Munich

Shana although you booked Mike's Bike Tour, I would also consider Rick Steve's free audio guide and a food tour at the Vikutalienmarkt.

I know for many visitors from the US, it's important to visit Dachau. Nevertheless, I would always visit the NS-Documentation Center first before going to Dachau (same day would be possible). In my opinion, it's important to understand how something like this could happen and how each of us could help to ensure that something like this never happens again. https://www.munich.travel/en/pois/arts-culture/ns-dokumentationszentrum.
The NS-Documentation Center is part of the Kunstareal, as is the Alte Pinakothek and many other great museums. My favorite is the Lenbachhaus. https://www.munich.travel/en/pois/arts-culture/kunstareal.

If you are at the Theatinerkirche anyway, you can also take a walk through the Hofgarten and visit the Residenz.

A bit outside the old town is Nymphenburg Palace with its fantastic park. I would recommend either the Residenz or Nymphenburg.

Mike's Bike Tour also cycles through the English Garden, so you'll be sitting in a beer garden at the Chinese Tower anyway. Nevertheless, I would recommend you to visit another beer garden becasue nothing is more Munich than that: https://www.munich.travel/en/topics/eat-drink/overview-beer-garden

It would be good to know what restaurants exactly. I assume you want to try Bavarian food, but it's important to know that this isn't what Munich residents typically eat every day. And we don't even go to the Hofbräuhaus... so very few of us do it regularly. So the question is, do you want it to be a typical tourist experience, or do you really want to immerse yourself in Munich life?
Simply Munich has a few interesting things to say about it: "So you've truly eaten like a Munich local when, at the end of your day, you have enjoyed vegan miso mushroom soup, pinsa and Weisswurst. It may sound like a wild mix, but only until you have tried it yourself." I could recommend a lot of restaurants but please just let me know what you would prefer :-)

What's happening in Munich in May: https://www.munich.travel/en/topics/event-calendar/may-street-festivals-backyards

And perhaps you'd like to leave the old town behind and follow the Art Nouveau trail in Schwabing or you want to visit the French Quarter in Haidhausen.
Or perhaps something more modern, towards the Olympic Park, BMW World and museum, or the Werksviertel (behind the Ostbahnhof). Maybe you are also interested in soccer and the FC Bayern Arena and the museum.
I also have an old boat in mind where you can enjoy something to eat and a drink on a warm evening - perhaps I shouldn't mention that this boat isn't floating in the water, but is standing on a disused railway bridge :-)

Please let me know what interests you, then I can post more links.

Shana
You might like a recent post of mine about things to do and where to eat in Munich. See https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/first-time-visit-to-munich-germany-where-to-stay-near-sights
A couple other suggestions for traditional Bavarian food are Altes Hackerhaus (right in the old town between Marienplatz and Sendlinger Tor) and Hofbräu Keller (not the Hofbräuhaus, but just east of the river on Wienerplatz). Altes Hackerhaus has delicious, crispy-on-the-outside and melt-in-your mouth pork knuckle „Schweinshaxe“) and Hofbräu Keller does a lovely roast duck. And neither place will break the bank.
If you find yourself up by the university near the Schwabing neighborhood, stop in the White Rose (“Weiße Rose”) museum on Geschwister Schollplatz.
Not nearly enough Americans know about the white rose Nazi resistance movement and two of its most well-known victims, brother and sister, Hans and Sophie Scholl. You can visit the museum and their memorial in 30 minutes or less.

Weissewurst before noon; remember that.

I think everyone should see Dachau, it's something that stays with you. And when some ignorant idiot starts comparing someone or something to the Nazi's you can get grasp on just how inane they really are. But if you spend the rest of the day in a beer garden I'll understand.

Munich is not a city you can get a good feel for in a couple weeks, let alone 3-4 days. There's just so much...I really like it. I used to spend a lot of weekends there. I had good friends who lived there. I still go back.

Go up by the University and visit one of the art museums.
Walk the English Gardens.
Visit the Deutsches Museum. It's one the world great museums.
Find a jazz cellar and sit awhile.
See the Residence and Nymphenburg.
Watch the Glockenspiel at 1100.
Catch a concert or play at the State Opera.
Go where most tourist don't and visit Schloss Fürstenried.
Visit the Hunting and Fishing museum (am I the only person who's ever done that?)
Go to the Planetarium.
Go antique hunting north of Oskar von Muller Ring.

