Munich Activities

Worth getting out of bed for

Highlights the best Munich has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.

Viewpoint

On a clear day you can see the Alps from the Olympiapark tower. Alternatively, walk to the top of the nearby hill also in the Olympiapark for a similar view without the queues (www.olympiapark-muenchen.de). There’s a wonderful vista over the city centre from the Alter Peter tower in the Rindermarkt.

Arts and culture

Munich is a city that punches above its weight in terms of museums and galleries. The leading light is the Pinakothek gallery with exhibitions on architecture, works on paper (including sketches by Van Gogh) and modern art including Warhols and Picassos (www.pinakothek-der-moderne.de). An architectural tour of Munich should start with Herzog & Demueron’s UFO-like football stadium, the Allianz Arena – you could even take in a Bayern Munich match. A walk down the neo-Renaissance facades of Leopold Strasse leads you to the Gothic splendour of the Rathaus (City Hall).

Something for nothing

The bridge overlooking the Eisbach offers a grandstand view of the city’s surfers riding a ‘permanent’ wave on this fast flowing river. Even on a winter night these guys are out there, fully suited and booted in neoprene.

Shopping

Munich has its very own ‘Prada Street’, otherwise known as Maximilianstrasse. In Glockenbachviertel find one-off, hand-made men’s and women’s fashions by Clara Niggl or Michael Wagner and a great line in handbags by Florence Mucret. For everything from home wares to food stuffs and toiletries, Manufactum in the Fünf Höfe shopping centre sells top quality kit in modern surroundings (www.manufactum.com). Schumann’s Bar Am Hofgarten in the same complex is a stylish place for a shopping pit stop.

Daytripper

The Alps provide an enticing backdrop with skiing only a one and a half hour drive away. With an early start you can have sorted out all the ski hire and lift passes before the lifts open at Garmisch-Partenkirchen or a host of other German or Austrian resorts.

Perfect Picnic

The Viktualienmarkt is the oldest food market in Munich where you’ll find everything you need for a tasty brotzeit (picnic) and more. Pack your hamper and head for the Englischer Garten. If you are south of Kleinhesselhoher See you’ll be amongst the football and frisbee players; a few minutes walk further north and you might even get a whole meadow to yourselves.

Activities

Close enough to be on Munich’s transport map are many lakes to the south of the city, with Starnbergersee and Tegernsee, being the closest. Boat hire, scenic lake tours and swimming in the clear waters are all available. The Isar river is very popular for swimming in the summer months. Hire a bike from Radius Tour and Bikes inside the main train station (+49 (0)89 59 61 13) and make the most of this city made for cyclists. Every Monday evening from May to September a huge crowd of rollerbladers meet in the Theresienwiese and take over the streets. Ice skating is very popular in the city squares from late November till the end of January, and the nearby Alps have excellent skiing.

And...

Stroll south along the grassy banks of the river Isar towards the zoo and watch the Muncheners at play. You might just pass a biergarten or two on the way.