Highlights

• Altstadt (Old Town)
• Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel
• Frauenkirche
• English Gardens and Chinese Tower
• Siegestor Triumphal Arch
• St. Peter’s Church & Tower
• Munich Residence to visit and for concerts
• Hofgarten
• Max-Joseph-Platz
• St. Michael München
• Asamkirche
• Viktualienmarkt for tasty food
• Sendlinger Tor, often with outdoor markets
• Allianz Arena for concerts, football etc
• Messe München Conference Centre
• Westpark and Riemer Parkruns
• Schloss Nymphenburg (Palace)
• Alte Pinakothek art museum
• Königsplatz
• Bavarian National Museum
• Maximilianeum
• Galerie unter dem Friedensengel street art
• Angel of Peace (Friedensengel)
• Olympiastadion built for the 1972 Olympics
• BMW Museum
• Isar Philharmonic
• Hellabrunn Zoo
• Münchner Stadtmuseum
• Jewish Museum
• Prinzregententheater
• AMUSEUM of Contemporary Art, Street Art Museum
• Bavaria Filmstadt working film studios
• Close to Neuschwantein Castle- famous Cinderella style

Before you go

• Munich is the capital of Bavaria and third largest city in Germany
• Although Bavaria is part of Germany, the language has slight differences and a unique accent
• Well-known for Oktoberfest – if you buy the local clothes be aware that these are considered cultural items and not costumes
• You can bring your own food to beer gardens and some may have a deposit for glasses so return them at the end
• Many shops are closed on Sundays
• However, some museums only cost 1 euro on Sundays
• For popular restaurants and bars, book in advance
• Some restaurants close between lunch and dinner
• Most places don’t take American Express and a few still only accept cash
• You may also need cash for public toilets
• There are lots of bicycles and bike lanes so watch where you walk as a pedestrian
• Post boxes for Deutsche Post are yellow
• BMW and Siemens have their HQs here
• Allianz stadium does not accept unofficially resold tickets so I learned that the hard way
• FC Bayern Munich is the famous pro football team followed by TSV 1860 Munich
• Public transport is very good and cars can’t go through parts of the old town
• Jaywalking is illegal in Germany, and it is especially frowned upon in the presence of children
• Enjoy the variety of street art while walking around
• Weather can be changeable so be prepared

Transport

• The Munich International airport (MUC) is located about 30 minutes north on the S8 train or by car
• The public transport is excellent and you can consider the daily and weekly passes. Don’t forget to validate!
• U-bahn trains run underground and S-Bahn and other trains run above ground
• Often times you do not have to tap in or out, but you can be checked by inspectors at any time
• If you are venturing out for day trips then look for the Bayern Ticket (Bavaria Ticket)

Accommodation

• The most recent hotel I stayed at was Holiday Inn Munich – Leuchtenbergring by IHG. It was relatively cheap and conveniently located between the Messe Munich conference centre and my office. However, it was fairly basic and some staff were not very polite
• As usual I recommend checking reviews on Google Reviews or using AirBnB

Food

City Centre Restaurants

SEEHAUS im Englischen Garten is a great choice for a European-style meal and beer in the beautiful garden setting.

China-Restaurant Gam-Sing near Westpark was recommended by Chinese colleagues as the best Chinese food in Munich. The restaurant was very friendly and the food was delicious and reasonably priced.

Noah’s Pizzeria and Tapas by Noah`s are neighbouring restaurants with Italian food and fusion tapas. Book ahead as they get very busy.

Augustiner is one of the main breweries and they have many beer house restaurants around the city including Augustiner-Keller, Augustiner Stammhaus, and Augustiner Klosterwirt.

Der Pschorr and Zum Franziskaner are similar beer house restaurants with traditional German food.

YUM thai kitchen & bar, Khang Restaurant Vietnamese Cuisine & Sushi and Lacodo Japanese & Vietnamese food and Cocktail Bar are tasty options for Asian food. Interestingly, many of the Asian restaurants in Munich serve cuisine from more than one country, so you get a variety of dishes.

I went to Urban Turban Indian Restaurant & Café mainly because I liked the name. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, and their curries were flavourful. They said to let them know next time if I can handle more spice!

Meraki Greek restaurant was near my hotel and had fresh and delicious food. It had a very buzzy atmosphere, although I ended up getting takeaway at the end of a long work day.

City Centre Snacks and Desserts

Elly Seidl chocolates and Chocolaterie Beluga – Marienplatz-Untergeschossare two options for high-quality chocolates with German flavours such as marzipan.

BLN Döner is a popular kebab shop that usually has a queue out the door.

Chocolatte Eis gelateria is a neighbourhood gelato shop with many tasty flavours at reasonable prices.

Luitpold & Auguste deli and bakery is an upscale bakery and cafe which has nice pastries and meals.

Interestingly, when I searched for bakeries, not many had very high ratings. I ended up mainly eating pretzels from the hotel breakfast and at beer gardens!

Near Messe München

Loved the Kaiser’schmarrn from Kaiser’s. A typical Bavarian and Austrian dessert which has cut-up pancakes, sugar, fruits and sometimes a splash of rum.

For salads and sandwiches, dean & david cafe is an option in the nearby mall. However, it gets crowded and the waiting time was very long.

Thi Minh – Vietnam was a great and quick place for Vietnamese and Thai food, and even a bit of Japanese food. I had the bun with beef in betel leaves and it was tasty and filling!

Finally, if you want fancy cookies then try Cookie Couture. They hand-decorate and fill the cookies to order.