Have a good time.

I second the Weisses Rose Museum. My wife and I visited it last fall for about an hour. Kinda like Dachau, we felt like we needed to see it. Especially these days, more people should visit these sites. There is also a Jewish History Museum within walking distance of the Am Markt (good choice for your hotel, by the way). In May, the weather should be nice enough for a visit to the English Garden and a meal at the outside beer garden. You could actually walk to the English Garden from the Weisses Rose. Good wurst haus next to your hotel for a lunch.

and Hofbräu Keller (not the Hofbräuhaus, but just east of the river on Wienerplatz)

Behind the Hofbräukeller, you'll find a fantastic beer garden - my favorite.
Tables with tablecloths are with service, while those without are self-service. Self-service means beverages must be purchased in the beer garden but you can either bring your own food or buy it there.

Visit the Hunting and Fishing museum (am I the only person who's ever done that?

Nope. I did as well :-) I've always enjoyed it, even though I don't fish or hunt. I like the building, and of course, as a child, I loved the wild boar in front ot the museum.

white rose Nazi resistance movement / I second the Weisses Rose Museum

Well, that leaves me speechless in a really positive way. I wasn't sure whether I should suggest it to anyone, or whether it would be of interest to visitors. As a Munich native, this is really close to my heart, and I'm happy for anyone who's interested in it, too. Thank you.

I hiked to the Chinese Tower in the English Garden. The tower is next to some kind of restaurant or beer garden with a lot of outdoor seating. I swiftly hiked away because there was a horrible stench of cigarette smoke in the area.

In the Munch residenz museum, there is one right way to go through the museum. They don't let you go backwards on your tour. If you skip ahead to use the bathroom, they don't let you go back to continue your tour from where you left off. If you go back to the entrance after skipping ahead, they don't let you re-enter on the same day.

I did not eat restaurant food even once in my 15 night trip. I spent 5 night in in Munich and then moved on to other towns. The money I might have saved is just a coincidence. The vast majority of restaurant food is made with salt, oil or added fat, and/or sugar or less commonly other sweeteners. I didn't have to go far out of the way to find grocery stores that had an adequate selection. Three 3 of the 5 places I stayed at were apartments that had a stove and a little but well-equipped kitchen.

I went to Dachau concentration camp. Victims were supposed to suffer and die at the camp but it wasn't one of the 6 nazi gassing centers, but be sure to walk far enough to see the bath house that the nazis renovated into a gassing facility near the end, intending to gas the remaining prisoners, but the camp was liberated just in time so there weren't gassings.

The Egypt museum occupied me for almost 3 hours.

I didn't end up fitting in the Nazi documation center but I had done some background reading.

I adequately toured the Nymphenberg palace and property even though I doubted I would make time for it.

In the Munch residenz museum, there is one right way to go through the museum. They don't let you go backwards on your tour. If you skip ahead to use the bathroom, they don't let you go back to continue your tour from where you left off. If you go back to the entrance after skipping ahead, they don't let you re-enter on the same day.

After reading this the first time, I tested it out. It wasn't a problem that they let me use a restroom during the tour - I was going back. Perhaps it was a communication issue.
The current problem is that there are renovations going on, and barrier-free restrooms are difficult to access during the tour. You have to ask the staff - this is what the Residenz museum is mentioning on their website.

Augustiner-Keller across the street from hauptbahnof had great food and beer.

Any restaurant recommendations? Or other advice.

https://paulaner-nockherberg.com/en/ is my favorite restaurant in Munich. I suggest a reservation for inside rather than the beer garden.

Rick's audio tour is a great way to get a feel for central Munich.

For restaurants, definitely find your way to Andy's Krablergarten right in Munich for the very best schnitzel, which is seriously bigger than your plate! They do not take reservations and are CASH only, but so worth it! A fellow traveler recommended it. Also Augustiner Klausterwirt in the city center. This location was recommended by our AirBnB host and had the best rich dark beer gravy!

Shana,

I always make it a point to stop at this restaurant at least once on every visit to Munich - https://www.opatija-easy.de/menu/ . The food has always been good. As I recall they have (or had) two branches, and I go to the one closest to the Hofbräuhaus.

