Munich Germany

Getting from the airport to downtown is best done by train, Unfortunately the airport is far out of town, the train takes about 40 minutes to the main train station.

As far as value accommodations look at Motel 1, it is a chain hotel, good price but it is a value hotel so it will not have much charm.

As for "must sees" that is totally dependant on what you are interested in, Munich has so much to see it would be impossible to list things in a short posting. Get Rick's Germany guide, he has lots of good thoughts.

Enjoy Munich!

Take the s-bahn (I believe either S1 or S8 will take you directly to the downtown Munich train station) We just got back and found riding the train back and forth to the airport to be an easy, affordable option. It cost us 18 euros for 2. The train goes about every 10 minutes- even very early in the morning. (We caught a 4:00 am train back to the airport.) We did find buying our ticket at the Munich train station a little confusing. Due to the time, we had to buy out of a machine and could not figure it out. Fortunately for us, a very kind man came along and helped us. Basically, we had to buy a 4 zone ticket to get all the way back to the airport. Anyway, you could buy it ahead a ticket window and just validate it before getting on. Might be easier.
We stayed at Hotel Uhland, which always gets rave reviews from people on this sight. We have stayed there several time, and we love it. It is a bit of a walk to the Marienplatz, but we would not stay anywhere else. They have some excellent week end rates if you are there on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
Sights: We took the "free" 3 hour walking tour with "New Muncih" It was pretty good. Just be prepared to tip about 10 euros. (The guide works for tips and every one should be able to make a living) We also enjoyed renting bikes at the train station and biking through the English gardens.

www.easypalace.de

We liked the Hotel Blauer Bock on Viktualienmarkt, very near Marienplatz, the main town square. Marienplatz is a stop on both the S1 & S8 Sbahns from the airport.

Sights? Many small towns in Germany have one or two highlights for tourists. Munich is a bit more complicated. There are beer halls, art & history museums, royal residences, churches, a grand science museum, parks, river walks, etc. You might state what your interests are.

A good guide book is very valuable in Munich.

Regards, Gary

I would agree with Gary. Marienplatz is central to almost everything you want to see in Munich, and, Blauer Bock will probably costs less than Uhland. Mind you, I have walked past Uhland, and it looked very nice, but it is less convenient and potentially more expensive than I want to pay.

For anyone going to the airport on the S-Bahn, note that the S-1 splits at Neufahrn, with half (the front, I believe) going to Freising, not the airport. I think the cars are marked; pay attention.

For sights in Munich, the Marienplatz is good and esp the market nearby. Friends of ours would recommend going to Dachau - it is very sobering as are most of the Natzi Germany sights. I did not get a chance to see the Residenz but would really like to the next time we go. But really I just wanted to say that in my opinion, I would skip the Deutches Museum. It was a 3 star recommendation from Rick and I did not get much out of it. A lot of their displays are interactive, except that most of them were broken. You would push a button to see something and nothing would happen. We spent a long time at that museum because it is quite large and in hindsight, I wish we had either gone to the Residenz or Dachau instead.

Brian,

I was in Munich in May, and had a fantastic time! There's LOTS to see and do! Regarding your questions:

> Transportation: as the others indicated, the S-Bahn is the easiest and quickest way to get from the airport to Munich Hbf. Both the S1 and S8 travel that route but if my memory is correct, I believe the S1 "splits" at some point and some of the cars travel to a different destination. The S-8 might be your best bet.

> Hotels: I've always stayed at the Hotel Uhland and I'd certainly recommend it! It's an easy walk from the station (although the first time I took a Taxi) - about 15 min. walk. The breakfasts are fantastic! If you have a LARGE budget, there's a Sofitel Hotel right beside the station (the food in the restaurant is great!).

Must Sees: I suppose that will depend on what you're most interested in? There are LOTS of choices!

If you're interested in day trips to either Dachau or Neuschwanstein Castle, I'd recommend Radius Tours (they have an office in the Munich station). They take care of all the transportation arrangements, tickets for the sites, etc. They also offer the Munich walking tours, which are very interesting.

I quite enjoyed the Deutsches Museum although there are over 16 kM of exhibits, so with a limited time frame you'll have to focus on just the ones you're interested in.

Of course, enjoying the ambience of Marienplatz and having a look at the Glockenspiel is nice. There are many restaurants in that area, and of course the famous Hofbrauhaus is in that area (visiting there is an "eye opening" experience - be sure to have a look at the "unusual appliance" in the men's washroom).

Finally, the English Garden and the Viktualien Market are great places to visit. At this time of year, you probably won't see any "sunbathers" in the gardens.

Happy travels!

You can spend an entire day in and around Marienplatz. Start at 11 AM with a performance of the Glockenspiel (playing clock) at the Rathaus (city hall). If you get there early, you can walk the Fußganger (pedestrian) zone toward Karlstor. It's a great place for window shopping and people watching.

After the performance, look over your right shoulder. See the church tower behind you. That's St. Peter's. For a couple of Euro you can climb up the inside to the observation deck almost 300ft up. From there you get a marvelous view, on a clear day to the Alps, out across Munich, including the Olympic Park, and down into Marienplatz. Note the church to the left of the Rathaus, the one with the green domes on top of the unfinished spires. That's Frauenkirche, one of the symbols of Munich.

