Hotels in Munich

I'm a little biased as our family lived south of Munich city for 3 years between 1975 and 1978 and our youngest daughter was born there. My recent trip was with my 2 grown up daughters - the first time we had returned in 35+ years. The trip was to visit the Christkindl Markt and also our old village of Aying (27 kilometers south). Munich has grown so much with lots of new buildings but it is easy to navigate with excellent transport facilities. The Christmas Markets are superb - so many beautiful handcrafted artifacts and the Medieval Market at Odeonsplatz with some 2 storey wooden houses and a wonderful continual stream of medieval play actors, jugglers, and musicians together with St Nicholas , a jester and other characters, observed whilst enjoying a mug of Gluhwein was unlike anything you could find in England or America. We also visited the main market on the Marienplatz - don't miss the glockenspiel on the Rathaus tower (it only comes to life at 11a.m.during the winter), and one at Schwabing and the RindtMarkt where there is a life sized Nativity Tower. Don't bother with hotel breakfasts unless you have secured a good B & B deal - go to Kaufhof (department store) on Marienplatz. We had an "all you can eat" breakfast for Euro7.50 each. In general eating and drinking in Munich is good value. Local Weissbier and Dunkel bier were only Euro2.50 per half litre. Coffees and wines were on par with England. We had a superb meal at The Ayingerhof Brauerie Gasthof (30 mins train ride outside Munich but worth it for the chance to see a lovely village with views of the snow topped Alps in the distance and some great walks in the surrounding countryside). If you are going to Munich for the first time do a City Bus Tour - great to help get your bearings and hear about the most popular sites.

Get a weekly public transport card if you're staying for more than 72 hours. It's pretty cheap and saves your legs, but Munich is very walkable. While many people seem to suggest Trachtenvogl for breakfast, I personally suggest going to Cafe Rischart. While it is a chain, the service is fast and food is more plentiful. More bang for your buck than you would find at Trachtenvogl. You also get a free refill of tea with their breakfast platters. Not just a hot water in your tea kind of refill, but a freshly brewed large mug of tea (same deal with coffee)! I also tried The Victorian House for breakfast, but once again i find Rischart's cafe was better value. For dinner, I recommend Weisses Brauhaus. The food is pretty good, the beer even better. I also went to Hofbrauhaus but found it either too rowdy for my liking, or too quiet on the upper floors. Hofbrauhaus is definitely worth a visit though. They weren't joking when they called it a beer hall. Visit the Deutsches Museum if you have time; the mining exhibit is superb! The exhibit is underground, and you get to see how claustrophobic, dark, and cramped mining conditions were up close. Even the air is a bit stale :p Not all the info signs are in english, though.

Excellent city guides from information office. In 4 days, 3 nights we went to see a play at the America House, great fun! Haus der Künste by the Englische Park with some excellent exhibitions and a great cafe. Plus mesmerising surfers practising their skills on a choppy run of the Isar. Lots of fireworks everywhere despite the papers' headlines trying to frighten people away. For those who speak German, the cinema at the Sendlinger Tor takes you straight back in time and has a great art house programme. Munich centre can be easily covered on foot with most every facade worth looking at, shopping for all tastes and food possibilities everywhere. It's a great mix of old and new buildings. Beautiful churches offering music to those not keen on religious celebrations themselves and Christmas crèches a speciality. Some with lights and moving parts to delight children of all ages. Excellent public transport and wonderful landscapes to discover in the vicinity. So much food and drink on offer. Difficult to suggest just one place, perhaps the Viktualienmarkt with its many stalls and restaurants, and of course the Biergarten as soon as it gets warm again.

Beer is great! All different kinds and it's what the region is known for. Augustinerhaus and Hofbrauhaus were great. Had beer both places but only ate at Augustinerhaus and it was great! They also have English menus. Glad I came during Christmas time to take advantage of the Christmas markets. Went to Neuschwanstein on a paid tour. This was nice if A) You want someone else to organize things for you and B) You only want to see the castle, hear some facts and go home. Would definitely recommend booking this trip yourself if you want to spend less money, and spend more time in Fuessen/Schwangau, the surrounding areas. Might even be worth staying a night in Fuessen if you can afford it so you won't be rushed. On the other hand, Munich is in the mountains, so it got COLD. On a tour to Dachau the temperature dropped considerably. Make sure to pack warmly if you're coming in the winter!

A fascinating city and a great base to explore Bavaria. A walking tour provided an opportunity for orientation and an insider view to facts that would ordinarily go undiscovered.Certainly some dark moments with respect to the Nazi history but cannot be dismissed. Visited just prior to Xmas and the "Christkindlmarkt" were amazing. The sights ,sounds and smell of mulled wine and gingerbread added a certain magic to the festive season. A visit to the Nuremberg markets is also a must. Many varied eating options included bratwurst stands at the markets and of course the legendary beer halls.

Munich has so much to see and do, as well as nearby day trips. We spent 6 days there and had a packed itinerary. The city is great if you are fit, as many attractions can be accessed on foot from the city centre, and the place itself is not hilly. While the city centre was crowded because of the Christmas markets, most of the attractions were not. There was little queuing for anything. We didn't really need to access the public transport system a lot, but it was efficient when we did. Cab prices were also reasonable, and on a par with our own city. We found the Munich people to be friendly and helpful. A special shout out to the guys from a nearby store and a passer by who rushed to my wife's aid when she had a fall in the street one morning. Many of the attractions are grouped together, especially the museums and the galleries, so you can plan your days around them. Visit then Viktualienmarkt if you are a foodie. It's amazing. Visit a beer hall if you're not. Either way you'll still be satisfied with what you get. Overall, prices for things are reasonable, but certainly not as high as other major European cities.