Hotel in Munich - in city center or outside?
Nov 15th, 2007, 07:42 PM
#21
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>so called Gärtnerplatz
Very! nice area, I went to school there
. It's got a theater, the "old" synagogue, some traditional restaurants. It's located in the gay quarter of town and is just a few steps to Viktualienmarkt and a few meters to the river. One of the best areas to stay.
Very! nice area, I went to school there
. It's got a theater, the "old" synagogue, some traditional restaurants. It's located in the gay quarter of town and is just a few steps to Viktualienmarkt and a few meters to the river. One of the best areas to stay.
Nov 15th, 2007, 07:50 PM
#22
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>It is still a tram ride into the city center
It's without doubt the place with the most restaurants in the city. The classic place for nightlife (Munich style) (very expensive too). Everytime I come to Schwabing, half of the stores have disappeared and repalced by others. There is no tramway there, since whe got the subway in 1972. It's 3 stops to downtown (Marienplatz) by subway, but walking isn't that far either. You'll pass Munich university, the state library, and Feldherrenhalle. It's a nice walk.
It's without doubt the place with the most restaurants in the city. The classic place for nightlife (Munich style) (very expensive too). Everytime I come to Schwabing, half of the stores have disappeared and repalced by others. There is no tramway there, since whe got the subway in 1972. It's 3 stops to downtown (Marienplatz) by subway, but walking isn't that far either. You'll pass Munich university, the state library, and Feldherrenhalle. It's a nice walk.
Nov 15th, 2007, 08:31 PM
#24
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logos - thanks for all the encouraging news. I will contact Pension Gartnerplatz and see if I can gather more info. Schwabing also sounds like a possibility (that is also where the Marriott is that girlonthego mentioned if we decide to go that route).
Nov 15th, 2007, 09:44 PM
#26
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Another thumbs up for the Gärtnerplatz district. I wish I could afford an appartment in that area...
You won't find free street parking there, though. Actually, you won't find much of street parking there.
But: For going to Dachau or Salzburg, a car will be more pain than pleasure. Dachau is connected to the S-Bahn system, and Salzburg by regular trains every hour.
Salzburg is also not much fun to navigate!
And, when you rent a car in Germany, it usually does not have the toll sticker for the Austrian motorways. So you will have to use the last exit on the German side of the Autobahn.
And don't think that no Austrian highway patrol will care about if you use these mere 10 km into Austria until you get to the Salzburg exit ;-)
You won't find free street parking there, though. Actually, you won't find much of street parking there.
But: For going to Dachau or Salzburg, a car will be more pain than pleasure. Dachau is connected to the S-Bahn system, and Salzburg by regular trains every hour.
Salzburg is also not much fun to navigate!
And, when you rent a car in Germany, it usually does not have the toll sticker for the Austrian motorways. So you will have to use the last exit on the German side of the Autobahn.
And don't think that no Austrian highway patrol will care about if you use these mere 10 km into Austria until you get to the Salzburg exit ;-)
Nov 16th, 2007, 06:35 AM
#28
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My wife & I were just in Munich a couple months ago and really enjoyed staying in the city center. We didn't see any museum or monuments but simply enjoyed exploring the city, dining, & shopping for different things on our list. Like you, immediate access to commerce was important for us because I was looking for wines & media while my wife was shopping for other things. We split up and met up easily. Having so many good restaurants around the hotel made it even more enjoyable. Our friends (staying in the same hotel) did the tourist attraction & museum round. We all texted each other and met up at some preselected beergardens and restaurants for short breaks throughout the day. They also enjoyed being able to walk to all the attractions/museums.
Schwabing is supposed to be the more bohemian student quarter but when we stayed there, I didn't really feel any special/distinctive atmosphere to make me want to stay there again. I'd go back to staying in the city center again. That said I would pick Schwabing over Nymphenburg area. As logos has mentioned, one can at least have an enjoyable walk into the city center through some attractive areas from Schwabing. There is enough outdoor shopping area including big dept stores, restaurants and theatres but nothing to be compared to those in the city center.
