The Mariensplatz, with the Cathedral of Our Lady, is the central meeting point for locals and the heart of the Old Town (Altstadt). It is dominated by the two cathedral towers with the golden statue of the Virgin. At the same place you will also find the Neues Rathaus, an imposing neo-Gothic building with remarkable monstrous figures and statues adorning its façade.
The pedestrianised area between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz is home to department stores, restaurants and other businesses and is a popular tourist route in the city.
Behind the Royal Palace you will find another beautiful and historic square, the Odeonsplatz. It was designed in the early 19th century and named after the former Odeon concert hall on the northwest side of the Odeon.
The shopping street with its expensive boutiques in Munich is an experience even if you don’t shop. The shop buildings, as well as those around the street, are so well-kept, so fake-like, that you don’t go there to shop – you go there to admire the architecture.
It is a Roman Catholic church dating from the 14th century and was severely damaged during the Second World War during the Allied bombing of Munich. The 91-metre-long tower is commonly known as the “Old Peter’s” and is considered iconic for Munich. Furthermore, this church is the oldest recorded parish church in Munich and probably the starting point for the entire city! If you manage to climb the almost 300 steps leading to the top, you’ll have the best view of the city.
The Residenz in the centre of Munich was the royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria from 1508 to 1918. It is the largest palace in the city and one of the most important interior design museums in Europe, with visitors rushing to admire its immaculate architecture, the decoration of its 130 rooms and exhibitions from the former royal collections.
The Englischer Garten is one of the world’s largest urban gardens, larger than New York’s Central Park, and is located in the northeastern part of Munich. Its name is deceptive, as it is not an English donation or intervention, but refers to the style of informal landscape gardening that was popular in Britain from the mid-18th century to the early 19th century. Throughout the year, whether the weather is fine or not, you will see many locals enjoying their walk, lying on the grass and having a picnic.
Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the BMW Museum. There you will admire some of the company’s most impressive models, while the spectacle continues with temporary and permanent exhibitions in the adjacent BMW Welt exhibition area and the company’s factory, during a tour of which you will learn exactly how around 950 vehicles are produced every day – from frame to paint.
Bavarian cuisine is well known and loved in Germany and around the world and many of its flavours are not found in other parts of Germany. Try Knodel (potato pancakes), the famous schnitzel, maultaschen (pies stuffed with meat and vegetables), leberkase (a kind of large sausage) and of course weisswurst (boiled white sausage) and the famous pork shank with sauerkraut.
The castle that inspired the Disney castle is 1-2 hours from Munich, in the picturesque town of Fussen, but hidden deep in the Alps. You can get there on foot or by carriage. It’s magical from afar, but impressive up close and fairytale-like inside.
It starts in Fussen and goes all the way to Würzburg, passing through beautiful towns with old, wooden, quaint houses with roofs. The highlight, of course, is Neunschwanstein in Fussen, but also the like-fake Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Every Bavarian village in the Alps is beautiful, with Mittenwald perhaps the highlight. Every little house is built and decorated with care. Every church is cute and every corner is a photo opportunity.
Not many words are needed. You stay with your mouth open. The Dachau concentration camp was created by the Gestapo after Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. It operated until the crushing of Nazi Germany in 1945.
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