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My company gave me Friday and Monday off for 4^th of July, so we took a red eye after work on Thursday night and added 2 days of PTO to make this a 6-day trip. I had never been to Germany before, and I loved getting to experience this country for the first time. You can read about the rocky start this trip had here, but luckily, the trip turned out great. We ended up eating 18 pretzels in the 6 days and there and countless beers and sausages. Here’s a day-by-day recap of what we did.

Day 1

We landed in Munich and grabbed a coffee and pretzel near our gate to eat while we waited in line for customs, but were pleasantly surprised that there was no wait. We waltzed through customs and then looked up our options for getting into the city. It was only about 5 minutes slower to take the train than an Uber, and much cheaper.

I was nervous that the train system would be confusing and that the language barrier would cause issues, but it was really seamless. Though we paid for one-way tickets, we learned the next day that in the summer months, Germany offers the “9 Euro Ticket” where for 9 euros/month, you can take the train anywhere in the country (and even to some other countries like Austria). It’s truly an insane value but some locals also mentioned it can make certain trains very crowded, so be prepared.

We arrived in Marienplatz (the central square) and walked ~10 minutes to our hotel.

Hotel Review

We stayed at Hotel MIO by Amano. The location was great, right in the heart of Old Town Munich and walking distance to just about everything we went to in the city. The rooms were clean, modern, and automatically serviced daily unless declined (which in the post-Covid era has become a rarity in the US). I found it interesting that they had separate duvets for each half of the bed. The room was also very quiet, which isn’t always the case in old European buildings.

The only real downside of our room was that the shower only had half a wall and no door, so water easily flooded into the rest of the bathroom no matter how careful we were. We also couldn’t get the Wi-Fi to work in our room, but we used our phone’s international data plan for $10/day instead.

The breakfast each day was pretty good, but I mistakenly thought it was included in the room price, so we ate there every day and were met with an unexpected bill upon checkout. Had I known, we would have eaten there only on days when we had to leave early for tours.

Old Town Munich

After dropping our bags at the hotel, we ventured back out into Old Town Munich and stopped at Vinzenzmurr – a quick service German restaurant chain – to grab food. We didn’t really know what to order, so I got a Schnitzel Burger which was delicious and Thomas ordered what was essentially a meatloaf sandwich he said was only okay.

We then went to St. Peter’s Church and paid to go up the tower to the lookout. The 306 stairs to get to the top are the same going up and down, so you have to wait on the nearest landing if someone is trying to come the other way. The platform at the top circles the entire tower, but is extremely narrow, making it difficult to pass people. Luckily, it was raining off and on when we went so there were very few people and this wasn’t much of an issue, but it would likely be a lot more difficult on a busy day. However, this is all worth it for the phenomenal views you get of Marienplatz and Frauenkirche.

Hofbräuhaus

For our first dinner, we opted to start with the most famous beer hall, Hofbräuhaus. We didn’t understand how seating/ordering/paying worked, so let me make it easier on you:

It is open seating and you seat yourself wherever you like at the picnic-style tables. There are a few tables that have “reserved” signs on them for local regulars, but everything else is up for grabs. It was raining when we went, so the tables in the courtyard that were not under the awning were not being served but on a sunny day they would be. The whole idea is to sit with strangers and talk to them.
There were women walking around with giant pretzels, but they were not affiliated with the restaurant and had to be paid in cash. You can also order regular sized pretzels off the menu.
There are both English and German versions of the menu, so you don’t have to try to Google Translate the whole thing.
The waiters didn’t come by very often, so just be prepared to order whenever they do.
If you want to pay in cash, you can pay at the table, but if you’re paying with a card, you have to pay at the computer inside.
At night when it’s packed, the inside seating can be extremely warm. We opted to sit outside under the awning and were perfectly comfortable.

We ended up sitting with a couple from Florida and a few German women and had an amazing time. I couldn’t believe we stayed out until 11:30PM despite the red eye flight and jet lag.

Day 2

We slept in and had a light snack at the hotel before heading out.

Food Tour

We found out guide Ian from Fork & Walk Tours Munich just before 11AM by the fountain in Marienplatz (thank god he was holding a sign!) and the tour began with watching the Glockenspiel show, which goes off at 11AM and 12PM every day (and 5PM during the summer). The Glockenspiel plays 4 songs, but nothing happens during the first one. During the rest, moving figures depict a wedding, jousting match, and a dance.

The food tour took us to a few different restaurants, where we had beer, pretzels, and sausages. We also finished with gelato in Viktualienmarkt, which is an outdoor market with all sorts of food stalls and its own beer garden. While the food tour was very helpful for introducing us to German food, the proper way to eat it, and included a brief history lesson of the area, it ended up being all the same things we’d already had at Hofbräuhaus the night before, so I struggle to say it was “worth it.” I feel I could have gotten just as much value out of a historical walking tour instead.