Schwabing is supposed to be the more bohemian student quarter but when we stayed there, I didn't really feel any special/distinctive atmosphere to make me want to stay there again. I'd go back to staying in the city center again. That said I would pick Schwabing over Nymphenburg area. As logos has mentioned, one can at least have an enjoyable walk into the city center through some attractive areas from Schwabing. There is enough outdoor shopping area including big dept stores, restaurants and theatres but nothing to be compared to those in the city center.
Nov 16th, 2007, 08:18 AM
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Hi jgg -
Gaertnerplatz is a great area. Extremely convenient. Go for it.
I think the area around the Nymphenburg is lovely, and lots of people love the Laimerhof and the Kreimhild for lots of good reasons. For me, I need to be in a location where I can reasonably return to the hotel during the day if I want to, where I can return to the hotel to rest and change before dinner, and where I can walk around after dinner and then and see things at night and stay out late without worring about when the S Bahn closes.
For Cindy - I'm glad you found the Opera. I hope you like it as much as we did. We rented a car from Sixt, and picked the car up at their office located around the corner from the hotel. I am 99% sure that it's their Muenchen Zentrum location on Seitzstrasse. A great experience.
My other car rental experiences in Munich have not been so great. The first time I arranged to pick up a car at the train station. The office was in the train station, on the second floor. The garage was several blocks south. Needless to say, we schlepped our bags to the train station, then upstairs to the office, then back downstairs, then across very busy Bayerstrasse, and down several increasingly 'sketchy' blocks. Not fun.
The second time involved dropping a car off in Schwabing. Up Leopoldstrasse. Over an hour in blinding traffic. The rental office was in a large hotel. The nice fellow behind the desk told me that I had to take the car back onto Leopoldstrasse and park in a garage a few blocks away. Also not fun.
Please use the Sixt on Seitzstrasse.
Gaertnerplatz is a great area. Extremely convenient. Go for it.
I think the area around the Nymphenburg is lovely, and lots of people love the Laimerhof and the Kreimhild for lots of good reasons. For me, I need to be in a location where I can reasonably return to the hotel during the day if I want to, where I can return to the hotel to rest and change before dinner, and where I can walk around after dinner and then and see things at night and stay out late without worring about when the S Bahn closes.
For Cindy - I'm glad you found the Opera. I hope you like it as much as we did. We rented a car from Sixt, and picked the car up at their office located around the corner from the hotel. I am 99% sure that it's their Muenchen Zentrum location on Seitzstrasse. A great experience.
My other car rental experiences in Munich have not been so great. The first time I arranged to pick up a car at the train station. The office was in the train station, on the second floor. The garage was several blocks south. Needless to say, we schlepped our bags to the train station, then upstairs to the office, then back downstairs, then across very busy Bayerstrasse, and down several increasingly 'sketchy' blocks. Not fun.
The second time involved dropping a car off in Schwabing. Up Leopoldstrasse. Over an hour in blinding traffic. The rental office was in a large hotel. The nice fellow behind the desk told me that I had to take the car back onto Leopoldstrasse and park in a garage a few blocks away. Also not fun.
Please use the Sixt on Seitzstrasse.
Nov 16th, 2007, 08:22 AM
#30
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jgg:
The area was fine! And I am REALLY pickey, that's why we didn't stay near the train station. You don't really walk on the street because you go left out the of hotel 1/2 block and there was the cafe, then another 1/2 blk and you're on the street by the Marienplatz. We walked EVERYWHERE.We would come back after dark and we didn't even notice any hostels in the area or anything else that we had to worry about.
Anyway, we like the hotel because it was close if you wanted to walk to subway or train station or anywhere. We would stay there again because of location and it was nice rooms. You can ask for non-smoking rooms also.
The area was fine! And I am REALLY pickey, that's why we didn't stay near the train station. You don't really walk on the street because you go left out the of hotel 1/2 block and there was the cafe, then another 1/2 blk and you're on the street by the Marienplatz. We walked EVERYWHERE.We would come back after dark and we didn't even notice any hostels in the area or anything else that we had to worry about.
