Munich: the Bavarian city to do list

The best would be to preferably go to a warm place, but sometimes Lufthansa offers are so tempting that the decision for February destination as Munich, in Bavaria, could be good as well.

Here then is what I do when traveling to the north during the winter season:  I try to find a hotel that allows me to warm up after walking in the cold for a whole day: a hotel, in short, with a health club or at least a sauna or steam bath.
And that’s usually  what I do in the late afternoon: a “warm” break to be then ready for dinner and after dinner.

Munich is a city that for safety, environment, cleaning and transports deserves a very high grade; public transportation is very efficient and safe, even at night, and that’s why so many people leave the car at home and prefer trams, subway or bicycles.

My  first advice is to get the Munich CityTourCard. This card, which exists in two versions: 1 day and 3 days can be purchased for the individual or for the family [the one day version costs respectively 9,90€ and  16.90€].

This card allow you to use all public transport in the urban area and offers up to 50% discounts for the entry fee in many museums and monuments.

Be aware that in most of the museums admission is free on Sunday .

But let’s get to what to visit in Monaco, which is obviously very well known worldwide for its famous Oktoberfest, with its gallons of beer.
Here then 10 things not to miss, according to our opinion.

Altstadt is the old town and roughly corresponds to the medieval city. It is a  pleasure to walk in this area and admiring buildings and churches that overlook the main road, but also in the narrow side streets. And we guarantee that in the central area there are several attractions that worth a visit!

Marienplatz is undoubtedly the city’s navel. In this square there are always groups of tourists fascinated  from the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) which houses the Toy Museum, but especially from the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) that every day at 11 a.m. [in summer at noon and at 5 p.m. too] offers the wonderful spectacle of the dancing carillon. This carillon is hosted on the tower which rises to 85 meters height.

Nymphenburg Palace is another of the attractions that most tourists visit in Munich. This is on of the largest summer residences in Europe and was built by the Duke Ferninando Maria in the seventeenth century.
Besides the castle other palaces worth a visit: the Marstallmuseum which houses a remarkable collection of porcelain and royal carriages, the minor castle Amalienburg, the Badenburg with its first heated pool in modern Europe, the Magdalenenklause and the Pagodenburg. In order to visit all the buildings inside you can buy a combined ticket at € 10.

The Asamkirche [Sedlinger Str.32] is a very special church. First of all its location between shops and houses is not so usual and his harmonious style  blends baroque sculpture, architecture and painting. Of particular interest are The four confessionals that are located near the entrance are really particular and are dedicated to St. John of Nepomuk which named the church.

The Liebfrauendom [Frauenplatz 1], also called Frauenkirche, is one of the symbols of the city of Munich. With its grandeur, is one of the largest churches in southern Germany. The popular legend tells that the devil has left an imprint in the cathedral, which is still visible at the entrance. In the choir hold the tombs of Louis of Bavaria and his wife Beatrice of Swabia.

The Bayerische Staatsoper [Max-Joseph-Platz] is Munich National Theatre. This neoclassical building is a famous opera house, the largest of its kind worldwide. It was built with the intent to be the royal court theater of Ludovico the second. Today, the program is very nourished especially during summer for the opera festival.

Shopaholics should not miss a walk in Maximilianstrasse, a monumental avenue among the most beautiful hauses of Monaco.
Fine shops, galleries and restaurants [ that in summer offer nice terraces] merge into a harmonious ensemble.
It is nice to walk there on Saturday afternoon, meeting tourists and citizens who enjoy the time, but in my opinion it is much more pleasant walking on a Sunday morning, when you can meet very few people and you can stop for breakfast in one of the nice coffee along the street.

Wiener Platz is the square of milk and honey for food lovers.
This square is closed to traffic and there are stalls selling all kinds of food, from organic vegetables to first order butchers, from bakeriess with any type of bread to delicious pastries.
Most of the stalls are in brick houses and seem rather small shops.

The Allianz Arena [Muenchen-Froettmaning] is the latest symbol of the city and is the playing field of the two football teams: FC Bayer  and Munich 1860. It is considered the most beautiful football stadium in the world and it is visible even from the highway coming from the airport. The best would be to visit it while watching a football game, then you would have the possibility of admiring it with the splendid artificial lighting.

The Deutsches Museum, the World’s Largest Museum of Science and Technology alone is worthing a trip to Munich. 
The impressive size of the museum and the most disparate things that therein are displayed deserve at least a half-day visit. Exhibitions of aircraft, ships and vehicles are very interesting and much more are the rooms devoted to physics and chemistry where you can carry out experiments that aim to explain the most basic rules, but also more the complex ones.

In order to end with the 10 things not to be missed, I need to add an eleven one: I can not conclude the list without suggesting the beer. And it really is something that you can not miss while isiting the city, even if you do not attend Oktoberfest. We recommend that you drink it in the mass, the one-liter mug.