Munich
How to get there
There are some flights from overseas into Munich airport (http://www.munich-airport.de/en/consumer/index.jsp). If there's no flight, try connecting via Frankfurt airport (http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/content/frankfurt_airport/en.html) and take the short flight to Munich. There are also some train connections, for example, the train to Salzburg, AT takes less than 2 hrs.
City mapping
The center of Munich is walkable. If you assume Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) as the center, then, the Altstadt is east with Karlplatz, Marienplatz and Max-Josef Platz. The airport is north of the center. Look for more in the "Transport" section.
Sights
Munich is a lovely city and walking around and getting the feel of the city is a great way to see the outstanding architecture.
ALTSTADT (Old Town)
The Old Town is full of beautiful squares nice to roam around. If you're coming east from the Hauptbahnhof, you'll reach Karlsplatz first. This square has great architecture and a beautiful fountain. It's also a busy junction for the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and tram. On the other side of the road is an arch and then starts a great pedestrianised street called Neuhauser Strasse. It has many shops but not much in terms of sights. However, you might see some nice churches just a few metres a block either side; these are the real sights here.
Walking down that road, you arrive at gorgeous Marienplatz with the awe-striking Rathaus. You can go inside (there's an entrance fee) to the viewing platform which affords unbeatable views of the city. The square is fun to roam around and to see the beautiful buildings. Go south and you'll see the also pretty Petersplatz and further south is the famous food market Viktualienmarkt .
If you go north, you'll come across many nice shopping streets such as Theatinerstrasse, Viscardigasse and Salvatorstrasse. These are rewarding for exploration, and have many great architectural features too.
A bit more north is Odeonsplatz , another pretty square with a beautiful church you cannot capture fully by a normal camera.
If you like art, try the art museums near Koningsplatz (Kings' Sq)- which include the Alte Pinakothek (link). It has some great art, mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries.
SCHWABING
Schwabing is a quainter (compared to the Altstadt) neighborhood north-east of the center. The streets are calm and many are residential. The University is located here. Also located here is the Englischer Garten , a huge park with a central lively beer garden. You can sit out and enjoy the air. There is a buffet kind of place with a pouring machine for beer as well as soft drinks and some snacks like Apfelstrudel (apple strudel). Return the beer glass at the counter to claim back 1 EUR paid as deposit.
U6 goes to Universitat station from the city centre. You can walk from there to the university area and the Englischer Garten.
OLYMPIAPARK
This is the Olympic Stadium. There is a lot of green around as you head there as it's slightly out of the city. There, you can see the swimming pool as well as other facilities.
FROTTMANING
The Allianz Arena, the city's football stadium, is located around 10 min from the Frottmaning U-Bahn station. Guided tours of the stadium can be taken.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton Munich Central, slightly out of the Altstadt. The lobby area is small but the rooms are spacious. There is free good Internet (only 2 terminals) in the lobby. Get the password and username from the receptionist and you're ready to surf away. There's a bar in the lobby with Happy Hours. To get here from the airport, take the S8 to Hackerbrucke and walk south to the hotel (5-10 min). On the S8 from the airport, you pass by several key stations such as Marienplatz, Karlsplatz and Hauptbahnhof. S1 is also OK but takes more time. Another station close to the hotel is Theresienwiese from where you can take U4 for Odeonsplatz and Englischer Garten.
Food
The Altstadt is crammed with eateries. Many have outdoor seating.
- The Surahi restaurant was at the fringe of the Altstadt (near Odeonsplatz) which served good Indian cuisine.
- A place called Best Back had some bakery items along with ice teas and other packaged drinks. Very close to the Hauptbahnhof.
Shopping
Maximilanstrasse is famous for high-end brands. Also, there are a lot of shops everywhere else in the Old Town too, especially the long pedestrianized street of Neuhauserstrasse. Also look at Theaterinstrasse and neighbouring streets for shopping.
Transport
From the airport, you can take S1 or S8 into town which takes 30-40 minutes.
If there are many people travelling together, they can get a Partner ticket (valid for up to 5 people) valid for all public transport (trams, buses, S-Bahn, U-Bahn). The Airport-City ticket costs €19.60. 2 children (age 6-14) are treated as 1 adult
Links Corner
Munich Transport Map
Munich Map
Munich
Munich Transport
Munich Airport
Tourist Friendliness
Munich is well served when it comes to public transport. There is U-Bahn (like metro), S-Bahn (suburban train, connecting the airport too), tram, and walking is a pleasure.
There are road signs all over, and the city centre is well defined.
Safety
Munich is very safe to walk around using general precautions. Outside the Altstadt- such as around Theresienwiese- the streets may be very empty but still should be fine. When we first used Theresienwiese U-Bahn- on a Sunday late afternoon- the station was completely empty but safe.
Itineraries
One Day
Do a circuit on the Altstadt (Old Town) visiting some of the most beautiful squares of the city. Start from Karlsplatz, onto Marienplatz, Max-Josef Platz, then to Koningsplatz and Odeonsplatz. Get to Englischer Garten in the evening.
Two Days
Follow the above for the first day. On the second day, explore the Old Town more deeply (such as Petersplatz, Viktualienmakt) then go to the BMW Museum and Olympiapark in the evening.
If there's one word for Munich I can say, it is :picturesque. When you explore the Aldstadt, you'll encounter one beautiful square after the next. Munich hasn't forgotten its green lung, explore Englischer Garten and you'll see a huge park with walking trails and a lively beer garden. Munich is easily accessible with excellent public transport. Details underway...
How to get there
There are some flights from overseas into Munich airport (http://www.munich-airport.de/en/consumer/index.jsp). If there's no flight, try connecting via Frankfurt airport (http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/content/frankfurt_airport/en.html) and take the short flight to Munich. There are also some train connections, for example, the train to Salzburg, AT takes less than 2 hrs.
