Hotel in Munich
 

Spending a few days in Munich. Can anyone recommend lodging and some nearby "don't miss" sights? Thanks!

If budget is not a concern, I'd recommend Mandarin Oriental right in the heart of old town by the Marienplatz and Hofbrauhaus. If that's too expensive, I'd recommend the modern hotel Anna right by Stachus/Karlsplatz.
http://www.annahotel.de/
The same owner also own the more classic hotel Koenigshof & Excelsior. There are plenty of hotels around the train station but the area is somewhat sleazy. A couple gem hotels in the train station area are Dorint Sofitel & Le Meridien.

Tourist magnets: Rathaus clock in Marienplatz, Residenz palace & Royal treasury, Nymphenburg Palace, Viktualienmarkt, Toy museum, BMW building, Olympic stadium & Dachau Concentration Camp, Jewish museum.
Museums: Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, Lembach, Deutsches Museum, Glyptothek.
Churches: Asamkirche, Frauenkirche, Michaelskirche, Peterskirche, Theatinerkirche.
Activity: Mike's bike tour
Gourmet temples: Kaefer, Dahlmeyer, Tantris.
Beerhouse diners: Spatenhaus,Augustiner Keller, Weisses Braeuhaus, Hofbrauhaus. Not sure if there is a Paulaner Restaurant in Munich.

Forgot one of my favorites, Ratskeller below the famous clock in Marienplatz.

Although not downtown, the Hotel Astoria in Schwabing is a good middle class hotel with two or three very large rooms by European standards.

The hotel is on Nicolaistrasse just off of Leopoldstrasse about a long block from the Gieselastrasse U-Bahn station.

Downtown Munich is 3 to 4 U-Bahn stops away depending on where you want to go.

Marienplatz is on the line that serves Gieselastrasse.

The area of Schwabing along Leopoldstrasse and some of the side streets is very active.

As an added bonus, the breakfast at the Astoria is unbeatable and it is included in the price. The front desk staff regulars are all top notch and all of them speak English well enough to assist you with normal tourist questions.

We used biddingfortravel.com and priceline.com and won the Marriott for $65 US per night in July! I know it isn't "authenic" but is clean, safe and only 10 min.s from all the action via Ubahn. Works for us.

We stayed at the Hotel Torbrau very close to the old town and Marienplatz. Very nice, huge rooms, friendly and courteous service.

Try the Hotel Ludwig opposite the train station. Read my and other reviews on trip advisor.com under hotel reviews.

What is your budget. We could go on naming all the hotels in Munich but not help you without that information.

As far as the area is concerned you probably want to be close to the altstadt fussganger zone which is the area several blocks around Marienplatz.

The public transportation system in Munich is very good and pretty quick so you can get to most areas efficiently from wherever you stay.

I like to stay in the area around the train station and there are a bunch of hotels of all prices in that area.

I highly recomend Hotel Uhland as do many other posters on this site. It is not right in Marienplatz but is only a ten minute walk to the U Bahn so is very convenient to all of the main sites. Nice large rooms with very comfortable beds and modern bathrooms. A wonderful breakfast included in the price of the meal, free internet and free bicycles for use of the guests if desired. They also have parking if you are going to have a car while in Munich.

I would not miss the Residenz near Marienplatz, just watching the people go by in the squares and Englischer Garten. One big don't miss is a day trip to Dachau, a very moving experience. Day trips to the castles are also fun and the scenic drive there is not to be missed.

We liked the Hotel Laimerhof and would stay there again when we are in Munich again. It is near the Nymphenberg Palace - removed from the center of the city, but the neighborhood is served by the S-Bahn and trams. Picturesque and quiet neighborhood.

I will be staying at the Hotel Kimpinski on the Maximillianstrasse (Spelling??) has anyone stayed there? is it a nice hotel? I would really like some input from anyone who has been there before.
Mahalo,
Jeanne

I certainly don't recommend the Kempinski hotel as we have stayed there in 3 room categories. The rooms are generally worn & terribly old, they were in severe need of updating but so far I haven't heard of any renovation. Only the junior suite was OK (not great or grand by any means). The only thing that hotel has is the Vierjahreszeiten grand name but without the quality to back it up with. The location is also great close to the Residenz and across the street from the upscale designer shops. It is the only reason why I am hoping it will get renovated.

Thanks all! Budget not a problem; these are terrific suggestions!

You might also consider the Hotel Acanthus which is located near the Sendlinger Tor and it is A/C which some of us appreciate in HUMID Munich when it is warm; leMeridien is located across the street from the main railway station..large rooms but a typical business type hotel.

Hilton Munich City sits atop the Rosenheimer Platz S`/U-Bahn station

I've stayed in all three and had good luck with all three but if price is truly NO object, go for the Mandarin

I like staying near train stations and stayed at Hotel Europaisher Hof directly across the street from the HBF. Very clean, modern, and an excellent breakfast buffet. An easy walk to Marienplatz and all of its attractions. (Note, you can usually get a nightly rate below the published rate on the internet -- send them an email or call them.)

I'll add the Opera to the list of hotels. Beautiful, elegant, large rooms, good quiet location in the Lehel neighborhood between the Residenz and the river, and an excellent staff.

Don't miss Asamkirche, the Treasury at the Residenz, or the Amalienburg "hunting lodge" on the grounds of the Nymphenburg Palace. And when you're at the Nymphenburg, be sure to have lunch at the small restaurant at the corner of Menzingerstrasse and the north side of the canal facing the front of the palace. Can't remember it's name, but it's perfect.

I was planning to stay near the airport because of the convenience My daughter, her friend & I will arrive in Munich late one night and one of the girls will have 2 50 lb bags. I'm not sure how that will work on the Ubahn. My husband will arrive the 2nd day after we do with 2 50 lb bags. (1 of which will be for my daughter). The girls will have to return to the airport on the 3rd day to meet their group. (They will each have 2 50 lb bags) I thought that we would stay close to the airport and use shuttle service, rather than the train. The problem is, we would like to do a tour of the castles and Oberammergau on that 2nd day and all of the tours leave pretty early in the morning from Munich. I would have to make sure that our hotel was very close to the train station and know exactly how to get to the meeting place and hope that we wouldn't be delayed. On the 2nd day, after my husband arrives, we plan to tour Munich. (Could we do this on our own?) Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi Amberkat, there are plenty of hotels around the train station area. As I mentioned before the two best hotels are Sofitel(189euro) & Le Meiridien(149 euro). They are perfect for you to catch the tour buses in front of the station. You shouldn't have any problem getting on the train into town when you arrive in Munich Airport. The train station is just below the airport, you can take the elevator down to where you buy the train tickets & then take the escalator down to the platform easily. The airport is well designed for public transportation convenience..

The Hotel Amba is right across from the Main Train Station & is ideal in location. Only a short walk to the Ped Zone & less expensive than most others mentioned. The Uhland is also nice, but it is over by the Oktoberfest grounds. There is a also a bus stop at the end of the block.

At the airport is there an elevator down to the platform? I have read that there are luggage carts available. Can the luggage carts be brought down to the platform? There is no way we could manage the esculators with our luggage. Would it be easier to take the bus? If so, what hotels are near the bus stop in Munich? Would the Mariott or Renaisance be farther from the train station than the LeMeridian or Hotel Amba?