Munich City Walk from Guidebook

Hah - I just downloaded the mp3 that goes with the tour and answered my own question - about 2 hours just to walk by everything, so more if I want to stop in a lot of places. I'd still like to hear any reviews of anyone has done this themselves!

There are tour companies that will give you a 3 hour walking tour for 12 €, making your time there much more memorable than wandering around with a book in your hand. You will get tons more information. Read the reviews from the various companies on Trip Advisor, as well as about the recommended tours in the RS books. A bike tour could also be fun if the weather is decent.

Katie - We were in Munich last month. We did not do Rick's city walk per his guidebook. However, we did visit a few interesting places listed in his guidebook. If you're at all interested in the story of King Ludwig, I'd recommend visiting St. Michael's Church (Michaelskirche) and paying the 2 Euro to see the Wittelsbach family crypts. Entrance is to the right of the altar, front of the church. Note that as of last month, the bell tower in the Frauenkirche (iconic twin-domed church in Munich) was closed indefinitely due to construction. In fact, there was quite a bit of construction in downtown Munich. We found the food at the Hofbrauhaus to be disappointing. Overpriced and not nearly as good as what you'll find at other similar brewery gasthofs in Munich. I'd highly recommend having a beer at Hofbrauhaus for the atmosphere, but you'd be better served to grab lunch at one of the Augustiner brewery/gasthofs. Also, re-think going to the Viktualienmarkt. If you're at all a foodie or just someone who enjoys trying local foods, the market is INCREDIBLE. Meander through the stalls and soak up the atmosphere. We had a very good, cheap lunch at the market one day. You buy a beer from one stall and your lunch at another, then sit down at a picnic table to enjoy. I'm also throwing in my vote for a guided tour. Much more informative way to learn about the city. We did the Munich Walks' brewery tour listed in Rick's book. Well worth the 20 Euro/person.

Haha I should have been clearer - I just want to skip Viktualienmarkt on the walking tour because we plan on going the next afternoon and spending a considerable amount of time there. Local food and markets are some of my favorite parts of traveling!

As for the well-known bike tour, I found it disappointing as an actual tour, because other than one church, you don't tour any of the buildings. I covered amlost all of the same territory the previous day on foot. But if you want to have a little fun or meet some feloow tourists, it can be enjoyable. RE- Hofbrauhaus... going there for the food is like visiting the Playboy mansion to admire the architecture or landscaping. I haven't visited the City Musuem, but otherwise it sounds reasonable to try this in one day. How long the Residenz takes you will depend on your level of patience to listen to endless audioguide discriptions of the decor... I found that after listening to the 4th ten minute dissertation about how this room "exemplifies the spirit of 18th century Italianate Baroque" that I could afford to skip most of the commentary, so it took me maybe 30 minutes to get through all the rooms. However, I found the Ludwig museum in the same building fascinating. If Neuschwanstein is on your itinerary, definately visit this museum first to put the castle in the proper perspective. You'll better appreaciate just how crazy the whole endevour was for the time. If you have any doubts that you may not be able to cover the territory in the time you have allotted, you could rent a bike to speed things up. Munich is one of the more bicycle-friendly cities I have visited.