Arthur Frommer's Europe by Arthur Frommer

Author:Arthur Frommer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: FrommerMedia
Published: 2015-04-04T16:00:00+00:00

Fresh produce at the Viktualienmarkt.

Englischer Garten (English Garden) ★★★

In one of the most beautiful city parks in Europe, established in 1789, you can wander over 922 acres, along tree-shaded walks, streams, and lakes, pausing to admire the view of Munich’s Altstadt from the round, hilltop Greek temple called the Monopteros. You’ll come upon plenty of other noteworthy sights, including the exotic Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Pagoda) and, in warm weather, lots of nude sunbathers sprawled along the banks of the Eisbach stream and the Kleinhesseloher See, the lovely lake at the center of this popular, much-appreciated greensward. The park is just northwest of the Aldstadt, with entrances off Von-der-Tann Strasse and Prinzregentenstrasse; a convenient U-Bahn stop is Odeonplatz.

Organized Tours

A couple of companies offer hop-on, hop-off bus tours of Munich, but the old city is so compact and easy to explore on foot that you might want to save your money for a round of beers; if you can’t resist a spin on the open-air top of a double-decker, sign on for a 1-hour Stadtrundfahrt (City Tour) from CitySightseeing (www.citysightseeing-munich.com), with a circuit of 13 stops. Tours depart daily (10am–5pm) about every 20 minutes from Bahnhofsplatz in front of the main train station; cost is 17€ adults, 7.90€ children. Buy your ticket onboard or get a discounted price online.

For a more active experience, tour Munich by bicycle with the English-speaking expats at Mike’s Bike Tours (www.mikesbiketours.com; ✆ 089/2554-3988). The 4-hour tour (26€ adults, 13€ children) spins around the sights of central Munich, including an hour in a beer garden (lunch not included).

Munich Walk Tours (www.munichwalktours.de; ✆ 0171/274-0204), conducted in English, include a daily 10:45am City Walk tour (also 2:45pm high season) and a 21⁄2-hour Hitler’s Munich tour (Nov–Mar daily 10:30am). Tours cost 12€ adults, 10€ under 26, free for kids under 14.

Especially for Kids

Munich’s Altstadt, with its traffic-free streets and plazas, is like one big playground for young travelers. Parents can give kids a fairly long leash, resting assured they’ll be safe from traffic. Marienplatz is especially appealing to youngsters, with its handsome, fairy-tale-like landmarks and the twice-daily Glockenspiel show in the Neues Rathaus (see p. 460). You may also want to take them into the Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall), where the Spielzeugmuseum shows off a huge toy collection (✆ 089/294-001; 3€ adults, 1.50€ children; daily 10am–5pm), but be warned—the cases full of teddy bears may have them eager to head into the nearby Marienplatz shops in search of one to take home. An even bigger hit with kids is Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum (Transportation Museum), Theresienhohe 14a (www.deutsches-museum.de/verkehrszentrum; ✆ 089/500806762; 6€ adults, 3€ children; daily 9am–5pm; U-Bahn: Schwanthalerhöhe), where they can see “Puffing Billy,” an early steam-engine locomotive from 1814, step into a passenger train from the late 19th century, and peer inside a modern high-speed ICE train. Adults tend to spend their time ogling the superlative collection of historic automobiles, including Daimlers, Opels, Mercedes, Tatas, Citroens, and Bugattis. When seeing the sights becomes too much, do as world-weary Münchners do and retreat to the Englischer Garten (English Garden).

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