Today, we’ll share our best Munich tips with you and take you to a truly beautiful city. After our hikes in the stunning Alps, we finally had to say goodbye. We simply feel most at home in nature, and so we’ll be back very soon. But first, the Bavarian capital was on the agenda.
- Our accommodation in Munich
- Renting a bike from Deutsche Bahn
- The Tollwood Festival in the Olympic Park
- Surfing on the Eisbach wave in the English Garden
- Sights in Munich
- Feasting at the Viktualienmarkt
- Unpackaged food in Munich
- The crazy ice cream maker
- Picnic at Nymphenburg Palace
- More Munich tips from us and our readers
Our accommodation in Munich
We stayed at the truly fantastic Star Inn Premium in Munich. This 3* hotel, which only opened in 2015, is located on Domagkstrasse in Munich’s elegant Schwabing district. The business hotel has a beautiful lobby with plenty of seating, a small bar, a fitness room, and a large dining room. Free Wi-Fi is available in all areas. This was convenient, as we needed to do a bit of work on our laptops.
The rooms themselves feature a seating area, a small refrigerator, a safe, a large flat-screen TV, and a private bathroom with a shower. The furniture and materials appear to be of very high quality, and we also really liked the design of the rooms. The breakfast buffet leaves little to be desired; everyone will find exactly what they’re looking for.
Rent a bike from Deutsche Bahn
What’s the easiest and most comfortable way to explore a city? Exactly! By bike! We downloaded the Deutsche Bahn app “Call a bike” and created an account. We finally wanted to try out this app and see if renting bikes really is that easy.
All you need is a cell phone. You use it to rent and return a bike. The free app makes it all easy. Alternatively, you can dial a phone number and unlock the bike there. Half an hour costs €1, and 24 hours costs a maximum of €15. You can rent two bikes at once, so only one of you needs an account and the app. You pay a service fee of €3 per year.
The cool thing is that you can rent bikes all over Germany. Whether in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne, or numerous other cities. You only need to register once, and you can rent a bike around the clock. We were really satisfied in the end and will use this service again.
At the end of the day, we paid around €7 or €8 per person, which was still well below the competition’s prices. We would have easily paid €20 for the whole day. Instead of renting a bike for the whole day, you can rent a bike when you really need it (as long as you can find one nearby).
The Tollwood Festival in the Olympic Park
The Tollwood Festival takes place twice a year in Munich. Although this festival has been going on for over 25 years, we had never heard of it before. So it was all the cooler for us to be there this year. Admission is free unless you want to go to one of the many concerts on site.
Here you can not only enjoy delicious food, but also marvel at handicrafts, design, art, cool exhibitors, and a fantastic atmosphere. Our highlight was definitely the Freundeskreis concert – simply AWESOME!
Surfing on the Eisbach wave in the English Garden
On our way into the city center, we passed the English Garden. We could zip right through it on our bikes. The entire complex, covering 3.7 square kilometers, is one of the largest urban parks in the world. With its many streams, lakes, meadows, and beer gardens, it’s a truly popular meeting place for young and old, residents, and tourists alike. The Isarring divides the English Garden into a southern and a northern section.
Finally, we reached the legendary Eisbach wave. Here, the river creates a rapid with a standing wave almost half a meter high. It is popular with surfers and has now also become a touring highlight. When we reached the spot, we saw at least 10 young people standing at the edge of the bank with surfboards under their arms. They were all waiting for their turn. Really cool, you can relax on the grass here and watch the surfers.
Sights in Munich
We continued on toward the city center. As in any other city, we wanted to go high. The parish church of St. Peter, affectionately known as “Alter Peter,” offers a beautiful view of the city. The tower of Old Peter is 91 meters high, so you’ll need some fitness for all the steps. But it’s really worth it. Admission costs €3 per person, children pay €1, students €2, and children under 6 years old are free.
In Munich’s city center, you’ll find many other sights. Marienplatz is Munich’s central square and the beginning of the pedestrian zone. Here you’ll find the New Town Hall, the Old Town Hall, the former main guardhouse Thomass-Eck, as well as the Town Hall Tower and the Rischarts Bakery. The famous and beautiful Christmas market takes place every year on Marienplatz.
