Day 1 – Thursday (05/28/2015)
We arrived in Munich around 11am after a 2 and a half hour flight from Dublin. We landed at the city's only airport, Munich Airport and we bought the family transport day pass for 22.30 euros (it was worth it according to our calculations), which gave us the right to use public transport all day. We took the S1 metro from the airport to our hotel, but we could have taken the S8 as well, as the hotel itself website from the airport indicates.
We got off at the metro station of the main train station, Main Bath, because our hotel was right next door. We stayed at the Hotelissimo Haberstock – a friend’s choice – but I don’t know if I would stay there again. They put us in a room on the top floor that seemed much worse than the rooms on the lower floors. I didn’t like the bed or the carpet in the room, the shower drain was clogged and the hotel’s reception was still under construction. I thought the electricity in the hotel area was a bit bad (areas near the main train stations tend to be a bit weird, right?), but nothing too bad. On the other hand, the breakfast and the service from the staff were great and we only had to walk about 10 minutes to get to the top part of the city.
We went straight to lunch at beer garden Augustine Keller, from 1812, which was very close to our hotel. For those who don't know, beer garden (in German) or beer garden (in English) is an open place where people drink and eat at large shared tables. The vibe of the place is delightful, as is the Augustiner beer and the typical German food, which is not at all healthy.
We took tram 17 at the station Hacker Bridge and we move on to the main attraction of the day, the Nyphemburg Palace (or Palace of the Nymphs), which was completed in 1675 and was the official summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria. We paid 6 euros to visit just the palace, but there is a package that gives you access to more places to visit, for 11.50 euros per person. We found the surroundings beautiful, especially the Great Hall. After a half-hour visit, we headed to the garden at the back of the castle (and it's free!) and enjoyed the bar and benches in the sun to relax in style.
We returned to the hotel with tram 17 and got ready to watch the ballet Romeo & Juliet at State Opera (Munich Opera). We entered the their website and since it was almost sold out, we bought the cheapest ticket available (8.50 euros each), up there, on what my father calls the “perch”. To our surprise, our seats were STANDING and we spent 3 hours wishing for a seat. Thank goodness it was worth every bit of pain we felt, because the guys rocked the choreography, costumes and orchestra. The Opera building itself didn’t impress me that much, because it was certainly bombed in the Second World War and its architecture is a bit confusing.
We had dinner at a restaurant recommended by a German friend that is right in front of the Opera, the Spatenhaus. Excellent typical Bavarian food, with great service. I recommend it!
Day 2 – Friday (05/29/2015)
We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and went to explore the city center. We entered it through Karlsplatz, which is an interesting square with a large water fountain in the middle. We crossed the Karlstor, a medieval gate that was destroyed in the Second World War, and we come across a very wide street for pedestrians only, with several shops, restaurants and churches on both sides.
We first entered the Burgersaalkirche, which was built in 1710 as a place for a Catholic organization linked to the Jesuits, but which became a church in 1778. Its building was massively destroyed during World War II, but the frescoes are original.
We continued on to a more famous church, the Michael's Church, from 1597, which is the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps. It was also destroyed in World War II, but was restored in two years, being completed in 1948.
We continued on to the third church of the day, Asam Church, Built from 1733 to 1746 by the Asam brothers as a church for families only. Due to a revolt by the population, they were forced to make the church public. It is beautiful inside and out and is located next to a building that was the family home.
We walk down the street Sendlinger, which is quite nice and we stop where it is Sendlinger Tor, another medieval city gate that was rebuilt after World War II. From there, we headed to St. Jacob's Square, where is the Ohel Jakob synagogue and the Jewish Museum.
We continue to the St Peterkirche, from 1368, which is the oldest parish church in the city and many believe that it is where the city began to emerge. It has a 91-meter tower known as Alter Peter, which can be explored by tourists who are willing to climb its more than 300 claustrophobic steps.
(NOTE: They say the view from there is beautiful, but I thought it was better to pay 2.50 euros to go up in the elevator at the town hall, on the last day of the trip).
We passed by Marienplatz, which has been the city's main square since 1158, with its 2 beautiful buildings: New Townhouse (new city hall) and the Old Town Hall (old town hall), the latter used until 1874.
We were starving and the Viktualienmarkt It was a perfect fit for us. This place is the oldest market in the city (since 1807), and it is open with several restaurants and huge tables that are shared, in the style of beer garden. We chose to stray from traditional German food and eat at the Norwegian restaurant North Sea. The lobster and shrimp were delicious and much healthier than pork knuckle or sausage, right?
We entered the church Theatine Church, Built from 1663 to 1690 by Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide, as a gesture of gratitude for the birth of their son Max Emanuel, the future heir to the Bavarian crown. Unfortunately, the front of the building was under construction, but it was possible to enter and see its white beauty.
There's the park right next door Hofgarten, which is right behind the ResidenceWe decided to walk around there a little to rest from so much historical information and to enjoy the wonderful sun that was shining.
We ended the day at the most famous bar in the city, Hofbrauhaus, which is known for being one of the places where Hitler gave memorable speeches. We were surprised by typical Bavarian live music and loved the purchase scheme pretzels with the staff walking around the tables. The restaurant's food is quite tasty, but nothing spectacular.
Day 3 – Saturday (05/30/2015)
After a full breakfast, we went to see the city's cathedral, Frauenkirche, built in 1494 in Gothic style with Renaissance style towers. It has two towers measuring 99 meters each and was severely destroyed in World War II.
