I arrived from Munich early this morning from a long train trip from Prague. As soon as i walked out of the train station i knew i would like what Munich had to offer. Munich is perfect for any traveller on any kind of budget. There’s the typical high street fashion stores such as H&M, Zara and New Yorker round the Marienplatz and also a string of other less known (but equally as good) fashion stores around Schillingerstrasse. Plus there are numerous good value tours on offer ranging from walking tours, to bike tours and also a speciallised day trip out to Dachau, a former Nazi Concentration Camp. If only my partner and i had all the time in the world! The hotel where we are staying Hotel Monaco is great value as well. Our room is quite spacious, with a large bed and large bathroom as well, not to mention the very friendly service from the receptionist as soon as we arrivedl. Munich is definitely one of the highlights of my European trip so far and would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Bryan (Australia)
Archive for September, 2009
Munich was the highlight of my Europe trip!
Monday, September 14th, 2009Munich, what a lovely city!
Monday, September 14th, 2009I arrived in Munich this morning, it is a beautiful city from what I’ve seen so far. Everyone is really friendly and helpful. Our hotel (Hotel Monaco) is really cute and the staff are so nice. Our room is really spacious, clean and beautifully decorated. It is directly opposite the train station, so it only took us a few minutes to get here which was fine, even with our heavy luggage. In fact, we initially hopped into a taxi, only to be told by the driver we could walk!! We are also so close to the center of Munich, it only took us a few minutes to reach the heart of the city which is Marienplatz. There are plenty of shops, markets, fresh fruit stalls, restaurants, beer halls, little bars… plenty of things to keep us busy. We had a great traditional Bavarian dinner of Roast Pork which was really tasty! Also sampled some nice local beers. Looking forward to doing a bike tour tomorrow and seeing more of this lovely city.
Emily (Sydney, Australia)
My first time in Munich
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009I arrived in Munich for the first time on Friday evening September 4th by way of the Hauptbahnhof ((train station) and initially it was a little overwhelming since it was in the early evening and not only was I tired but it was also quite crowded and very busy at the train station. It took only a few moments to get oriented and find my way out the front door. There was the normal street people crowded around the front of the train station.
I made my way to the Information Section in front of the train station and bought a map for future reference and then made my way to the Hotel Monaco where I was to stay for the next two and a half days. The hotel is only about three blocks from the train station and that is certainly a convenience for any weary traveler. The hotel is clean and very basic but when one is traveling you don’t need lot of facy things since the idea of traveling is to get out of your hotel and see the sights. The staff were very friendly and quite helpful, especially when it came to information about the city and how to get around.
Saturday I took a bus tour around the city and that is something I would highly recommend, especially if it is your fiirst time to a new city. Munich is the third largest city in Germany and the bus tour can be booked at the Information Place next to the train station. The bus trip took me to the outlyiing areas and then back again where I had to take a second bus, actually part of the same tour, for the inner parts of the city. This particular trip allowed me to get on and off the bus at different sights so it was quite convenient. The tour guide gave information about the city in both German and English and that was a big help.
For my trip I got off at the Nymphenburg Palace which is very beautiful. The grounds are expansive and well manicured. It reminded me of Versailles in France. After getting back on the bus and finishing my tour I spent the rest of the day in the middle or older part of the city doing some site seeing, visiting churches, going to Mass in the afternoon and then catching some authentic German food for dinner. All in all a very satisfying day and to tell the truth, I was very tired from all the walking I had done.
Sunday I went to the Deutches Museum, by way of the S-Bahn, which is a museum dedicated to science and technology. This was another long day of walking but the museum was quite impressive. It is not was extensive as the Smithsonian ( but what is) but never- the- less I was very, very impressed and would highly recommend it if a person is interested in the technological advances of the last 500 years or so. There is an extensive underground representation of a coal and a salt mine which is quite the site. The other parts of the museum that I was impressed with were the aviation section, the section bridges, manufacturing machinery, the full scale model of a WW I submarine, plus many other exhibits too numerous to mention. The ship models are works of art in themselves.
Although I had an S Bahn ticket to get back to my hotel I decided to walk back and see what things I could see. I was able to stop in at another stunningly beautiful chruch and went by the new Synagoague that was built after WW II. I couldn’t go in the Synagague because it was closed but I was able to take photographs of it.
My plan for Monday is to see the Residenz, which was the family palace of the Wittelsbachs who had ruled this area of Bavaria for around 700 years (as noted in Rick Steve’s book on Germany), maybe go back to the book store by the Synagogue, take more pictures of the city and then head back to Ansbach.
