Munich

Marienplatz at 11 a.m.

At 11 a.m. and noon, Marienplatz, the heart of the old town, fills with people looking up. That's when the Glockenspiel in the tower of the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) comes to life. While its 43 bells ring, the upper level shows Duke Wilhelm V's wedding of 1568 and the lower level the coopers' dance (Schäfflertanz). From March to October it plays once more at 5 p.m. The town hall looks medieval, but it actually went up between 1867 and 1909 in Neo-Gothic style. Climb the 306 steps of St. Peter's Church (Alter Peter) and you'll take in the square, the town hall and the twin towers of the Frauenkirche. At about 98 meters, they're taller than any building in the old town.

Market mornings and white sausage before noon

A few steps from the square, the Viktualienmarkt has been held on this spot since 1807. More than 100 vendors sell food, flowers and specialty products, and in the beer garden at its center you can spread out food you bought at the market, as long as you buy your drinks there. The morning dish is Weißwurst: a white sausage made with veal, served with sweet mustard and a pretzel (Brezn). By tradition it's eaten only before noon, though plenty of places now serve it all day. For something quick, a Leberkässemmel, a thick slice of meatloaf in a roll, does the job.

Beer gardens, long tables under the chestnuts

When the weather warms up, people in Munich spend their evenings in the beer garden (Biergarten). Every table holds liter mugs (Maß), and the biggest, the Hirschgarten, has about 8,000 seats. The usual snack is Obatzda, soft cheese like Camembert mixed with butter, cream and onion, with a pretzel. Under Bavaria's beer garden rules, food and drink service ends by 10:30 p.m. at the latest, so if you arrive late, order first. Indoors, there's the Hofbräuhaus, the court brewery founded by Duke Wilhelm V in 1589 and opened to the public under King Ludwig I in 1828. Try the Schweinshaxe with dumplings (Knödel).

The English Garden and the Eisbach surfers

The English Garden (Englischer Garten) was laid out in 1789 on the orders of Elector Karl Theodor and covers 376 hectares. Right by the southern entrance on Prinzregentenstraße, surfers take turns riding the wave on the fast-flowing Eisbach. It's a demanding wave, suited to experienced surfers. After it vanished for a while and then re-formed on its own, the city allowed surfing again from May 8, 2026. A self-releasing leash is mandatory, and there's no surfing from 10 p.m. Swimming and bathing aren't allowed. Walk north and the Monopteros, on its artificial hill, looks out over the old town's towers. A little farther on, a beer garden spreads out beneath the 25-meter Chinese Tower (Chinesischer Turm).

Palaces and paintings of a royal house

The Residenz is where Bavaria's dukes, electors and kings lived and ruled from 1508 to 1918. Its Antiquarium, a long vaulted hall completed in 1571, was planned as the first museum north of the Alps, and the Cuvilliés Theatre, all red and gold, still hosts concerts. To the west, Nymphenburg Palace (Schloss Nymphenburg) was commissioned in 1664 by Elector Ferdinand Maria as a gift for his wife, and in summer you can take a gondola along the canal through the palace gardens. For paintings, go to the Alte Pinakothek. The Neue Pinakothek next door is closed for renovation, with reopening planned for 2029.

Oktoberfest, from a royal wedding

Oktoberfest began with the horse races that closed the celebrations for Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, who married on October 12, 1810. Today it runs on the Theresienwiese from the Saturday after September 15 to the first Sunday in October, and in 2026 about 7.4 million people came over 16 days. At noon on the first day, the mayor of Munich taps the first barrel in the Schottenhamel tent, and only after the cry of “O'zapft is!” does the beer start flowing. The tents serve beer only from the city's six major breweries that follow Munich's 1487 purity law. In 2027 it runs from September 18 to October 3. In winter, Marienplatz hosts the city's oldest and largest Christmas market (Christkindlmarkt).

Day trips and a four-day plan

Dachau is home to the memorial at the concentration camp set up in March 1933 for political prisoners. More than 200,000 people were held here and in its subcamps, and 41,500 were murdered. Entry is free; take the S2 from the Hauptbahnhof to Dachau station, about 25 minutes, and change to bus 726. Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) is about 3 hours away by train and bus, and since the interior can only be seen on a guided tour, buy your ticket before you head up to the castle. • Day 1 — Glockenspiel (11 a.m.) → St. Peter's Church → Viktualienmarkt → Residenz → Hofbräuhaus • Day 2 — English Garden → Chinese Tower beer garden → Alte Pinakothek • Day 3 — Nymphenburg Palace → Hirschgarten → Olympic Park (1972 Olympics) • Day 4 — Dachau or Neuschwanstein

What to eat

• Weißwurst (before noon, with sweet mustard and a pretzel)
• Schweinshaxe (roast pork knuckle)
• Obatzda (cheese spread with a pretzel)
• Leberkässemmel (meatloaf in a roll)

Handy tips

• From the airport, S1 and S8 trains reach the center in 40–45 minutes and run every 20 minutes. You'll need a ticket for zones M–5; if you're also getting around town that day, look at the Airport-City-Day-Ticket (from €17.50), which covers unlimited trips between the airport and the city center for one day.
• Most shops and the Viktualienmarkt close on Sundays. If you need groceries on a Sunday or after 8 p.m., head to the shops at the Hauptbahnhof or the Edeka supermarkets at the airport.
• The Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne and Museum Brandhorst cost €1 on Sundays. All three are closed on Mondays.