Munich Residenz

After the food tour, we went back to the hotel and napped for 2 hours – the combination of the hot day, food, and jet lag just put us right to sleep.

After we dragged ourselves out of our room, we grabbed cappuccinos at Vinzenzmurr and walked to the Munich Residenz, which is a palace that was used by the Bavarian royals when they were in Munich. We arrived minutes before their last entry time and only had 1 hour to explore, but they recommend budgeting 2-3 hours. We walked through the ornate rooms at a brisk pace, but still got to take in the beauty and history. Having been to Versailles in France, the Munich Residenz felt very much cut from the same cloth, and upon closer reading of some of the signs, I realized it’s because so much of the furniture is actually from France.

Shopping

Near the Munich Residenz there are many luxury shops, from Louis Vuitton to Hermes. I bought a packable backpack and a pair of sunglasses from Longchamp and was able to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate and tax-free shopping. I wasn’t aware of how tax-free shopping works abroad, so here’s a quick rundown:

Make sure to bring your passport (or at least a photo of it) with you when you’re shopping. Inform the sales associate you’re from abroad and you’re like to shop tax free. They’ll use your passport information and fill out a form that they’ll attach to your receipt that you must hold onto and bring to the airport when you leave.
Depending on if you’re putting the items you’ve bought in checked luggage or your carry on, you’ll go to a customs clearance either before or after security. They may ask to see your items, so be sure to have them early accessible.
From the customs clearance you must then go to another station where they review your documents and ask if you want the VAT tax refund in cash or onto your credit card. If you choose card, they swipe your card and a refund will show up on your statement in a few days.

English Garden

Our next stop was the English Garden, which felt very similar to Central Park in New York. There is a river that runs through the park where people can swim and even surf on artificial waves. The water is very cold, even in the summer and all the surfers were in wet suits.

There is a beer garden (Chinesischer Turm) in the center of the park where we ate dinner. There was a small serviced section and a significantly larger self-serve area where you get food from what is essentially a cafeteria. The best thing we got was definitely the pretzel pizza, which uses cream cheese as part of the topping and it was so unexpectedly delicious.

Day 3

We had an early wakeup time this day and had breakfast before walking ~15 minutes to board our tour bus to visit Linderhof Palace and Neuschwanstein Castle. Both residences were build by “Mad” Kind Ludwig II and they are both impressive and ornate in different ways – Linderhof was built in a baroque style while Neuschwanstein is medieval. Neuschwanstein is the castle that Walt Disney based Cinderella’s castle on!

We had lunch in the village of Hohenschwangau (best schnitzel of the trip!) and then hiked 30-40 minutes up the mountain to the entrance of Neuschwanstein. It was pretty solid exercise, so if you’re not up for the challenge, you can also take a horse drawn buggy or a shuttle bus up, but both are paid options and they still require a bit of walking because they don’t take you all the way to the entrance. If choosing one of those options, allow yourself plenty of extra time because the buggies and shuttles don’t come very often and might fill before you can get on, requiring you to wait for the next one.

The only way to tour both palaces is via timed entry tickets and a guided tour (ours were in English). This was all arranged by our guide and we just had to show up at the doors at the appropriate time.

While having the tickets arranged for us was nice, our one regret about this day was paying for a Viator day trip that required riding in a packed double decker coach bus for several hours each way. This wasn’t bad in the morning, but the way home was quite hot most of the ride, as the AC that had been advertised was very weak. The guide provided some background on King Ludwig II and the palaces, but not enough for me to have been thrilled we went with this option. Additionally, some of the other passengers were rude and would shove their way to the front to get a ticket first (there were plenty for everyone).

If we were to do it over, we would have rented a car and driven ourselves. The only caveat with doing that is since the entries to the castle are timed every 5 minutes (and completely booked up during the summer months), you’d have to give yourself plenty of extra time so as not to be late.

After we got back, we went to dinner at Schnieder Bräuhaus in Old Town Munich, which had been pointed out to us the day before on our food tour. They are famous for having pretty crazy specials each day. On the day we went, it was steirhoden, which is bull testicles… ya we just ordered more mainstream dishes.

Day 4

Salzburg

We spend the day taking a train out to Salzburg and exploring the gorgeous Austrian town that is most well known as Mozart’s birthplace and the location of The Sound of Music. The city is beautiful and we enjoyed just strolling around

Much like the day before, our only regret was booking a tour. Salzburg has put rules in place that don’t allow outside guides to give tours of the city, so our guide was really only useful in getting us to/from Salzburg on the train and bus. By this point in our trip, we were comfortable enough with the German transit system that we could have done this ourselves.

Given that we were going to another country, we had to bring our passports with us. Interestingly enough, they did not check them when we arrived in Austria and thus (sadly) we didn’t get our passports stamped. On the train back to Munich officers boarded once we’d crossed the border and checked our passports then while we stayed in our seats.

Note: Watch the Sound of Music before you go to Salzburg so you can recognize the iconic sights!

