Europe Travel Guides

Points of interest

Bavarian National Museum

A highlight of Munich's museum scene, the Bavarian National Museum is chock-full of exhibits illustrating the art, folklore and cultural history of southern Germany and Bavaria in particular. The ground floor has treasures from the early Middle Ages to the rococo period, including evocative sculptures by Erasmus Grasser and Tilman Riemenschneider.

Upstairs, there are 19th-century highlights including Nymphenburg porcelain, precious glass and an exquisite collection of Jugendstil (Art Deco) items. Also here is a celebrated collection of cots from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

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Marienplatz

Visit Marienplatz on a sunny day and you'll find the world and its dog enjoying this expanse of cafes at the heart and soul of the Altstadt. The spikes and turrets of the 19th-century neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus grace the square's northern border, while the spruced-up remains of the original town hall, the Altes Rathaus (1470), squat at its eastern end.

The obvious photo opportunity is the Glockenspiel in the centre of the Neues Rathaus; the marvellous figures spring into action four times daily. Take a lift to the top of the ridiculously spindly spire for more pics. The nearby Fishbrunnen (Fish Fountain) harks back to medieval market days, when fish were kept alive in the fountain before being sold. Dip your purse in on Ash Wednesday and it will always be full - and if you believe that, you deserve to have a soggy wallet.

If the Föhn (a warm, dry wind) is blowing you can see the Alps in all their glory from the top of the Gothic St Peterskirche, and the rococo ceiling of the Heiliggeistkirche is just as gob-smacking. The other church you can see to the northwest is the city's trademark Frauenkirche - those oxidised copper onion domes are reproduced on everything from beer steins to tea towels.

Ludwig the Bavarian is buried here. To the north there's Ludwig's Alter Hof, home of the Wittelsbachs before they moved to the Residenz; it received its severe neo-Gothic facelift during 19th-century renovations. Follow the raucous racket of cheers and oompah-music to the nearby Hofbräuhaus. Hitler's National Socialists first met here in 1920, and today the lovely old building is filled to the brim with beer-guzzling sightseers.

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BMW Museum

Near the Olympic tower stands the temporary BMW Museum (Bayerische Motoren Werke). You can see highlights from its splendid car and motorcycle collection parked in a globe-like tent. From summer 2007 exhibits will move into a sleek, newly revamped museum at the company headquarters to the east, underneath the famous towers shaped like automobile pistons.

Visitors will also be able to take tours of the firm's architectural showpiece, the cloud-shaped BMW Welt, a car delivery and events centre just north of the Olympiapark.

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Residenzmuseum

The Wittelsbachs' amazing treasures, as well as trappings of their lifestyles in some 130 rooms. The enclosed Grotto Court, one of the first places you'll see when you enter, features the wonderful Perseusbrunnen (Perseus Fountain). Next door is the famous Antiquarium, a lavishly ornamented barrel vault smothered in frescoes.

Other highlights include the Ancestral Gallery, with portraits of the rulers of Bavaria including the great conqueror Charlemagne; the Schlachtensäle (Battle Halls); the Porcelain Chambers, containing 19th-century porcelain from Berlin, Meissen and Nymphenburg; and the Asian Collections, with precious Chinese and Japanese porcelain, tapestries and jewellery.

One of Europe's finest rococo stages, the Cuvilliés-Theater, hosted the opening performance of Mozart's opera Idomeneo. Designed by Belgian architect François Cuvilliés, the sumptuous interior is closed for renovations until late 2008.

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Nymphenburg Palace

If the Residenz hasn't satisfied your passion for palaces, visit the amazing Schloss (Palace) Nymphenburg. Begun in 1664 as a villa for Electress Adelaide of Savoy, the amazing palace and gardens were continually expanded and built upon over the next century to create the royal family's summer residence.