Too funny. I am not sure if my wife has forgiven me for the Hunting and Fishing museum yet? I certainly enjoyed it, but she was clearly not getting into the true spirit of it. The good news it is never crowded and it is possible to scoot through fairly quickly, if you don't get caught up in the details, There are some very interesting things displayed.....
I would have been interested in the White Rose and regret not doing more thorough research.
If you are dithering about Dachau, don't. Just go there and stand in its stark reality and absorb what it is.
Imagine the daily trains delivering families to its confines. Consider the striation of "sins" that could land you there.
Disappeared to Dachau, with no hope for return. Lessons for us to learn and never forget.

I would have been interested in the White Rose and regret not doing more thorough research

You might also be interested in this video. The story of the White Rose explained by Feli - born in Munich she currently lives in Cincinnati. It's really well researched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTRbyGEyJR0

Re: White Rose, there is a website:
https://www.weisse-rose-stiftung.de/white-rose-resistance-group/

Don't know the connection to the Museum. And there is another site:

https://www.weisse-rose-stiftung.de/white-rose-foundation/

Don't know the connection to the Museum

This isn't a museum, but a permanent exhibition at Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU). The exhibition is located in the main building of the University at Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1.
It's actually where it all happened. This is where the members of the Wihite Rose studied, this is where they threw their leaflets from the balcony in the 'Lichthof' (the large pretty main hall) and this is also where they were arrested by the Gestapo.

When you visit the exhibition, you're surrounded by students running back and forth, and it's a good feeling, even if the exhibition makes you very sad but proud on the other hand. If you can't find the exhibition, you can ask anyone who's walking around. And if you really want to, you can leave a white rose at the bust of Sophie Scholl in the 'Lichthof'.

https://www.munich.travel/en/pois/urban-districts/scholl-siblings
https://www.munich.travel/en/pois/urban-districts/ludwig-maximilians-universitaet

you can leave a white rose at the bust of Sophie Scholl in the 'Lichthof'.

I will do that, thank you for the info.

@ travelerguy

If you're already at the University, it's just a few steps to the Academy of Fine Arts at Akademiestraße 2-4.

It's not really a public building, but if you just go in (into the old building) and look around, should be ok. I mean, the worst that could happen is someone saying no visitors please. I'd still try to go in, because art is still studied here today. It's a cool mix of a venerable building and a certain serenity and lightness. Plus, you're walking in the footsteps of famous students like Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Franz Marc, and Lovis Corinth.

And of course, I can't help but say that the whole Schwabing district has a lot to offer. The boundaries between the districts of Schwabing and Maxvorstadt are fluid, so I'm linking information about both. From the fantastic Art Nouveau buildings in Schwabing, to the vibrant youthful atmosphere of the students, to beautiful churches and museums, there's a lot to marvel at here.

https://www.munich.travel/en/topics/urban-districts/local-love-munich/local-love-schwabing-living-nostalgia
https://www.munich.travel/en/topics/urban-districts/districts-of-munich/maxvorstadt-the-cultural-heart-of-munich

On the other side, toward the English Garden, is Altschwabing (Old Schwabing which is partially significantly older than Munich itself). The main street through Altschwabing is Feilitzschstraße. There, on a side street, you'll find a small castle (Suresnes Castle) - okay, you can only see it through the fence, but still. There's also a church from 1500 that I think is fantastic - St. Sylvester. You can end your walk at the Münchner Freiheit (square) at the Café Münchner Freiheit.

The Hofbrauhaus might be touristy to the max, but it's enormous fun, and reasonably priced IMO. Loved the oompah band and the "house table" filled with a cohort of patrons who seemingly never leave.

Yes, we are all supposed to hate the Hofbrau house, but I also love it. Get there outside of the normal hours. Early or late you will find tables with locals enjoying a few beers. The beer is good. If you can chat in German, this can be a total hoot. I learned the hard way that there is a limit to how many of those monster beers I should drink, but only after walking into a pillar on the way out.
The band is outstanding. The tuba player is amazing, truly. He can play at least 6 octaves......
With it under your belt, visit the other beer gardens and halls and compare the experiences. Draw your own conclusions.