Travel
24 Hours In… Munich
24 Hours In MunichMunich, capital of the “free state of Bavaria”, prides itself on being just that little bit different from everywhere else in Germany: A glorified village at heart that also happens to be one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Germany; Ostentatiously wealthy, yet socially inclusive to a fault; Hard-working, especially at enjoying life… they don’t call it the most northerly Italian city for nothing. Find out which side of the contradictory city is your favourite.
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Olympia ParkSunrise: Begin The Day At Olympiapark. This close to the Alps, what better place to watch the sunrise than from the top of a mountain? It’s a small one by Bavarian standards, but the “Olympic Mountain” – which began as a heap of post-war rubble and was turned into the green landscape you see today for the 1972 Olympics – offers excellent views of the sun rising over the city to the east, illuminating the stunning tent structure encircling the Olympic Stadium to the west. olympiapark.de/en/olympiapark-munich
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24 Hours In… Munich.
Eisbach Surfers8am: Watch The Inner-City Surfers. Watch the locals catch an early wave at the Eisbach, Munich’s stationary inner-city wave. Since a few intrepid pioneers first discovered the spot in the 1970s, the urban surfing scene has grown; riding the wave has been legalised and queues begin to form at dawn. Neoprene-clad surfers can be seen cycling towards the English Gardens clutching their boards, then patiently lining up for their turn, which inevitably ends with a refreshing dip in the freezing water. eisbachwelle.de
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Lost Weekend10am: Breakfast At A Bookstore. Amble through the park towards Maxvorstadt, the heart of the university quarter, home to both of the city’s large, internationally renowned universities. Settle in for breakfast at Lost Weekend and watch the students recovering from said weekend, preparing for lectures or socialising. Formerly a rather boring, run-of-the-mill university bookshop, the space now houses a vegan cafe, hosts events… and still sells books, albeit in a way cooler setting. facebook.com/lostweekendmuenchen
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Museums11am: Mosey Through The Museums. Time for a bit of culture. A stone’s throw from the universities, you’ll find over a dozen museums, most of them displaying art ranging from classical and antique to modern and contemporary, but also collections devoted to design, paleontology or the documentation of the history of National Socialism. The museums are dispersed across several blocks, dissected by busy streets, but the city is working on creating a unified museum quarter. kunstareal.de [Photo:(a)artwork/Flickr]
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24 Hours In… Munich.
Marienplatz12am: Glockenspiel With A Side Of Weißwurst. Make sure you get to Marienplatz – the central square flanked by Munich’s old and new town hall – before noon to catch the playing of the Glockenspiel. The revolving display of figurines depicts scenes from the city’s history, accompanied by a tune played by 43 chimes. Instead of craning your neck to observe the popular attraction, head to the café that takes its name from the Glockenspiel, where you can sit in comfort and quickly order a so-called “white” sausage (Weißwurst). According to tradition, the Bavarian delicacy should be consumed before the clock strikes 12. cafe-glockenspiel.de
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Viktualienmarkt1pm: Shop Victuals At Viktualienmarkt. Shop til you pop (a button) at Viktualienmarkt, literally the victuallers market – a picture-book quaint assortment of permanent market stalls peddling everything from fruit and veg, fresh meat and fish, to regional delicacies and flowers. Once you’ve stocked up on nibbles, grab a seat in the shady beer garden located within the square. For more retail therapy, head towards the central pedestrian zone or the adjacent Gärtnerplatz quarter, which offers boutique shopping, small cafés and bars. viktualienmarkt-muenchen.de [Photo: Sarah L. Donovan/Flickr]
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24 Hours In… Munich.
