Guide on where to stay, what to eat and what to do on a trip to Munich in Germany’s Bavaria.
Why Munich?
Berlin is known as the metropolitan buzzy city of Germany. If you want something more traditional then Munich is a great option. Visit beer halls (which are open all year round not just Oktoberfest), escape to fairytale castles and enjoy local traditional markets.
How to get there?
Many cities like London fly straight to Munich. The airport is about an hour away by public transport to the centre of the city (but less than a 30 minute drive). Or if you want to have a multi destination trip with Austria or Italy you could also get a train to/from that country through Trainline.
Where to stay?
We stayed at Eurostars Grand Central, which was a lovely hotel. 10 minute walk from the central station where most day tours depart from and a comfortable 30 minute walk (straight down the road) to the middle of the city.
What to do?
Our first day, we walked down to Marienplatz visiting local shops where you can buy cuckoo clocks, steins and other souvenirs. The local market was busy and had performances from local bands which we enjoyed with a curry wurst (sausage with curry sauce and chips) and Spezi (German soft drink which is cola mixed with orange soda). The local architecture ranges from medieval to gothic and feels like you’re in the middle of a Disney or Brothers Grimm fairytale.
Our second day we had booked a day trip through Viator to Neuschwanstein Castle. This involved taking a 2 hour train (and bus due to rail construction works) to Fussen where our tour guide gave us an overview of Ludwig II who built the castle and some historical context. We then walked up to the viewing bridge which was spectacular. I would say, if you’re scared of heights you might want to skip the bridge- it’s very busy with around 200 people on it at any one time and you can feel the boards move. If you do brave the bridge, as well as taking pictures of the castle be sure to look on the other side where there’s a very pretty waterfall too. It’s worth paying the extra money (€17) to visit inside the castle. This tour only lasts 30 minutes but it really is spectacular.
I was so pleased with this trip as this castle has been on my bucket list for some time and it didn’t disappoint!
What to eat
You can get curry wurst at various stalls or local takeouts and would recommend trying it. Many bakeries also sell pretzels which makes a nice light breakfast or snack! For dinner we ate at Ratskeller and Augustiner Keller which were both fantastic. Traditional Bavarian food, beers and wine we had a great time. Ratskeller is inside the Rathaus gothic building in Marienplatz and Augustiner is closer to the central station (and our hotel). My food and drink “bucket list” for Munich is:
- curry wurst
- pretzel
- beer
- Riesling (wine)
- bratwurst
- potato salat
- schitnzel
- sauerkraut
- obatza (cream cheese blended with brie and wheat beer)
- Black Forest gateau
Munich is the perfect place for a winter city break and definitely Pink Gin Passport approved!