When trekking through Europe, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and Barcelona are obviously some must-see cities. But don’t overlook Munich, Germany. Munich has had a difficult and mixed history. While it is famous for the largest beer festival in the world, Oktoberfest, it is also known for Hitler’s regime and the murders that took place during the Olympics.

 

Celebrating the city’s 850th anniversary this summer, Munich is filled with history to celebrate and history many try to forget, which makes it a very interesting and an important city to visit. You won’t see any Nazi signs; in fact, only three buildings still stand from that era. Despite that 80% of the city was destroyed during World War II, Munich was able to preserve and rebuild many of the cultural and architecturally historic buildings.

The city is clean, easy to get around (whether by train, subway taxi or foot) and the food is something you need to prepare for. It’s not that the food is bad, the food is actually really good, but get ready for meat − pork, veal, duck and sausages to be exact — and a lot of it. The good news is that there is a lot of great beer to wash it all down. In Munich, you don’t go to bars; you go to beer gardens, which are large rooms with family-style tables, live music, beer and food. The most famous, must-visit beer garden is the Hofbrauhaus, which has been brewing its own beer since 1589. Get ready for loud chants, fun songs and a very large beer mugs!


When traveling to Munich, hotels are easy to book. Whether you choose to stay near the train station or inside the city center, everything is easily accessible. Start your trip off with a visit to Marienplatz, which is the famous city center and church. Here you can find walking tour guides to give you some pointers, a history lesson and a quick tour of the inner city. From here, you are a short distance from the English Garden, which is a great place to take a walk, bike ride, or if it is warm enough, pick up some snacks from the Viktualienmarkt (open food market) and have a picnic in the park. During the summer, you can swim, float on inter-tubes and even surf in the river that flows through the park.

A short walk from Marienplatz is Karlsplatz, where you can find great shopping. This is where you can find the nice, high-end shops. A short distance from here is Schwabing/Maxvorstadt (University Area), an “upscale academic district” filled with coffee shops, boutiques, bookstores and local restaurants.

Excursions outside the city center include the BMW factory that showcases all the new BMW cars and the history of the auto manufacture. Soccer is king in Germany, so if the home team, Bayern Munich, is playing, check them out at the Allianz Arena, which is a short 20 minutes outside of the city center. If you have time, a further, more adventurous excursion, includes going to the Neuschwanstein Castle, which is two hours away by train. Despite the long journey, it is a great opportunity to see the countryside, and visit an ancient castle with amazing views. Neuschwanstein inspired Walt Disney’s design of Disneyland.


Oktoberfest runs for two weeks, September 22 to October 7, and over takes the whole city. The festival doesn’t start until the Mayor of Munich taps the first keg of beer. The beer served during the festival is darker and stronger than most commercial beers and is served in giant tents that fit thousands of people. Hotel rooms during this time book up fast, it is recommended to plan about a year in advance.

By Michael Ritter