Isar4pm: Stroll Along The Isar River. Over the past decade, the river Isar was restored to its natural, meandering flow through the city. The renaturalisation protects Munich from once-common flooding, but has also provided locals with a popular recreational area, where kids splash about in the water, dogs are walked and people meet, beer in hand, on warm summer evenings. A few kilometres upstream, barbecue smoke fills the air and sun worshippers soak up the rays on pebble beaches. muenchen.de
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Augustiner6pm: Have A Tall One At Augustiner Keller. Come beer o’clock on a fine day, tourists, students and office workers from all walks of life head for the Biergarten. You may have visited “beer gardens” elsewhere, but any alfresco drinking establishment you know will pale in comparison to the sight of Augustiner Keller, the oldest of Munich’s beer gardens, where up to 5,000 revellers sit under giant chestnut trees, drinking beer from wooden kegs out of one-litre steins. Augustiner is the last of the city’s large breweries that remains locally owned and is particularly popular with locals. TIP: Beverage-buying guests sitting on the long rustic benches at beer gardens are allowed to bring their own food, just no outside drinks. augustinerkeller.de/beer-garden
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Cafe Vorhölzer8pm: Take In The View From The Top. It’s peculiar that, in a city known as a playground for the rich and famous, the best rooftop terrace happens to sit atop the publicly accessible Technical University. Cafe Vorhölzer offers 360° panoramic views all the way from the football stadium (home to FC Bayern Munich) in the far north, across the Olympic Stadium where your day began, and the city centre, to snow-capped mountain ranges to the south. vf.ar.tum.de
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Hofbräuhaus9pm: Dinner And An Oompah Band. It ain’t over til the oompah band plays – and no visit to Munich would be complete without a visit to Hofbräuhaus. It may have a touch of the tourist trap about it, but the building is steeped in history and a closer look reveals that – next to the tourists, football fans and stag dos – many tables are reserved for regulars. Members of a so-called “Stammtisch” even have their own personalised steins that are kept under lock and key until each group arrives for their weekly reservation. hofbraeuhaus.de [Photo: @felixtriller/Flickr]
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Schumann's Bar1am: Sip An Iconic Nightcap. Are you sick of beer yet? Wrap up the night in style at Schumann’s, the platonic ideal of a Munich cocktail bar: a little bit snobby, but with faultless service; very stylish, but never flashy; good chances of spotting a celebrity, but without making a fuss. Mixologist-turned-bar-owner-turned-male-model Charles Schumann (and a celebrity in his own right) has been running this mainstay of Munich nightlife for over 30 years. schumanns.de
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
This is MunichBefore You Go: Read This is Munich. It may look like a children’s book, but This is Munich serves as the perfect introduction to the city. Its author Miroslav Sasek made Munich his home after fleeing communist Czechoslovakia. First published in 1961, current editions of the book contain notes on “Munich today”, pointing out what has changed since Sasek drew his whimsical illustrations. The book is one of a series on international capitals, and once you start, you’ll want one for every city you visit! miroslavsasek.com
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
Bavarian TVBefore You Go: Watch Bavarian TV. Despite being home to one of Germany’s most important film schools, which has turned out its fair share of Oscar winners, Munich doesn’t hold the same appeal for international filmmakers as Berlin. To get a glimpse of the city’s spirit on film, turn to Bavarian TV series like Monaco Franze or Kir Royal that captured its decadent flair in the 1980s. The endlessly quotable episodes are still shown in regular TV repeats and at eagerly anticipated annual open air screenings. br.de
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Travel
24 Hours In… Munich.
ListenBefore You Go: Listen. Oktoberfest visitors leave Munich with popular drinking songs etched into the part of the brain that records annoying, repetitive tunes with simple lyrics. However, the relentless “Schlager” tunes aren’t reflective of music tastes for the other 50 weeks a year. The real sound of the Bavarian capital is Mjunik Disco (sic. according to a book on the subject), a genre harking back to the 1970s heyday when legendary producer Giorgio Moroder’s Musicland Studios attracted the likes of Queen, The Rolling Stones and Elton John. Donna Summer’s Love to Love You, Baby was recorded there in 1975. amazon.de
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24 Hours In… Munich.
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