and do, people are friendly and the food is delicious. What’s there not to like! British Airways flies to Munich daily and that’s how we got there. Flying with BA was a nice experience. I will leave you with some must-try foods in Munich, till next time!
