Neue Pinakothek

Munich

　　The Neue Pinakothek harbours a well-respected collection of 19th- and early-20th-century paintings and sculpture, from rococo to Jugendstil (art nouveau). All the world-famous household names get wall space here, including crowd-pleasing French impressionists such as Monet, Cézanne and Degas as well as Van Gogh, whose boldly pigmented Sunflowers (1888) radiates...

St Peterskirche

Munich

　　Some 306 steps divide you from the best view of central Munich via the 92m tower of St Peterskirche, central Munich's oldest church (1150). Inside awaits a virtual textbook of art through the centuries. Worth a closer peek are the Gothic St-Martin-Altar, the baroque ceiling fresco by Johann Baptist Zimmermann...

Glockenspiel

Munich

　　The Glockenspiel has 43 bells and 32 figures that perform two historical events. The top half tells the story of a tournament held in 1568 to celebrate the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lothringen, while the bottom half portrays the Schäfflertanz (cooper's dance). ...

Hirschgarten

Munich

　　The Everest of Munich beer gardens can seat up to 8000 Augustiner lovers, making it Bavaria's biggest – an accolade indeed. It's in a lovely spot in a former royal hunting preserve and rubs up against a deer enclosure and a carousel. Steer here after visiting Schloss Nymphenburg – it's...

Neues Rathaus

Munich

　　The soot-blackened façade of the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus is festooned with gargoyles, statues and a dragon scaling the turrets; the tourist office is on the ground floor. For pinpointing Munich's landmarks without losing your breath, catch the lift up the 85m-tall tower. 　　The Glockenspiel has 43 bells and 32 figures...

Zum Flaucher

Munich

　　This congenial restaurant-cum-beer garden in the Isar River meadows feels a like a microvacation from the city bustle. The spare ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, kids can wear themselves out on the imaginative playground and the Löwenbräu and Franziskaner beers flow cool like a hop-scented mountain stream. ...

Kunstareal

Munich

　　The Kunstareal is the compact Maxvorstadt area, roughly defined by Türkenstrasse, Schellingstrasse, Luisenstrasse and Karlstrasse, which is packed with southern Germany's finest art museums. These include the Alte Pinakothek, the Museum Brandhorst, the Neue Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne. ...

Viktualienmarkt

Munich

　　Fresh fruit and vegetables, piles of artisanal cheeses, tubs of exotic olives, hams and jams, chanterelles and truffles – Viktualienmarkt is a feast of flavours and one of central Europe's finest gourmet markets. 　　The market moved here in 1807 when it outgrew the Marienplatz, and many of the stalls have...

Marienplatz

Munich

　　The epicentral heart and soul of the Altstadt, Marienplatz is a popular gathering spot and packs a lot of personality into a compact frame. It's anchored by the Mariensäule, built in 1638 to celebrate victory over Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War. This is the busiest spot in all...

Augustiner Keller

Munich

　　Every year this leafy 5000-seat beer garden, about 500m west of the Hauptbahnhof, buzzes with fairy-lit thirst-quenching activity from the first sign that spring may have gesprungen. The ancient chestnuts are thick enough to seek refuge under when it rains, or else lug your mug to the actual beer cellar....

Olympiaturm

Munich

　　When the sky is clear you'll have Munich at your feet against the breathtaking backdrop of the Alps from the top of the 290m Olympiaturm. It's one of the top attractions in the Olympiapark. ...

Altes Rathaus

Munich

　　The eastern side of Marienplatz is dominated by the Altes Rathaus. Lightning got the better of the medieval original in 1460 and WWII bombs levelled its successor, so what you see is really the third incarnation of the building designed by Jörg von Halspach of Frauenkirche fame. On 9 November...

Monopteros

Munich

　　At the top of a gentle hill in the Englischer Garten stands the heavily photographed Monopteros (1838), a small Greek temple built by 19th-century star architect, Leo von Klenze. From here you can admire the view of the Munich skyline, which is particularly attractive at sunset. ...

Hofbräuhaus

Munich

　　Even if you don't like beer, every visitor to Munich should make a pilgrimage to the mothership of all beer halls, if only once. Within this major tourist attraction, you'll discover a range of spaces in which to do your Mass lifting: the horse chestnut–shaded garden, the main hall next...

BMW Welt

Munich

　　Next to the Olympiapark, the glass-and-steel, double-cone tornado spiralling down from a dark cloud the size of an aircraft carrier holds BMW Welt, truly a petrolhead's dream. Apart from its role as a prestigious car pick-up centre, this king of showrooms acts as a shop window for BMW's latest models...

Deutsches Museum

Munich

　　If you’re one of those people for whom science is an unfathomable turn-off, a visit to the Deutsches Museum might just show you that physics and engineering are more fun than you thought. Spending a few hours in this temple to technology is an eye-opening journey of discovery, and the...

Bayerisches Nationalmuseum

Munich

　　Picture the classic 19th-century museum, a palatial neoclassical edifice overflowing with exotic treasure and thought-provoking works of art, a repository for a nation’s history, a grand purpose-built display case for royal trinkets, church baubles and state-owned rarities – this is the Bavarian National Museum, a good old-fashioned institution for no-nonsense...

Pinakothek der Moderne

Munich

　　Germany's largest modern-art museum unites four significant collections under a single roof: 20th-century art, applied design from the 19th century to today, a graphics collection and an architecture museum. It's housed in a spectacular building by Stephan Braunfels, whose four-storey interior centres on a vast eye-like dome through which soft...

Englischer Garten

Munich

　　The sprawling English Garden is among Europe's biggest city parks – it even rivals London's Hyde Park and New York's Central Park for size – and is a popular playground for locals and visitors alike. Stretching north from Prinzregentenstrasse for about 5km, it was commissioned by Elector Karl Theodor in...

Alte Pinakothek

Munich

　　Munich's main repository of Old European Masters is crammed with all the major players who decorated canvases between the 14th and 18th centuries. This neoclassical temple was masterminded by Leo von Klenze and is a delicacy even if you can't tell your Rembrandt from your Rubens. The collection is world...

Residenzmuseum

Munich

　　Home to Bavaria's Wittelsbach rulers from 1508 until WWI, the Residenz is Munich's number-one attraction. The amazing treasures, as well as all the trappings of the Wittelbachs' lifestyle over the centuries, are on display at the Residenzmuseum, which takes up around half of the palace. Allow at least two hours...

Schloss Nymphenburg

Munich

　　This commanding palace and its lavish gardens sprawl around 5km northwest of the Altstadt. Begun in 1664 as a villa for Electress Adelaide of Savoy, the stately pile was extended over the next century to create the royal family's summer residence. Franz Duke of Bavaria, head of the once-royal Wittelsbach...