Ratskeller

For dinner we at Ratskeller München Marienplatz, per a recommendation from Thomas’s dad. The restaurant is in the basement of the building right on the main square and all the food was delicious. It was the 4^th of July, so we ordered apple strudel with gelato because it was the closest thing to apple pie a la mode. This and their chocolate mousse cake were both a phenomenal way to end the meal.

Day 5

Dachau

We spent the first half of this day taking a tour of the Dachau concentration camp in the suburbs on Munich. This tour was booked through the same company as the Salzburg tour, but unlike the day before, this one was worth every penny. Apart from just getting us to/from Dachau and navigating the high school tour groups (all high school students in Germany are required to visit a concentration camp as part of the curriculum), our guide, Mat, was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Dachau. He had visual aids with him and was able to be incredibly respectful of the sensitive subject matter while teaching me so much more than I ever knew.

While this tour was incredibly sad and sobering, I am extremely glad we went. The history and culture of any country is more than just palaces and food and it’s important to learn about all aspects.

Note: I suggest watching Schindler’s List if you never have before visiting any concentration camp to give you a good understanding on the subject matter.

Lunch

After we got back to Munich, we ate lunch at a middle eastern/Turkish restaurant, Neni, that our guide had recommended near the central train station. After so many days of eating nothing but Bavarian food, this meal was amazing. The restaurant itself was very chic and inside a hotel.

BMW Museum

Our next stop was the BMW Museum & BMW Welt. We drive a BMW so it was really fun to see the history of everything that went into our car being made. I was most intrigued by the clay models that they make largely by hand for every single vehicle they develop.

BMW Welt is across the street from the BMW Museum. It’s free but we only stayed for a couple minutes because we quickly realized it’s basically just a showroom with sales people trying to sell you a car.

Olympic Park

BMW Welt & Museum are right next to Olympic Park, so we walked over and decided to ride up the tower for great views of the city. Olympic Park itself is so beautiful and peaceful. We ended up walking through the park for over an hour (and only part of that was because we got lost due to some construction). There were pedal boats for rent, concert venues, biking & walking paths, and more. It’s definitely a great spot to come and relax.

Augustiner Keller

We had dinner at Augustiner Keller, an outdoor beer garden near Central Station. Much like the beer garden in the English Garden, there was a serviced area and a self-serve area. Interestingly, there was also a sign banning bachelor/bachelorette parties due to binge drinking and bad behavior.

Note: this beer garden is cash only!

Day 6

Fraunkirche

Before our afternoon flight, we ate breakfast and headed to Frauenkirche, the most iconic church in Munich. After touring inside, we bought tickets to go up the elevator to the top of the South Tower. While the views were good, the ones at St. Peter’s were better (but St. Peter’s doesn’t have an elevator).

After that, we had one last pretzel and beer in Marienplatz, watched the Glockenspiel again, and took the train to the airport to fly home.

This trip was truly phenomenal. I felt like we had just the right amount of time to explore what we wanted to, but I do hope to come back to Germany at some point to explore other cities, especially because all the Germans made it very clear that Bavaria is not a good representation of Germany as a whole (after WWII, Americans were stationed in Bavaria, which is largely the reason in America, we associate Germany with pretzels and beer).

What I’ve learned/tips:

Need cash for some places (+ for tour guide tips). We brought 200 euros (got them from our bank a couple weeks before we left to avoid ATM fees) and it was more than enough, as we paid with card whenever possible.
Some beer gardens (like the one in the English Garden) give tokens for drink bottles as a deposit. After you’re finished, bring back your glass for money in return (usually 1 euro).
All stores closed by law on Sunday’s (except restaurants and souvenir shops), so plan ahead. I was really glad we booked a day-long excursion this day.
Make sure to bring travel converter for electronics (maybe even multiple, one for phone and one for hair appliances).
You need coins for public restrooms, so keep coins on you when you get them as change! This was most relevant in Austria. In Germany, if you get a beer (or any drink) at a place that serves beer on tap then you can use the bathroom there. Bathrooms were typically 0.50-0.60 euro.
White sausages – it’s typical to remove the casing to eat it but you CAN eat the casing if you want. They’re also served in water to keep them warm, which is odd if you’re not expecting that.
We didn’t book reservations at any restaurant and were always able to be seated immediately. In most restaurants, you just sit at any table you like and a server will come to you.
There are spigots in the streets with clean tap water to fill your bottle, helping save $$ b/c restaurants will charge even for tap water (and some will ONLY offer you bottled water).
Bavaria is so safe children in elementary school are taught how to take the trains alone!
It’s helpful to learn a few key phrases, and luckily German had a lot of cognates with English. Google Translate’s photo lens feature was a game changer!
Don’t be discouraged if the forecast doesn’t look good. It originally said it was going to rain 5/6 days on our trip and it only ended up raining on day 1! We lucked out with amazing weather.

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