We left there and went to the Marienplatz, to see one of the city's main attractions, the Rathaus Glockenspiel. Every day at 11am, 12pm and 5pm, the 43 bells of the new town hall ring and the 32 puppets move around acting out two important moments of the 16th century: the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine and a dance that symbolized loyalty and perseverance in difficult times of plague. At the end of the 13 minutes, a rooster at the top clucks very discreetly to announce the end of the show. It's cute and worth watching.
We kept walking until the Deutsches Museum, which is located outside the city center, on an islet in the Isar River. This museum was opened in 1925 and is the largest museum of technology and science in the world! There are more than 28,000 items on display from around 50 different areas and you can see all of this for just 11 euros. The little shop is also very interesting!
We went to lunch at the Italian restaurant L'Osteria, which is close to Karlsplatz and has a good rating on TripAdvisor (4). I thought the service was terrible and of the 4 dishes we ordered, 3 were just so-so. I think the staff gives good reviews because the place is really cool and their strong point must be pizza. Since we ordered pasta, we didn't think it was anything special.
From there we went to the famous English Garden, which is one of the largest urban parks in the world, surpassing Central Park in NY, for example. We passed in front of the place where surfers catch waves in a river (on the street Princeregentenstrasse where the river iceberg is) and we think it's sensational. Watch a video here. Then we went to the middle of the park. (Chinese Pagoda) to eat typical German food and drink good beer at huge shared tables. All to the sound of a lively band. We loved it!
To end the day, we stopped on the way to the hotel at the restaurant/bar Augustine, that is on the street Neuhauserstrasse, the main pedestrian one when you enter the central area through Karlstor. Cool atmosphere and great beer, for a change.
Day 4 – Sunday (05/31/2015)
We rented a car in advance from Hertz and hit the road towards the famous castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Hohenschwangau and the Neuschwanstein. They are two hours from Munich by car and the road is wonderful, with some stretches like highway, which are known for having no speed limit. It's amazing to drive through them and be overtaken by cars at 300 km/h, but some people prefer to take the bus tour as well (check it out here).
As we already knew that the lines to buy tickets there at the time were huge, we booked in advance on this website, paying a fee of 1.80 euros per person per castle. When we arrived at the tourist office, we were shocked by the length of the line to buy tickets, but we found the reservation line, with absolutely no one in it. It was an immediate relief and I have to recommend it here! Please don't go through the frustration that those people went through just to save 1.80 euros. It's not even guaranteed that you'll be able to buy tickets on the spot, as there are a limited number of visits per day (we knew someone who got there and couldn't get in). Oh! Just one detail: quaWhen you book your tickets, you choose the time of your visit and you have to arrive at least 1 hour in advance to pick up your ticket at this center. If you miss your time, they say they will try to fit you in later, but it is not guaranteed.. Attention, okay!!!!
We bought the package that included both castles, the first one to be visited being the Hohenschwangau at 1:15 p.m. We collected our tickets at 12 p.m. and got ready to walk up to the castle, a journey that must have taken about 20 minutes. For those who don't like walking, you can also take a horse-drawn carriage to the castle.
The area around the castle is really cool and the view from it is amazing. We took lots of pictures and walked around the little shop and at 1:15 pm sharp, our number tour appeared on the screen above the turnstile and we inserted our tickets to enter. When we passed through the turnstile and entered the castle, we picked up the audio guide and started the tour with a group of people and a guide, who managed the time spent in each room and helped with questions and problems with the device. The castle is really cool inside, but you can't take photos. You'll have to go there to see it 😉
After 40 minutes of tour, we walked down a longer path, which passed by the lake Alpsee. What a beautiful view! I recommend going down there.
We stopped to eat some bratwurst (a kind of hot dog) and we got in line for the bus to the main castle, the Neuschwanstein. The walk to the castle takes about 40 minutes and we thought it was better to avoid it, so we paid 1.80 euros per person to just go up (a round trip costs 2.60 euros). The bus stopped right in front of a trail to a famous bridge, from where the best photos of the castle are taken, but since we were on a tight schedule and the place was packed with tourists, we didn't get to enjoy it much. Here's a tip: go with plenty of time to spare to enjoy the view of the castle and the waterfall.
We walked about 10 minutes to the castle and at 3:40 pm, punctually, we went in to do the tour with the audio guide in Portuguese. We found the group very large (I think about 50 people) and the tour less complete than the first castle, but I don't know if it's always like that or if we were unlucky. Anyway...
On the way back to Munich, we stopped in the city of Seeshaupt, which is on the edge of the lake Starnberger See and was recommended by a German friend. We took the opportunity to eat at the city's #1 restaurant on TripAdvisor, Cafe am See. Great food, cheap and a spectacular view!
Day 5 – Monday (01/06/2015)
We did the checkout from the hotel, but we left our bags there to walk around the city more. We went straight to the city hall, because we wanted to go up in the elevator to see the view of the city (we tried to go on Saturday, but it was closed). We paid 2.50 per person and without any effort, we were at the top of the tower, with Munich at our feet. It would be perfect if it weren't for the fences everywhere...
From there we went to the Residence, where we bought the full ticket for 13 euros, which allowed us to visit the treasury, chambers and theater. The palace served as the residence of the rulers of Bavaria between 1508 and 1918 and was badly damaged during World War II. Anyone who has visited Versailles or other intact palaces will be a little disappointed, because several rooms were rebuilt after the war, with non-original items. Even so, I thought it was worth the visit.
We stopped for lunch and to kill time at Viktualienmarkt and after picking up our bags at the hotel, we took the S1 subway to the airport. Simple, fast and practical. Every city should have subways that run to/from the airport, right? We arrived home very satisfied! 🙂