City mapping
The center of Munich is walkable. If you assume Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) as the center, then, the Altstadt is east with Karlplatz, Marienplatz and Max-Josef Platz. The airport is north of the center. Look for more in the "Transport" section.
Sights
Munich is a lovely city and walking around and getting the feel of the city is a great way to see the outstanding architecture.
ALTSTADT (Old Town)
The Old Town is full of beautiful squares nice to roam around. If you're coming east from the Hauptbahnhof, you'll reach Karlsplatz first. This square has great architecture and a beautiful fountain. It's also a busy junction for the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and tram. On the other side of the road is an arch and then starts a great pedestrianised street called Neuhauser Strasse. It has many shops but not much in terms of sights. However, you might see some nice churches just a few metres a block either side; these are the real sights here.
 |
| Neues Rathaus at Marienplatz |
Walking down that road, you arrive at gorgeous Marienplatz with the awe-striking Rathaus. You can go inside (there's an entrance fee) to the viewing platform which affords unbeatable views of the city. The square is fun to roam around and to see the beautiful buildings. Go south and you'll see the also pretty Petersplatz and further south is the famous food market Viktualienmarkt .
 |
| Nationaltheater at Max-Josef Platz |
If you continue north from Marienplatz, you'll get to Max-Josef Platz , another elegant square with the National Theater and the Residenz, two famous and beautiful edifices.
 |
| Odeonsplatz |
A bit more north is Odeonsplatz , another pretty square with a beautiful church you cannot capture fully by a normal camera.
 |
| Koningsplatz |
SCHWABING
Schwabing is a quainter (compared to the Altstadt) neighborhood north-east of the center. The streets are calm and many are residential. The University is located here. Also located here is the Englischer Garten , a huge park with a central lively beer garden. You can sit out and enjoy the air. There is a buffet kind of place with a pouring machine for beer as well as soft drinks and some snacks like Apfelstrudel (apple strudel). Return the beer glass at the counter to claim back 1 EUR paid as deposit.
U6 goes to Universitat station from the city centre. You can walk from there to the university area and the Englischer Garten.
 |
| Englischer Garten |
OLYMPIAPARK
This is the Olympic Stadium. There is a lot of green around as you head there as it's slightly out of the city. There, you can see the swimming pool as well as other facilities.
One more interesting sight around is the BMW Museum . As you enter, you can see several cars around; you can sit in some of them. There are also some motorbikes. There are more cars upstairs. There's also a cafe and you can get fine views from the window. There are two shops selling t-shirts, mountain bikes as well as some other cool stuff such as a USB Light and a magnifying glass equipped with a light.
  |
| up: BMW Museum down: BMW Headquarters |
FROTTMANING
 |
| Allianz Arena |
Accommodation
We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton Munich Central, slightly out of the Altstadt. The lobby area is small but the rooms are spacious. There is free good Internet (only 2 terminals) in the lobby. Get the password and username from the receptionist and you're ready to surf away. There's a bar in the lobby with Happy Hours. To get here from the airport, take the S8 to Hackerbrucke and walk south to the hotel (5-10 min). On the S8 from the airport, you pass by several key stations such as Marienplatz, Karlsplatz and Hauptbahnhof. S1 is also OK but takes more time. Another station close to the hotel is Theresienwiese from where you can take U4 for Odeonsplatz and Englischer Garten.
Food
The Altstadt is crammed with eateries. Many have outdoor seating.
- The Surahi restaurant was at the fringe of the Altstadt (near Odeonsplatz) which served good Indian cuisine.
- A place called Best Back had some bakery items along with ice teas and other packaged drinks. Very close to the Hauptbahnhof.
- Konigin 43 was a small restaurant in Schwabing (near the university) which served teas, coffees and had a small selection of sandwiches, desserts etc.
Maximilanstrasse is famous for high-end brands. Also, there are a lot of shops everywhere else in the Old Town too, especially the long pedestrianized street of Neuhauserstrasse. Also look at Theaterinstrasse and neighbouring streets for shopping.
Transport
Munich has great public transport in the form of buses, U-Bahn (like a metro), S-Bahn (like a suburban train) and a tram network.
 |
| Tram |
 |
| An S-Bahn train |
From the airport, you can take S1 or S8 into town which takes 30-40 minutes.
If there are many people travelling together, they can get a Partner ticket (valid for up to 5 people) valid for all public transport (trams, buses, S-Bahn, U-Bahn). The Airport-City ticket costs €19.60. 2 children (age 6-14) are treated as 1 adult
Munich Transport Map
Munich Map
Munich
Munich Transport
Munich Airport
Tourist Friendliness
Munich is well served when it comes to public transport. There is U-Bahn (like metro), S-Bahn (suburban train, connecting the airport too), tram, and walking is a pleasure.
There are road signs all over, and the city centre is well defined.
Safety
Munich is very safe to walk around using general precautions. Outside the Altstadt- such as around Theresienwiese- the streets may be very empty but still should be fine. When we first used Theresienwiese U-Bahn- on a Sunday late afternoon- the station was completely empty but safe.
Itineraries
One Day
Do a circuit on the Altstadt (Old Town) visiting some of the most beautiful squares of the city. Start from Karlsplatz, onto Marienplatz, Max-Josef Platz, then to Koningsplatz and Odeonsplatz. Get to Englischer Garten in the evening.
Two Days
Follow the above for the first day. On the second day, explore the Old Town more deeply (such as Petersplatz, Viktualienmakt) then go to the BMW Museum and Olympiapark in the evening.
Last visit- Apr 2012
No of visits- 2
First visit- Jun 2011
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