After the view from St. Peter's, go have lunch at the Ratskeller, in the basement of the Rathaus. Weißwurst (white sausage) is a traditional meal of Munich.

Tour the Frauenkirche or the Viktualienmarkt, or walk down Talstrasse to Isartor, one of the original gates of the city wall.

For the rest of the afternoon, you can tour the Residenz. I found the Residenz interesting at first, but it quickly got tedious, with it's seemingly endless progression of too-gaudy Rococo rooms.

Another possibility is the Deutsches Museum. However, it is extensive. I wouldn't even venture into it without a couple of weeks to devote.

My favorite place is the City Museum of Munich, a few blocks south of Marienplatz. The last time I was there they had an exhibit of Munich as it developed through the years, with drawings, maps, and models. The museum is entirely in German, but dates are pretty universal.

You could finish your day with dinner at the Hofbräuhaus. The food is inexpensive, the beer is great, and the entertainment, although corny, is traditional and fun.

For a second day, you could take streetcar #17 from the north side of the Hauptbahnhof out to Schloß Nymphenburg. The Schloß was the summer home of the Wittelsbachers. It has some rooms similar to the Residenz, but mercifully not as many. The main feature of Nymphenburg is the parklike grounds, with it's many out-buildings. Visit the Amalienburg (hunting lodge), with it garish main hall. You come into the building through a room with a bunch of small arched cutouts in the wall. Know what those were?

As for guided tours, a walking tour of Munich, which I have never taken, might be worth it. Others, like to Dachau and the castles - I wouldn't waste my money; you can easily visit them on your own for far less. Dachau has guided tours at certain times, or you can rent an audio guide. The castles have guided tours with paid admissions, which you have to buy with the tours, anyway.

If you find the Residenz gaudy, then you might just as well skip many palaces and churches in southern Germany.

Good point. I will, but, unfortunately, I've already seen too many. I think I spent only 5 minutes at Wieskirche before looking for a restroom. I have postcards of both Weiskirche and Andechs. I can't tell which is which without looking at the back.

I didn't like the Residenz in Würzburg for the same reason.

Harry, the "unusual appliance" is a stainless steel "vomitorium" (to use Rick's terminology). In almost 40 years of beer drinking (in moderation, of course), I've never seen one on this side of the Atlantic.

Regarding the tour of Dachau, I felt the guided tour was a better option for me. I believe I got a more complete picture of the history and the events that transpired there, as opposed to the "canned" content of an Audioguide. Being able to ask questions of the very knowledgeable Guide was also a big advantage (especially since he has spoken with returning veterans that liberated the camp).

Cheers!

I really liked the Pinokoteke (art museums). The Alte has one of the best classical art collections anywhere. The Neue has great impressionist works. The Moderne isn't for me but gets rave reviews from people who like modern art.

Marienplatz is a must see. I think some kind of tour would help you appreciate the architecture and history. The fat tire (I think that's what it was called) bike tours would be my choice but you might prefer a walking tour.

I agree with visiting a Ratskeller somewhere on your trip.

As far as beer halls go, I'd skip the Hofbrauhaus (too touristy) and choose another. It would be nice to go somewhere where German is the primary language.

The English gardens are great when the weather is good. I'm not sure it will be much of a draw in November.

The palaces are great. Like the English gardens, gardens at the palaces are one of the reasons to visit and may not be great in November.

Nearby Salzburg is also great and worth spending some time at.

I like staying at Pensions in Munich. There are many great places near the city center. You should be able to get a good price in November.

Why is everyone so anxious to give away their money for something they can easily do themselves? Just because you don't do the 3rd party tour doesn't mean you have to use the audioguides. The audioguides are just for those who want to come at times other than the official guided tours, or want to go at their own pace.

The KZ-Gedenkstätte offers 2½ hr guided tours of the memorial for €3 adults, €2,50 student. There is no reason to believe that these guides are not every bit as good as the outside tour guides.

You can make the trip on your own from anywhere in downtown Munich, not just Marienplatz or the Hbf, with an MVV XXL Tageskarte for €6,70 Single, €11,80 Partner (2-5 people).

So, a family of four, 2 adult and 2 student, doing it on there own, would pay €11,80 + 2 x €3 + 2 x €2,50 = €22,80. The NM tour would charge €68 (2 x €19 + 2 x €15). So, you would be paying an extra €45 (over $60) for essentially the same thing.

hi brian, i have to agree with Lee, we we're in munich in october and we did everything on our own. take the train or s-bahn to dachau, then hop on a bus to Kz-Gedenkstätte (about a 10 min bus ride) the guided tour last about 2.5 hours the guide we had was excellent and so worth the 3 euros. same for Neuschwanstein, take the train to füssen, then bus, i don't think you have to reserve a ticket since it is not as busy in november, then walk up to the castle (it took us 20 min to Neuschwanstein). you will enjoy the flexibility of arriving and leaving when you want, etc. and we found the germans so helpful.

if you are looking for a less expensive place, i would highly suggest the munich ymca. it is quiet, cheap, and very friendly. They also offer a very nice breakfast.

As for sites - the hofbrauhaus is a must. the deutche museaum is quite amazing and you can easily spend a day there. the english garden is also a nice stop. Some good day trips include fussen to see king ludwigs castles, and i would also highly suggest going to see the concentration camp at dachau. it is very easy to get to from the munich train station.