john61

Hi... In early May my wife and I, and another couple will be in Munich for three days and two nights.. We arrive about 8AM on a Friday, have no real plans for that day.. The next day all we have planned is a visit to Dachau.. the last day we have a full day tour booked to Neuschwanstein and then the night train to Paris...

I am asking for any suggestions on what to do with the first couple days... We want to go to the Hoffbrauhaus and to experience some German culture..

Someone suggested taking a train into Austria for a few hours... is that a realistic possibility?

Any ideas from you folks would be appreciated..

Thanks
John

danon

If you have 3. Days , 2 have already been planned, and the remaining day you are thinking about going to Austria, all you might see of a big and interesting city( full of art and history)
are a few beer halls in the evening.
But, that might be just what you are looking for.

joannyc

There's plenty to keep you busy in Munich for a day.

nytraveler

There's plenty to keep you busy in Munich for 2 or 3 days.

The beer hall is good for one drink - althouhg being in there does give you some idea of how Hitler managed to start a populist movement - after about 9 in the evening most of the inhabitants would happily sign on for a trip to mars.

Get a guidebook and see what there is in Munich - since I don;t know your interests. But - rather than spend alot of time looking at a fake castle (Neuschwanstein) I would go for some of the others - as well as the churches and museums in town.

Especially don;t miss the Rezidence palace/museum in Munich and Schloss Nyphenburg right outside. And the town hall/clock are not to be missed.

Pegontheroad

I agree with nytraveler that the Hofbrauhaus is good for one drink. My last visit there was enlivened by the sight and sounds of a very drunk tableful of young Americans. I don't know what it was that they spilled on the floor by their table, but the waiter made them clean it up themselves.

I suspect that you'd enjoy a beer garden more, perhaps at the Chinesischer Turm at the Englischer Garten. (Obviously that's the Chinese Tower in the English Garden.)

You could go to the baroque Nymphenburg Palace, which was the summer palace of the Wittelsbachs. It's fun to wander through the Schloss and see how the other half--or maybe I should say, the other 1/10 of 1 percent--lived. We found the museum showing the coaches to be very interesting. I also liked park, with all its different pavilions. If you enjoy walking, this is a good place for a stroll.

Of course, Munich has some fabulous museums and equally fabulous churches.

KimSanJose

Heck, there's enough to do and see in Munich to keep you busy for a month. That's how long we stayed last May and were sad to go! My husband and I have been there over 20 times, it's our most favorite city in the world.

My recommendation would be to skip both Dachua and Neueschwanstein (you do know that the obligatory tour is only 20 minutes long?) and spend the entire short 3 days exploring Munich. I have a 20+ page document of tips, recommendations, and things to do and see based on our many visit there. If you would like a copy send me a private message with your email address.

trevorjoyce

I would be interested in your information to prepare for our trip to Hamburg and Munich! [email protected]. Thanks

jscarbary

The schatzkammer at the Residenz should not be missed, this is the Treasury where the Crown Jewels, among other things, are on display. If the weather is nice definitely go to the Englisher Garten and the biergarten for lunch and a stroll. We stopped to watch some of a cricket match on our stroll through, as we don't see many cricket matches in The Detroit area. We were in the city for five days and were not bored. There are the three Pinakoteks (old, new and modern) as well as other museums. If you go to Nymphenburg don't forget Amielenberg (or however it is spelled, it is the "hunting lodge" on the property). We tagged along with a bus tour that happened to be in English, and that was my favorite part of Nymphenberg.

I won't tell you not to go to Neuschwanstein because I loved it. Yes it was a short tour, you probably don't see all of the castle but I'm not sure if the inside was ever even completely finished. Ludwig lived there only a short time before he was deposed and then died. Hohenschwangau is the palace where he grew up and dreamed up Neuschwanstein. The view from the Marienbruke was amazing as well as the walk down to the bottom of the Pollatschlut (the water fall there) and then looking back up to the Marienbruke.

john61

Thanks guys.. The Neuschwanstien castle tour was picked mostly because it also stops in several villages for awhile.. We like to see small towns when we travel,ostly to get a feel for the country and meet locals...

We will be staying near the Nymphenburg Palace so we will see that as well.. Our maon goals just to experience all we can about Munich

john61

KimSanJose, I would love to see the document you mentioned!.. my email is [email protected]

Thanks!

AisleSeat

Munich has a lot. To offer that could take a lot more time than you have. However, that being said, one day in Munich is always a lot better than no days on Munich.

The Rathaus with its famous Glockenspiel is in the center of the pedestrian only old part of town. It is at Marienplatz which is within an easy stone's throw from the Frauen kitche, the viktualien Markt, the Residence, old Peter's church, and the Hofbrauhaus.

On the day you go to Dachau have your hotel call in reservations for the Bavarian evening at 7 pm on the 3rd floor of the Hofbrauhaus. It is a cheesy but fun that features slap-dancing, cowbell music and other fun stuff.

Have a fun trip ... Or as they say in Bavaria, Gute Fahrt!

SKPKCP11

Dear KimSanJose,

We are also planning a short stay in Munich. For the benefit of all, please could you attach your document in this trail of emails. So that we can all get some ideas.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

mattgjenkins

KimSanJose - We are also traveling to Munich soon and would love any tips you have as someone who has been there so often. If you'd be willing to share your travel tips, please let me know. We're new to this forum, so not sure how to send a private message with my email...

Dukey1

You folks realize this thread is TWO years old, right? I just left Munich a few days ago and IMO if you want a good place to get information, the "destinations" section right here might work for you.

These people with their so-called "tips" are, as you can see, not always reliable and after two years what would you expect?

sandralist

Dukey1,

I would have thought it was fairly obvious to anybody that the mattgjenkins didn't realize the thread was 2 years old -- especially after mentioning being new to the forum.

Since you are a frequent and longtime poster, perhaps it would have been if you had alerted mattgjenkins to what a nasty and insulting forum this is, out to humiliate newcomers in particular -- but I'll bet mattgjenkins can see that now.

mattgjenkins,

I suggest you try a different forum (Tripadvisor, Frommer's) where you won't get responses like the above, but instead helpful information. I was in Munich in March and I felt the standard guidebooks and "Destinations" blurbs on the web really didn't work for my kind of trip. Most guidebooks focus on Oktoberfest and the BMW museum, plus the big palaces, but Munich's unique museums and churches were highly rewarding to me.

So ask around and get beyond the Glockenspiel. I'm sure you will find a forum where people are interested to share that with you and not constantly be making the Fodor's Forum an evermore unwelcoming place for people traveling the first time to new places.