Anyway, we like the hotel because it was close if you wanted to walk to subway or train station or anywhere. We would stay there again because of location and it was nice rooms. You can ask for non-smoking rooms also.
Nov 16th, 2007, 12:00 PM
#31
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Few years ago we stayed at the Hotel Platzl in city center. Short walk to Marienplatz and around the corner from Hofbrauhaus. Very nice hotel and reassonably priced. Website is http://www.platzl.de/english/index.html
Nov 17th, 2007, 07:51 AM
#32
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I have always thought that Hotel Platzl has a very ideal location but I had no idea the rooms are that nice. I'm impressed, I would stay there the next time I come to Munich since I am too cheap for the Mandarin Oriental. We often walk to Platzl court for the restaurant cluster. I was recently impressed by the Schuhbecks Stuebe which received a 1 star Michelin. It's a must for those in search of refined Bavarian/Austrian cuisine.
Nov 27th, 2007, 08:09 PM
#34
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We stayed at the Cortiina Hotel in Munich, which is centrally located, very comfortable, and has an extremely helpful (but not overbearing) staff. It gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. I think it is within your price range. I recommend it!
Dec 11th, 2007, 09:17 AM
#35
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Just made booking at Marriott Courtyard City Center for Christmas week (79 Euros). I gather I may be sacrificing "charm" but would be grateful for confirmation that location is good. Also, any ideas for nearby health club/fitness center where one can pay a guest fee? Many thanks.
Dec 11th, 2007, 11:19 AM
#37
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We haven't found the train station area to be objectionable. There are a couple of strip joints but just normal stores and stuff for the rest of it. We like the Drei Lowen in that area.
We stayed in the Uhland one Christmas and thought it was great but about 10 minutes (by foot) further from the fussganger zone than the train station hotels. They may have a quad. Seems like I saw something about family rooms there.
The Munich transit system is easy to use and very efficient so no matter where you stay you will have pretty good access to all the other areas.
We stayed in the Uhland one Christmas and thought it was great but about 10 minutes (by foot) further from the fussganger zone than the train station hotels. They may have a quad. Seems like I saw something about family rooms there.
The Munich transit system is easy to use and very efficient so no matter where you stay you will have pretty good access to all the other areas.
Dec 11th, 2007, 12:24 PM
#38
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brk01.. the location of the Mariott is exactly as you assume: it lacks "charm", but is an excellent base for exploring the city - especially for €79!.
The surrounding blocks of "nightlife" are far away from a decent red light district (which you may not be too unhappy to hear). So even with a late arrival, there is no reason not to walk the 1/4 mile from the main station to the hotel.
The old town is nearby (5min walking), a supermarket on the other side of the street (in case you don't want to rely on your minibar only), and I think the hotel has its own health/ fitness club for hotel guests.
The streetcars for the Museum District are also in appr 5min walking distance, same for subway to any other destinations.
The only "problem" with the location could be that the street, on which the hotel is, can be quite busy in the morning and afternoon. So you may want to ask for a quiet room not facing the street (if that is available).
The surrounding blocks of "nightlife" are far away from a decent red light district (which you may not be too unhappy to hear). So even with a late arrival, there is no reason not to walk the 1/4 mile from the main station to the hotel.
The old town is nearby (5min walking), a supermarket on the other side of the street (in case you don't want to rely on your minibar only), and I think the hotel has its own health/ fitness club for hotel guests.
The streetcars for the Museum District are also in appr 5min walking distance, same for subway to any other destinations.
The only "problem" with the location could be that the street, on which the hotel is, can be quite busy in the morning and afternoon. So you may want to ask for a quiet room not facing the street (if that is available).
Dec 11th, 2007, 01:18 PM
#39
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Holy cow are we having the same problem- in Berlin- and wishing we could find a hotel as excellent as our favorite in Munich! We always stay at The Opera hotel, a small and elegant (and reasonable!)little boutique hotel someone else recommended, which is so close to the center that it's a short walk over to the sites, yet far enough away in a nice quiet neighborhood. We love the room with the "Winter Garden" where you, when feeling like pushing the boat out, can eat your breakfast in the heated enclosed balcony off of fine Rosental china.