Feast at the Viktualienmarkt
Next, we went to the Viktualienmarkt – a heaven for all gourmets. At this original farmers’ market, you can buy fruit, vegetables, tropical fruits, meat, cheese, fish, bread, flowers, and spices from around 110 vendors. Nowhere else in Munich can you find such a huge selection of fresh food and specialties.
The Viktualienmarkt is divided into seven departments. In Department 1, you’ll find mainly fruit from seven different vendors, which rotate weekly, as well as cheese and game vendors. Department 2 consists of the “Café Nymphenburg” and the fruit growers. These are followed by the potato vendors, the “Soup Kitchen,” the “Exotic Müller,” and the “Bäckerliesl.” The center of the market is the beer garden, the maypole, and the Liesl Karlstadt fountain.
The 5th section consists of additional butchers. Here you will also find the Viktualienmarkt’s cellars. Area 6 has been occupied by new stalls for local producers. In the 7th section is the brick building “Petersbergl,” which was built in 1880. Here you will find the butchers’ row and Café Rischart. During the day, you can enjoy the accessible terrace with a beautiful view of the Viktualienmarkt.
Unverpackt in Munich
We already know a similar store (“Unverpackt”) from Berlin, but have never made it there before. So it’s all the cooler that we discovered the “Ohne” store in Munich by chance. We parked our bikes and browsed the shelves for a while. Anyone who wants to do something for the environment can find wonderful inspiration here. The focus is clearly on as little waste and packaging as possible!
Here you’ll find a colorful selection of dry goods such as rice, lentils, cereals, and pumpkin seeds. You can also buy fresh bread, baked goods, crooked fruit, vegetables, jams, spreads, vinegar, oils, and spirits. There are also glass containers, bamboo toothbrushes, books, and other household items (completely plastic-free).
The Crazy Ice Cream Maker
Many of you recommended a visit to “The Crazy Ice Cream Maker.” Of course, we didn’t need to be told twice. Here on Amalienstraße, super delicious ice cream flavors are created and produced. The unusual flavors all have unusual names. For example, there’s “Buffalo Mozzarella Basil Ice Cream” or “Weißwurst Ice Cream.” I’ve forgotten what exactly we tried. But it was truly incredibly delicious!
Picnic at Nymphenburg Palace
Well fortified, we continued on our bikes to Nymphenburg Palace. This spacious and stunningly beautiful complex with its palace gardens is located here in the west of the city. The property once served as a summer residence for the Bavarian rulers and is arguably one of the most beautiful royal palaces in all of Europe. Beforehand, we bought some fruit and delicious smoothies and sat down on a grassy area in front of the palace. From here we had a great view and enjoyed the peace and quiet around us for a few minutes.
More Munich tips from us and our readers
- The Pinakotheken in Maxvorstadt (on Sundays even for only 1€)
- Tram sightseeing with line 19
- Wiener Platz – lively and beautiful with cool shops
- Olympia Alm – Munich’s highest beer garden
- Taxisgarten – beautiful beer garden
- The rustic Café Jasmin on Augustenstraße
- Walk up the Olympiaberg
- Ludwigstraße for Your first impression of Munich
- Student districts Schwabing & Maxvorstadt
- View of the city from the roof of Café Vorhoelzer
- Take a detour to the Erding Thermal Spa
- Take a detour to the mountains! (e.g. Füssen or Garmisch)
- Take a raft trip on the Isar River (or rent a pedal boat in the English Garden)
- Glockenbachviertel with Gärtnerplatz
- Jochen Schweizer Arena
- and many, many more!!!
We didn’t find Munich to be as snobby and stuffy as you always hear everywhere. We liked the abundance of greenery, the Isar River, the many cozy streets, the atmosphere, and the cool, hidden spots. There is certainly so much more to experience in the Bavarian capital. Munich is a relaxed, clean, and diverse city.
We would have loved to have spent another day or two here. We also planned a visit to the Erding Thermal Spa. Unfortunately, the water slides were closed, so we left again. A huge thank you to Kurzurlaub.de for their great support!