First time to Munich!

Jennifer, have you got the Rick Steves 2018 Guidebook for Germany? It is well worth a read and since Munich is one of the areas that Rick most concentrates on it is plumb full of great ideas, maps and details.

If you've read it, what sort of things caught your eye?

Haven't heard of this hotel before, but it gets good reviews on both TripAdvisor and booking.com. If this is your first time abroad, you may be surprised at how small the rooms are. But this is typical of European hotels.

I don't love the neighborhood. It's not dangerous, but like many urban train station neighborhoods, it's a little sleazy, with plenty of bars and strip joints.

But you're close to the Underground stations, so seeing all the sites will be easy. It will also be easy to get to Marienplatz from your hotel. Many of Rick's recommended eateries are between your hotel and Marienplatz. Have a look in his Guidebook. We like the Ratzkeller and zum Augustiner for decent Bavarian meals. And beer.

Where are you from, and what kinds of places have you been in the US? How long is your trip, and what drew you to Munich? Are you going anywhere else on this trip? Do you have any special interests? Etc. The more we know, the better answers we can give.

To me, in their very different ways, Berlin and Frankfurt have a big city edge completely lacking in Munich, which was much more mellow. But I'm coming from New York. If you're not used to cities, taking mass transit, etc, it may be intimidating for you.

The core of tourist Munich isn't that big; while Munich has very good mass transit, you may find yourself walking a lot of places.

As for language, many if not most people in Munich that you will be interacting with will speak enough English for your needs. It never hurts to try to learn some German, but don't sweat it too much. If you plan to go to small towns in Germany, particularly those off the tourist trail and/or in the former East Germany, you'll find much less English.

I just returned from Munich last week and stayed at the Metropol, right next door to your hotel on Mittererstrasse--I found it to be a very convenient location as I used the Hbf every day for trains, U and S bahns, buses and trams--also the apotheke and plenty of shops for a snack or drinks for the room. I did not find the area leading from the Hbf to hotel to be a problem--and the street has no bars or restaurants on it, just 1 block long, so my street-facing room was extremely quiet. I didn't see any bars or strip joints between the Hbf and Mittererstrasse.

It's also very easy to get from the airport to the Hbf, then just 3 blocks to hotel. I used the Lufthansa Airport bus (18 euro roundtrip), but the S bahn is also a great option and a bit cheaper--the Munich airport website has details about both. If you are standing in the middle of the Hbf facing the train tracks, exit to your left, that's Bayerstrasse, then cross the street and head right a couple of blocks to Mittererstrasse, you can only go left on it.

I didn't dine anywhere near the hotel, but my favorite place ended up being the Hofbrauhaus--I liked the sauerbraten and the sausage platter the most. I sat on the terrace off the second floor, much quieter, though it overlooks the beer garden below.

If you don't already have it, I suggest getting Rick's Pocket Munich--perfect size to tuck in your purse, all the info you'll need to determine what you'd like to see, plus a map. Here's my trip report, ignore the whining about my bad back--I loved Munich despite that!
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/munich-it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-wurst-of-times

Thanks, everyone! We're from Toledo, OH and our trip is 12 nights/13 days.
I have Rick Steve's 2017 guide to Munich, which I have found very helpful! i just always like to talk to as many people as possible to get ideas from all walk of life!
We have a few things on our "Must Do" list - Dachau, the castle tour, Hofbrauhaus, Andechs Monestary....we are also thinking about a day trip to Salzburg. We're doing a walking tour Monday morning and the Beer and Brewery Walking tour that evening to help get us acquainted with where we will be.
It's as exciting as it it nervewracking!!!

I loved Munich in October 2015 and hope you will too! We didn't find our lack of German language skills to be a problem at all.

Since this is your first time leaving the US, you might feel more comfortable using the Hop on/Hop off bus to reach the places you can't walk to. HOHO's have a lot of detractors, but the ones in Munich do their job.

I thought I was doing my husband a favor when we went to BMW World and the BMW Museum, but I think I liked them more than he did! Munich can feel a bit "kitschy", and the BMW sites are a nice break from that.

Our only day trip from Munich was to Nuremberg. We hired a private guide who met us at the Nuremberg train station and took us to see some Nazi sites and the "Judgment at Nuremberg" courtroom - highlights of our trip. Here is a link to our Nuremberg guide's website:

https://tourguide-kevin.com

Jennifer -

My first trip to Germany was to Munich, and I totally fell in love with the city.

A few things I enjoyed there ---

--Marienplatz
--Tierpark Hellabrun (the Munich zoo)
--Frauenkirche (see the Devil's footrprint)

And after that - getting lost in Munich. We had a wonderful beer and pretzel in a beer garden, sharing a table with a wonderful German couple. We ate dinner one night at a restaurant whose name I don't remember, but we were lost and I wanted to eat.

While in Munich, watch for bicyclists. They definitely have the right of way! Try out the public transportation. Know that you need to validate your ticket before you get on a train. And practice your polite German phrases until it's time to leave.

I hope you have a wonderful adventure!

I like going to the Hofbrauhaus for a beer, pretzel, music and atmosphere. For meals, I like the Augustinerkeller better. There is one on the Marienplatz and another by the train station. Both fun. I always go into all the churches. I enjoyed the Residenz, though beware, its HUGE. The treasury within the Residenz its pretty spectacular. I like the outdoor market by St. Peter's church. The glockenspiel on the Marienplatz is pretty special, I think the times might be 11am and noon?? Nymphenburg Palace is lovely and easy to get to by bus. If you enjoy castles and mountains, you can do a day trip to Fussen to see Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. (You probably need to get tickets in advance) I actually liked Hohenschwangau better than Neuschwanstein. If you are going to do both, I recommend Hohenschwangau first for the overview of the family and "mad" king ludwig. If you go after 9am or on weekends you can use a Bayern ticket which makes the train ride very reasonable and includes any local transportation in Munich for that day. I made great use of RS guides and I also like Eyewitness Travel for Munich. I often follow the walking tours in the Rick Steves guides.

Regarding a day trip to Salzburg, it is about 1 1/4 hours each direction and if you go during the "right" times you can use the crazily inexpensive Bayern ticket. I loved Salzburg and for me, a day wouldn't be enough, but you can always return. I would really recommend research and prioritizing what you'd like to see. I always tell people to go to the baroque cathedral. It is very different from other churches in Europe. The interior is bright and white with lots of stained glass and decorative painting. The funicular brings you up to the fort for good views. I believe you can also walk up. (I was there in winter). I really liked the St. Peter's cemetery right by the funicular. It's charming and was the inspiration for the scene in the Sound of Music.