All in all a very busy two and a half days.
There was still so much that I did not see and maybe I might be fortunate enough to get back to Munich (Munchen) some time in the future. The inner part of the city is easy to get around. The people I had met were friendly and helpful especially when I needed help getting around town (as when I required assistnce with the S-Bahn when I went to the Deutsches Museum) and of course the food was good and, well, its Munich so the beer is exceptional!
Glenn Bailey, Ph.D.
Hotel Monaco, room 606
Munich city tour
Friday, September 4th, 2009Today my wife and I decided to attend one of the informal Munich city tours that originate each morning in front of the New Town Hall beside Mary’s Column. These begin between 10 and 11 each morning, so after another splendid breakfast bouffet at the Hotel Monaco we walked to Marienplatz and selected the free tour (in English) which was hosted by a young man named Mark. Mark comes from Essex in England, and though his thick rural British accent took a little getting used to, his enthusiasm for and knowledge of the city and its history were very impressive. Over the course of about 3 hours he brought us to and into the Frauenkirche, the original Hofbrauhaus, past the new Jewish syngogue (and all that its presence in Munich represented as a triumph over this city’s Nazi past), into Maximilianplatz and over to the Residenzmuseum. He concluded the tour on the site where Hitler staged his abortive beer hall putsch in November 1923. Of course, being a young man, his emphasis on Munich’s history and its contemporary economy centered on one word, which he urged us to repeat over and over at the top of our lungs — BEER! Once his tour had ended (he works only for well-deserved tips), we found ourselves next to the large complex that is the Residenzmuseum. Being interested in art and history, we purchased tickets for the combination program for €8 each — the treasury (featuring an impressive and often jaw-dropping collection of crowns, jewels, religious artifacts in gold and silver, etc.), and the actual royal residence rooms and furnishings, remarkably restored (in many cases) from damage sustained at the end of World War II, of seven hundred yers of Wittelsbach ruling families. Many of the jewels are enormous rubies, emeralds and other precious gems. We wandered through enormous halls with spectacularly painted and sculpted ceilings, lavish and often gaudy rooms for studying, greeting guests, and sleeping, and even a reliquary within a vault. This latter room is filled with the bones (and sometimes other body parts) of variious saints and holy men, generally presented within crystal and silver display frames. Overall, this is really a must-see museum, though it was surprisingly sparsely attended on this Saturday afternoon.
Robert Apfelzweig
Foster City, California, USA
Walking city Munich
Friday, September 4th, 2009I have visited Munich several times in my life, and I have always had wonderful time here. What I especially appreciate is that this is such a good city for walking, with the wide streets, beautiful parks planted with handsome shade trees and interesting flowers, and the feeling of spaciousness. When I first came to Munich almost 55 years ago, we walked a lot, as much of today’s transportation system was not in place. But the wonderful pedestrian areas were also not in place, and today the chance to stroll along between Karlsplatz and the Marienplatz—to take time to really look at shop windows, to find something to eat and drink, to sit down for a few moments and enjoy the sights, without the noise and rush of street traffic— makes Munich truly special. And right now it is better when you can stay above ground, as there is so much construction of undergound passages; often it is difficult to find your way.
After so many wonderful sights— the variety of museums, the different churches and palaces, the interesting vistas— a night walk along this same pedestrian area provides views of historic buildings beautifully illuminated, live classical music, and groups of happy people brings much joy in being part of this vibrant and exciting city.
Jane Dieckmann
Wonderful Munich
Friday, September 4th, 2009Munich is wonderful city!
Today I went to several places in munich, and I deeply impressed about some places. Actually old buildings in munich are amazing to me, especially a building of new city hall. It was really beuatiful and amasing. I could see rounding dolls of the time at 12 o’clock.
And I went to HOFGARTEN beside Residenz, it was wonderful as well. I enjoyed sunshine and cool wind in Hofgarten.
English garden… was great! I almost lost in there. The small river was so nice.
I crossed Ludwigs bridge to get to Deutsches museum, the river was really beuatiful.
I stayed 2nights in hotel Monaco. This hotel is easy to find and quite near from central station.
Crew in Monco is very kind and helpful. I think it’s good choice to choose this hotel.
Today I surprised to sevices of hotel. It was amasing and Thanks a lot.
It’s short that staying just 2 nights in Munich. If I can get a chance to visit this city again, it would be really happy to me.
I LOVE MUNICH ! I LOVE MONACO !
