Bavarian Germany Part 1 - Munich Gardens and the Altstadt

Hofgarten near Odeonsplatz - beautiful area just south of the English Garden

The Munich Airport is smaller than Charles de Gaulle, but has great wi-fi and lots of options for eating.  The primary transit lines in Munich are the S-Bahn (red trains) and U-Bahn(blue&white trains)--they share stations so pay attention to which one you're boarding.  From the airport you can take the S1 or S8 train into town, and it is good to figure out in advance which is faster for reaching your destination.  Note that an S-Bahn ticket from the airport to the center of Munich is pre-validated, so don't worry about sticking it into the punch boxes!  TIP: Individual single-trip/stripe tickets on the S/U-Bahn aren't cheap (2-3euro each)--buy a Group Day/Airport ticket if you're going to be exploring all day, and you'll save yourself time and probably money, as well.  Also, your Airport ticket is good for the entire day on all S/U-Bahn lines (until 6am of next day following purchase), so take advantage and explore the city outside the Altstadt on the your first day.

Munich in August was pretty warm, but nothing us Floridians couldn't handle! 😎  Night time was very pleasant but cool enough to need a light jacket.  One hotel we stayed in didn't have central A/C, and it was pretty miserable even with the portable unit that we paid to rent (the hallways seemed to recirculate warm air that leaked into the rooms).  Our second hotel, Motel One Munich (Deutsche Museum location), was much more comfortable, plus newly built and very affordable, and was about 15 minutes walk to the nearest subway station.  We highly recommend this hotel chain based on our experience!

The Altsdat (old town) in Munich is a wonderful place that is deceptively large--you can easily spend a whole day walking the streets and not see everything, plus there are a TON of shops and restaurants, plus the Viktualienmarkt market and beer garden.  On a busy summer day, it can be tough to find a seat in the beer garden, so you might consider eating at a neighboring restaurant with outdoor seating, or pick up something to-go from one of the vendors nearby.  This part of town attracts both tourists and locals, so it is lively and crowded, but in a good way--you'll blend right in no matter what!  While the Altstadt has maintained many historic structures, Marienplatz has become filled with chain-stores like Urban Outfitters and H&M, much like the Champs-Elysee in Paris, and while it is tempting to waste time in these stores doing something familiar, you should be brave and keep exploring this fantastic city--you can always visit your local mall back in the USA!

Bavarian Cuisine Has Something For Everyone!

We enjoyed our dinner at the Hofbrauhaus--other than the slow service we were pleasantly surprised!  They had a delicious non-alcohol hefeweizen, excellent pork knuckle (Schweinshaxe), prices weren't crazy and it was fun to meet new people (we made friends from Spain!).  It's pretty loud so if you're starving and have a headache you might want to eat elsewhere.  It seemed like the bathrooms on the ground floor were open for anybody to use, and it definitely showed.  Tip: The Hafbrauhaus is a massive building, and while the quieter upper levels of the restaurant are generally only open to those with reservations, it is still cool to walk around and quickly admire the history of the building.


We also enjoyed a quick lunch at the Ratskeller restaurant in Marienplatz--decent food, English menu with pictures, reasonable prices, nice staff, very clean and air conditioned!  You can also use their bathroom for about 50cents.

With all of this, and much more, in the Altstadt part of town, you might be wondering, "Why go anywhere else in Munich?"  Venturing further out can indeed be very rewarding, but as a tourist you'll likely find that many of the most interesting parts of town are fairly spread out, so plan to jump around the city with the metro system and doing a lot of walking.

Munich Outside the Altstadt

Angel of Peace monument

We recommend starting about mid-way up the English Garden, at the Muncher Freiheit metro station (you'll have to walk eastward a bit to get into the garden, but it's a nice area), and then head south in the garden toward the Chinese Tower Beer Garden.  The garden is a quiet, shady stroll (sometimes with events in the central field), and you'll be hungry for some German food and refreshment by the time you reach the Tower.  Then, continue south in the garden to the Eisbachwelle, where you can often see athletes surfing in the river--or go for a swim yourself!  If you're a lover of ornate historic monuments and fountains, don't miss the Angel of Peace, which is east of the English Garden's southernmost point (along Prinzregentenstrasse and across the Luitpold Bridge).  If you head west of the English Garden you'll be in Odeonsplatz, surrounded by amazing historic architecture, and the smaller (but beautiful) Hofgarten.

Finally, walk north on Ludwigstrasse toward the

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (left image) which has not only a beautiful campus, but lots of funky shops and cafes around it.  Where Ludwigstrasse turns into Leopoldstrasse is the Siegestor (right image), a huge archway with a stunning statue atop it--Bavaria itself with four lions leading the path!
 

Still have some energy left??  From here, walk back south to the University metro station, and take the U-6 or U-3 south to the Marienplatz station, then walk south through the Viktualienmarkt (grab a quick snack if you need) and onto Reichenbachstrasse.  On this road you'll continue south to Gartnerplatz, but first grab some dinner at one of the numerous restaurants in this hip area, such as YUM Thai (the best Thai we've had in a while).  The streets surrounding Gartnerplatz are full of character, even in the summer, and it's not very touristy (yet).  Finally, if you want to end your night drinking with the locals, continue southeast to the Reichenbachbrücke, grab a drink at the nearby Platzl Hotel Kiosk and relax down by the Isar River.

Surfing at the Eisbachwelle

 Unfortunately we only had a few days to spend in Munich, and we didn't get to any museums--there are some great ones, though, such as the Pinahotek Moderne and the family-friendly Deutsches Museum of Science.  Munich is, of course, home to Bavarian Motor Works (also known as BMW), which has two museum-type experiences, the BMW Museum and BMW Welt. 

If you want to soak up some more Bavarian culture and see some Alpine beauty, be sure to pencil in a couple days for visiting Fussen and Neuschwanstein Castle--check out our post on this part of our trip!

 Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your own tips and favorite spots in Munich below.  Keep traveling!