The main palace building consists of a main villa and two wings. The rooms are all sumptuous, but one of the most majestic is the Schönheitengalerie (Gallery of Beauties) in the south wing, formerly the apartments of Queen Caroline. It's now the home of 36 portraits of beautiful women chosen by an admiring King Ludwig I.

Also in the south wing are the coaches and riding gear of the royal families, suitably displayed in the Marstallmuseum (Royal Stables Museum). Ludwig II's over-the-top sleigh fitted with oil lamps for his nocturnal outings is not to be missed.

The north wing is occupied by the Museum Mensch und Natur (Museum of Humankind & Nature). This is a fun place to bring children for the interactive, if aged, displays on the animal kingdom, planet earth and the mysteries of the human body (German only).

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Braunauer Hof

Near the Isartor, this pleasingly warped beer garden is centred on a snug courtyard. There's a hedge maze, a fresco with a bizarre bunch of historical figures and a golden bull that's illuminated at night.

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Kulturzentrum Gasteig

Munich's major cultural centre opened in 1985 and is home to the renowned Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Richard Strauss Conservatory, the Municipal Library and two live-theatre spaces. The orchestra performs in the Philharmonic Hall, while regular theatre performances take place either in the Carl Orff Hall or the more intimate Black Box.

You can buy tickets from the Glashalle on the ground floor (closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday).

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Hofbräuhaus

Bavaria's best-known and most celebrated beer hall. The writhing hordes of tourists tend to overshadow the fabulous interior, where dainty twirled flowers adorn the medieval vaults. The ballroom upstairs was the site of the first large meeting of the National Socialist Party on 24 February 1920. A live band plays Bavarian folk music much of the day.

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Café am Beethovenplatz

This relaxed cafe has gloriously high ceilings, chandeliers and a dark, refined ambiance that would make Beethoven proud. The breakfast selections are named after famous composers and the divine evening meals are accompanied by live jazz or classical music.

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Bratwurstherzl

Cosy panelling and a vaulted brick ceiling set the tone of this traditional chow house, where dishes have a Franconian twist. A plate of six Nuremberg sausages with sauerkraut costs next to nix - and really hits the spot.

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Zerwirk

Through a twist of fate the Zerwirk, once a purveyor of wild game, now houses one of Munich's few vegan restaurants. Dishes like pasta carbonara, tofu fennel or rucola chilli are served in elegant, minimalist surrounds in the second-floor dining rooms. Downstairs, the vaulted chambers are thrown open every weekend for club nights.

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Events

Munich's annual calendar is positively groaning with events. It hits the ground running in January with Fasching, a raucous six week-long affair of street parties and balls. Lent comes to an end in March with Starkbierzeit, when strong beers with names ending in 'ator' are consumed (Triumphator, Salvator, Maximator, etceterator) in a tradition going back to monkish days. April welcomes spring with a mini Oktoberfest called the Frühlingsfest (much less crowded than the real thing), and a fair-cum-market, Auer Dult, is held on the last Saturday in April (it's also on in July and October). Munich's music and theatre Biennale is held every second year in May, and late June sees the Tollwood world culture festival at Olympiapark. Corpus Christi is a big deal in Bavaria, with street parades and dressed-up horses. June ends with the Munich Film Festival, a scaled-down version of Berlin's renowned festival. July's Christopher Street Day spills over into three days of gay and lesbian fun, with street parties and high-heeled races. The Opera Festival brings highbrow entertainment to the State Opera House, while Sommerfest hosts two weeks of live bands and outdoor sport contests in Olympiapark. Oktoberfest, the biggest collective booze-up on the planet, is held (confusingly) in September. A six-day Cycle Race is held in the Olympiahalle in November, with plenty of entertainment, food and drink for those less sports-inclined. The year staggers to a close with the Winter Tollwood, a smaller version of the June world culture event, and a huge Christkindlmarkt is held on Marienplatz, complete with an outsized Christmas tree and stalls selling handicrafts and cockle-warming Glühwein.

All shops and banks close on public holidays.

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