Deutsches Museum in Munich
Friday, September 4th, 2009Today, September 3, I visited the truly amazying Deutsches Museum. I had heard that one needs three days to see this world famous collection of exhibits, but all I had was one afternoon. It seems that taking in all the exhibits would set a person well on the road to becoming an engineer of one sort or another.
The Mining exhibit was my starting place. I learned that flint was the first mineral that human beings searched for and utilized. First flint was simply picked up on the surface of the earth, then searched for by digging pits. The earliest tools were Stone Age products, stone hammers on twisted vines. Then pick axes were used. It was fascinating to take in the development of mining, to see the depictions and models of the various types of boring into the earth. I walked through numerous mines, all very real. They were terrible places to work! Dark, dirty, wet, poorly ventilted places. The life of any miner must have been a short one. Hammers, picks, chisels and muscle were the means used to break through rock to find the particular mineral bearing ore. Not until the middle of the twentieth century did miners have semi decent working conditions. And the development of machinery!!! Now miners had earth goughing machines, grinding wheels, three layers of them, each a meter in diameter.
That is the special thing about the Deutsches Museum. Anyone can see the developent of technology in various fields of human endeavor. So I discovered the technological development of printing, film and movie making, the earliest computers, to the Remington Rand computer built in 1949. It weighed tons, had 5,600 vacuum tubes and 18,000 diodes, and sold for a million dollars. How much did you pay for your laptop?
I also enjoyed seeing the development of Marine navagation, Aeronautics and Astronomy. I was not ready to leave at closing time, 17:00, and I tried to see one more exhibit after I picked up my knapsack at the cloakroom. But the guard turned off the light in the Electricl power room and I was compelled to leave the wonderful Deutsches Museum.
Again in Munich
Friday, September 4th, 2009I am so happy to be here in Munich again, even if only for one night! Our hotel Monaco is so nice, easy to find and close to the Hauptbahnhof. Everything is clean and the room furnishings are made of beautiful natural wood.
Last year, when we came to Munich, it was during the October Fest and the closest lodging we could find was in Salzburg. We had to commute by train. Everything is so much nicer and easier for us this year. We are delighted to be here again to enjoy more of this beautiful city where the people are so friendly, the sights are so interesting and the food so delicious. The Munich Rathaus is a delightful and impressive structure. The churches are amazing with their many architectul styles. We enjoyed the Englisher Garten and the music of the German Band that was playing when we arrived. Thank you, Munich, and especially Hotel Monaco, fur Ihre Hertzlich Wilkommen!
Bus excursion to Schloß Neuschwanstein
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009My wife and I spent our last full day in Munich by taking a bus excursion to the Wittelsbach castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. The latter is one of the most famously photographed castles in the world, and a “model” for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. Both sit amid gorgeous alpine mountains, lakes and forests. Linderhof is the smaller and older of the two, in a more conservative and flamboyantly rococo architectural style. The various rooms are almost overpoweringly opulent in the guilded wood carvings and extraordinary colors, with a “mirror” room that, despite its modest dimensions, gives the appearance, with huge mirrors on opposite walls (like Versailles, and intentionally) of being much larger. Out front, a beautiful gold fountain erupts on the hour in tall columns of water. Neuschwanstein, of course, was the home, though only briefly, of “mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It remains incomplete, since it was left that way when the king, aged only 40 years, died under mysterious circumstances after being deposed due to mental illness in June 1886. He virtually worshipped the great German composer Richard Wagner, and the large wall paintings in several of the major completed rooms of Neuschwanstein depict scenes from various Wagner operas. Tragically, the king died before any of them could be performed in the newly finished concert hall within the castle, whose extraordinary acoustics were demonstrated by our tour guide. I should point out that, on the guided tours inside both castles, photography and video recording are forbidden. This will come as a major disappointment to shutterbugs, but when you consider the number of visitors in what are often relatively crowded rooms, the absence of anyone fussing over a perfect pose or shot (and, especially, electronic flashes going off all over the place) becomes rather a blessing for all concerned. Of course, as the castle management probably intends, you can always purchase a color picture book of the castle (offered in many different languages) from the souvenir shop. Our bus tour guide highly recommended eating lunch at a local restaurant, the Müller, though less expensive offerings can be had, even along the walking path up the hill to the castle from the small town below it (where the buses must park). Time is tightly organized on these tours and, in our case, a lingering lunch at the Müller left us without enough time to take the extended walk behind Neuschwanstein to the Marien Bridge, from which spectacular photos can be taken of the castle.
Robert Apfelzweig
Foster City, California, USA