What to See in Munich, the City of Oktoberfest

Quando pensiamo a Munich, il primo pensiero va sicuramente all’Oktoberfest. La festa della birra più famosa al mondo nasce più di 200 anni fa e rappresenta la principale fonte di attrazione per un gran numero di turisti, che visitano la città proprio in occasione di questa grande manifestazione.

Munich è una città dalle mille sfaccettature che, tra storia, cultura e divertimento vi conquisterà. Munich è una delle mete più gettonate nel sud della Germania. Segni particolari: l’atmosfera vivace, il centro storico e i suoi importanti musei. Attraverso la nostra guida vogliamo guidarvi nella visita e consigliarvi su cosa vedere a Monaco di Baviera durante il vostro soggiorno.

Munich, the capital of Bavaria (Germany), una città estroversa e accogliente in tutte le stagioni. Il suo centro storico è interamente visitabile a piedi ed è tutto un susseguirsi di palazzi, monumenti e chiese, che spaziano dal medioevo al rococò. Molto piacevole è sostare in una delle storiche birrerie con giardino (es. Augustiner, HB, Paulaner…, tutte con ristorantino), accompagnando gustose brezen, le tipiche ciambelle salate, a un boccale di nettare biondo, o stare naso all’insù sotto la bella torre del municipio nuovo, per non perdere lo spettacolo del Glockenspiel, l’orologio con il carillon a campane, le cui statuine si muovono in girotondo e su se stesse, rappresentando spezzoni di storia cittadina.

Altri luoghi da non perdere con i ragazzi sono il Deutches Museum, uno dei musei della scienza e della tecnica più grandi del mondo, con percorsi specifici per piccoli toccatutto.

L’avveniristico Museo BMW, in cui la nota casa automobilistica, che ha sede proprio a Monaco, mette in mostra il proprio mondo e i prestigiosi modelli; lo zoo, gli sterminati giardini, l’Orto Botanico e la Reggia di Nymphenburg, con il parco e i laghetti. Comodi e strategici, gli hotel attorno alla stazione ferroviaria, a un tiro di schioppo dal centro storico, come il Conrad Hotel de Ville, www.conrad-hotel.de , dove la camera con prima colazione costa a partire da 98 euro a notte.

The history of Munich

Chronicles tell us that, in 1158, Henry XII called the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, had the original bridge on the ancient salt road destroyed, ordering a new one to be built further south, on his possessions, near the monastic settlement of Munichen, thus securing the right to collect tolls on such a flourishing trade.

To officially seal what today we would call a piracy act, a document signed by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa was issued, which, on June 14th of the same year, confirmed the city of Munich the right to hold a market and to mint coins. From that moment on began the fortunes of the city, protagonist, over the centuries, of a dizzying economic, social and cultural growth that has brought it to today’s levels.

Things to do in Munich: places of interest

Walking through the main streets of Munich and scouring its neighborhoods, you almost immediately sense its ability to harmoniously cultivate a sort of dual soul: capital of progress and a city designed for people; cradle of avant-garde and stronghold of traditions. Melting pot of global flavors and steadfast homeland of beer and pretzels. Munich is a city with many bridges that connect the banks of the turbulent Isar River and have played a crucial role in the city’s birth.

Visiting Munich will prove to be an extraordinary experience: old and modern blend in everything, making this city truly unique. If your available time is limited, we want to suggest what to see in Munich in one day, so you don’t miss any of the most beautiful things this city offers.

1 Marienplatz

The Old and New Town Hall of Munich are among the two most important buildings in the city and are located in Marienplatz, surrounded by buildings of various eras and with the Mariensäule, the column with the gilded bronze statue of the Madonna, at the center.

2 Old Town Hall of Munich

The Gothic lines and the beautiful tower of the Old Town Hall precede the imposing silhouette adorned with pinnacles of the new one, on the north side of the square, built between the 19th and 20th centuries, beneath whose clock tower everyone looks up to admire the picturesque Glockenspiel, the bell carillon, whose figurines, at certain times of the day (at 11 and 12 every day, and also at 17 during the summer months), move in a circle and spin, depicting scenes of local history. It is definitely among the main things on the list “Munich, what to visit.”

