2 days in Munich

A coworker took a bicycle tour of Munich last summer and can't stop talking about how much fun he had.

we did a tour of BMW Welt, we had to book the plant tour months in advance to guarantee a spot.( for that particular tour, there are others) we are not car 'nuts' but really enjoyed the experience. it was a nice change from the usual churches/museums etc.

There are lots of good day tours on offer in Munich. Either go with the list that Rick has in his book, or check out the reviews and websites from the tours listed on Trip Advisor.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187309-Activities-Munich_Upper_Bavaria_Bavaria.html#TtD

For me, the smartest thing I did in Munich was go on a tour with Dark History Tours. Best use of time and money possible.
http://www.dark-history.eu/

A few possibilities you could consider.....

• Deutsches Museum (about 16 kM of exhibits, very interesting)
• Walking tours covering either WW-II history or other (check Radius Tours website for details and costs)
• Spend some time in Marienplatz (very vibrant, often some good street musicians playing)
• Hofbrauhaus (famous beer hall)

There are LOTS of choices. You might check your local Library to see if you can find a copy of the RS Germany guidebook, as there's lots of good information there.

Walk or take a bike ride through the Englisher Garten, and have a meal at one of it's two beer gardens.

For one day I would suggest a self paced walking tour of the city center followed by a visit to a Museum (Deutches Museum is my favorite) or Residenz/Nymphemburg. For the second day, renting a bike and explore the parks and city.

DJ

The self-guided walking tour in Rick's Germany guidebook is excellent. It ends at Odeonsplatz; from there I recommend continuing west along Briennerstraße to the newly-opened Documentation Center for the study of National Socialism. It is located on the site of the former Nazi Party headquarters, and adjacent to the building that once housed Hitler's offices (where the 1938 Munich Accord was signed), now a high school for music and theater. Historic Königsplatz is just across the street. Just south of the Propylaea is a U-Bahn station for an easy return to the city center.

Definitely spend some time in Englisher Garten if you have a dry, sunny weekend day as it'll be very festive with all sorts of locals hanging picnicking, biking, walking, etc. The biergarten is fun, and apt to have an oompa band playing in the Chinese Tower. This is a great place to do some biking, and they have carriage and rickshaw rides. It is HUGE so seeing some of if by means other than your own two feet is suggested.

A stroll through Viktualienmarkt is fun on a nice day as well: lots of stalls selling all sorts of meats, cheeses, wines, preserves, juices, fruits and veggies, and a couple of lively places to lift a pint there as well!

A nice bonus if it's raining? Alte and Neue Pinakothek art museums are reduced price on Saturdays, and only 1 euro on Sundays, and neither of them were uncomfortably crowded.

And if you enjoy architecture, Asamkirtche, Michaelskirch, Peterskirche, Heilig-Geist-Kirche, Klosterkirche St Anna and Theatinerkirche are glorious - and free.

Definitely spend some time in Englisher Garten if you have a dry, sunny weekend day as it'll be very festive with all sorts of locals hanging picnicking, biking, walking, etc.

It doesn't even need to be a weekend! We were there yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, a nice, warm workday, and the whole park and the Chinesischer Turm Biergarten were full of people.

If you plan to walk through the park, get an offline GPS app that shows the park trails. The trails wind around seemingly at random, and it's easy to get lost. I use the Ulmon free Munich map app for iPhone.

Thank you for all the suggestions! I greatly appreciate the help!

Thanks, Carol, for your suggestion of the bike tour. We're returning to Munich, and I just checked out bike tours - fantastic reviews. Sounds like a fun way to see some of the sites & stop for lunch or dinner together.

It doesn't even need to be a weekend!

True, Jeff, and I should have clarified that. I think I was fixated on Doyle's mention that they were visiting on a weekend. :O)

An additional piece of news that you will want to be aware of? There was (is?) large anti-G7 demonstrations today in the city center, and a related concert scheduled on Saturday at Königsplatz - which is very near Alte and Neue Pinakotheks so you may want to stay clear of that area, and keep your eyes open for noisy crowds forming anywhere at all which may indicate situations best avoided.

http://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/home_en/Tourist-Office/Service/G7_Informations