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Munich (Munchen), the main attraction in Bavaria (Bayern), is a beer-quaffing, sausage-eating city that can be as cosmopolitan as anywhere in Europe. Despite what you may have heard, Munich is more than a vast open-air beer hall - give yourself at least two or three days to cover its museums and gardens, and to sample the local brews.
Munich has been the capital of Bavaria since 1503, but really achieved eminence under the guiding hand of Ludwig I in the 19th century. It has seen many turbulent times - WWI practically starved the city, the Nazis got their start here in the 1920s, and WWII brought bombing and more than 6000 deaths. Today Munich is the centre of Germany's burgeoning high-tech industries.
Orientation
The main train station is just west of the centre - walk east along Bayerstrasse, through Karlsplatz and then alone Neuhauser Strasse and Kaufingerstrasse to Marienplatz, the hub of Munich.
North of Marienplatz are the Residenz (the former royal palace), Schwabing (the famous student section) and the parklands of the Englischer Garten. East of Marienplatz is the Platzl quarter with its beer houses and restaurants, as well as Maximilianstrasse, a fashionable street that's fun for strolling and window-shopping.
Things to See and Do
Except where noted, museums are closed on Monday.
Marienplatz & Around
The neo-Gothic Altes Rathaus (old town hall) with its incessantly photographed Glockenspiel (carillon), which does its number at 11 am and noon (also at 5 pm from May to October), towers over the pivotal Marienplatz.
Two important churches on this square are the Peterskirche and, behind the Altes Rathaus, the Heiliggeistkirche. Head west along the shopping street Kaufingerstrasse to the late Gothic Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), the landmark church of Munich; the monotonous red brick is very Bavarian in its simplicity. Continue west on Kaufingerstrasse to Michaelskirche, Germany's grandest Renaissance church.
Farther west is the Richard Strauss Fountain and then the medieval Karlstor (an old city gate). Double back towards Marienplatz and turn right onto Eisenmannstrasse, which becomes Kreuzstrasse, and Herzog-Wilhelm-Strasse. The two streets converge at the medieval gate of Sendlinger Tor.
Go down Sendlinger Strasse and turn right on Hermann-Sack-Strasse to reach the Stadtmuseum on St-Jakobs-Platz, where the outstanding exhibits cover beer brewing, fashion, musical instruments, photography and puppets (3/2 €).
Residenz
This huge palace housed Bavarian rulers from 1385 to 1918, and features more than 500 years of architectural history. Apart from the palace itself, the Residenz Museum (open daily; 4/3 €) has an extraordinary array of 100 rooms containing the Wittels-bach house's belongings, while the Schatzkammer (4/3 €) exhibits a ridiculous quantity of jewels, crowns and ornate gold.
Deutsches Museum
If you combined Disneyland and the Smithsonian Institute you'd get something similar to this vast science and technology museum, which covers 13km of corridors on eight floors. It's definitely too large to see everything, so pursue specific interests. Entry is 6/3 € for adults/children and a visit to the planetarium is 2 € extra. Take the S-Bahn to Isartor or tram No 18 to the 'Deutsches Museum' stop.
Alte Pinakothek
This is a veritable treasure house of European masters from the 4th to 18th centuries. Highlights include Durer's Christ-like Self Portrait and his Four Apostles, Rogier van der Weyden's Adoration of the Magi and Botticelli's Pieta. Entry is 4/2 €. Immediately north, at Barer Strasse 29, the Neue Pinakothek contains mainly 19th-century painting and sculpture. Entry is 4/2 € (free on Sunday). See both with a combined card (6/3 €). The huge new Pinakothek der Moderne, a block east of the Alte Pinakothek, opened in 2001, brings together four collections of modern art, graphic art, applied art and architecture from galleries and museums around the city.
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