3 Munich, Residenz

Inspired by the Pitti Palace in Florence, the Residenz is one of the most spectacular royal palaces in Europe. For centuries it hosted dukes, princes, and kings of Bavaria, until becoming the seat of the Residenz Museum today.

4 Munich, Kunstareal

This is the art district and it’s precisely there that the three most important Pinakothek (Art Galleries) of Munich are located, holding very important works spanning from Renaissance to modern art. The Old Pinakothek, New Pinakothek, and Pinakothek of Modern Art are among the main places of interest in Munich.

5 English Garden

The English Garden is the city’s public park, extending over 4 km, the ideal place for a relaxing break. Appreciated by both tourists and Bavarian citizens.

6 Nymphenburg Palace

The Nymphenburg Palace (Schloss Nymphenburg) is a baroque-style palace, enveloped in an enchanted atmosphere. It was once the summer residence of the kings of Bavaria.

7 The Museums of Munich

Those who love art, in all its forms, will find in Munich an authentic mecca of museums, galleries, and sculptures. Just the complex of the three Pinakothek, the Old (its Rubens hold their own even against the great museums of Vienna and Madrid), the New, and the Modern, alone are worth the trip.

8 Museum Brandhorst

The Museum Brandhorst on Theresienstrasse, besides hosting exhibitions and a wide collection of Andy Warhol’s works, pays attention to ecological management. Just a few steps from the Old and the New Pinakothek, the Museum Brandhorst was initially conceived to host the modern and contemporary art collections of collectors Udo and Annette Brandhorst. The building itself is very special: designed by the Berlin architects Sauerbruch Hutton, it is a work of art in its own right due to the facade covered by 36,000 colored ceramic rods, a sound-absorbing but visually striking feature. Inside the museum there are sophisticated technological devices for ecological management of lighting and temperature in the rooms. The exhibition is dedicated to the 20th and 21st centuries and hosts a large collection of Andy Warhol’s works; it also features works by Joseph Beuys, Jannis Kounellis, Georg Baselitz, Mario Merz, Damien Hirst, Cy Twombly, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Inside the Museum Brandhorst you can also visit a collection of books illustrated by Picasso and Miró.

9 Oktoberfest

Who doesn’t know the Oktoberfest, the October Beer Festival, which attracts crowds of people from all over the world to the cheerful and noisy Beer Gardens? Munich, it is known, is also this and is a very popular destination for Italians.

If you have more time available, we want to recommend other things to do in Munich.

10 What to do in Munich

• Visit the Deutsches Museum: it is the largest science and technology museum in the world. It represents one of the main attractions of Munich and should definitely be included in the list of “what to visit in Munich”.
• Spend an evening at Kultfabrik: an entertainment area of 60,000 sqm where you will find all kinds of fun, from food, to art exhibitions, to erotic shows, to fully experience Bavarian life. The nightlife in Munich is concentrated right there.
• Visit the Münchner Stadtmuseum: the city museum of Munich, it often hosts temporary exhibitions by great artists. Among its various sections, the most unique and fascinating are certainly those dedicated to the Puppet Museum and the Musical Instruments Museum.
• Go shopping in the city center: you will be impressed by the number of shops. Shopping in Munich is a real pleasure.

Key information: where to stay in Munich, how to get there, how to get around, and where to eat.

11 How to Get to Munich

The best way to reach Munich is definitely by plane. From the airport, you can easily get to the city center in 40 minutes, thanks to two very efficient subway lines.

12 How to get around Munich

To get around Munich, our advice is always to explore as much of the city as possible on foot, to catch every detail and savor every corner. However, you can also move from one part of the city to another by metro, buses, and trams. The City Tour Card will allow you to use all these means of transport with a single ticket.

13 Where to Eat in Munich

To eat in Munich, we recommend looking for traditional restaurants that allow you to taste Bavarian dishes. Don’t miss the Weisswurst, the typical Bavarian sausage, the bretzel, the characteristic twisted salted bread, and the Steckerfisch, the salted mackerel. And of course, don’t forget to drink a good mug of beer, the true symbol of this city!

14 Where to sleep in Munich

For choosing your hotel in Munich, we recommend a fairly central area so you can fully enjoy Bavarian life without having to move around too much.