Jordan and I traveled to Munich to join our friends at the Oktoberfest festival and see what the city had to offer (*spoiler alert* a lot!)  We LOVED Munich!  The city was so clean and so easy to navigate.  The food was seriously amazing (of course!!) AND, our friends were able to join us.  Overall, it was one of my favorite trips – and this is significant because I was initially so hesitant to go.

*To skip all this jazz and read specifically about Oktoberfest, click here!*

 

Flight

We flew EasyJet to Munich and Condor back to Sicily.  Both flights were easy and smooth.   The flight to Munich was definitely one of the most beautiful flights I’ve ever taken, as we flew right over the Alps.

 

Beer

You don’t have to go far to get a good beer once you land in Munich.  Ashley, John, Jordan and I all reunited at a bar right in the middle of the airport.   The beer was so amazing that we looked for it all over the city, with no luck.  We wondered if we just thought it was good because it was our first beer upon arrival.  But, after getting to the airport early just to have another, we determined the beer is really just that good.

I later looked it up online because I still really wanted to know where to find it.  As it turns out, it is literally only sold at the airport, hence the name Airbräu.  I am very entertained by this fact, but also pleased because it means all flights through Munich will result in me acquiring this beer.  Spend the extra 5 minutes in the airport to savor one of these babies.

 

 

Food

We visited quite a few food joints in Munich, but I only have photos from one: Spatenhaus at the opera.  This beautiful place was situated, well, right in front of the opera house (as the name states).  I also noted the adjacent Louis Vuitton 🙂  Anyway, the food here was very traditional and done exceptionally well.  The service was also pretty good!

Some of our other favorite spots included:

• Hirschgarten – Hosts the largest beer garden in Munich (and possibly in Europe) that seats over 8,000 people!
• Brasserie Tresznjewski – Visit for an amazing brunch (seriously drooling just thinking about it)!
• Augustiner-Keller – Third largest beer garden in Munich, seating 5,000 people!  The traditional food here was some of the best we had!
• Ratskeller – Location is very central (like Spatenhaus at the Opera).  It’s a restaurant in a cellar with regional dishes (which were delish!) and huge beers!
• Platzl Karree Boden & Bar – For a nice drink in an incredibly scenic setting.
• Hofbrauhaus – Check out this traditional beer hall if you want to get really crazy!  We just walked though, as all of the noise and excitement (aka drunkeness) was just too much for me.

 

Special thanks to Ashley for helping me out with this section!

 

 

Nymphenburg Palace

My mind was totally blown the moment we stepped into the Palace.  With its Baroque architecture, the rooms were absolutely stunning! Nymphenburg Palace opened in 1675 and was originally the main summer home of the former rulers of Bavaria (House of Wittelsbach).  You could spend quite a bit of time here if you choose. Make sure to bring your camera (I forgot my battery. Boo).

 

 

Munich Residence

Another one of my favorite tours was Munich Residence.  It was also centrally located, so very easy to access.

As one of the largest museum complexes in Bavaria, we were completely unprepared for a museum of its size!  We decided to check it out prior to heading to our Oktoberfest reservations on Saturday.  This lead to us running out of the labyrinth toward the end.  It is recommended that you provide adequate time to walk though (at least the Palace portion) if you visit.

The Munich Residence started as a castle in 1385 and was gradually transformed by the rulers over the centuries into a palace served as the seat of the government.  It was the residence of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings from 1508 to 1918.  Today, the palace is home to art collections from the Renaissance to the early Baroque and Rococo epochs to Neoclassicism.  Honestly, it is something to behold!

 

Odeonsplatz

Large square near Munich Residence and in the central part of the city.  An art festival and huge farmers market both popped up while we were there.

 

Marienplatz

Marienplatz is the city-center square with a larger than life cuckoo clock (The Glockenspiel), St. Peter’s church, two town halls & a toy museum.

I was most excited to see The Glockenspiel, but we actually had a really hard time arriving in time!   For your information, The Glockenspiel is active every day at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 5 p.m.  If you visit between November and February, the 5 p.m. performance doesn’t occur. The performance is approximately 12 minutes long and ends with a cuckoo bird coming out above the display.  It was pretty neat to see!

As a side note, you can climb the tower of St. Peter’s church to get an amazing view of Marienplatz and the city.  We didn’t have time, unfortunately.

 

 

Day Trips from Munich

We slept too late to do any of the day trips we planned, but here are some ideas for you:

• Salzburg, Austria – Technically, you can make this a day trip, but I’d probably stay a night or two. Trains from Munich to Salzburg take approximately 1.5 – 2 hours. On an average weekday, there are 36 trains per day on this route.  There are tons of things to do – from sightseeing in the city to hiking in the Alps.
• Nuremberg, Germany The trip is approximately 1 hour via train. It’s the city in which the Nuremberg trials were held, but also is known for its medieval architecture, especially in the Old Town.
• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site  Right outside of the city and around 30 minutes to 1 hr via train. It’s the site of a former Nazi concentration camp.  It has been converted to a memorial and museum.