City break in Munich: Where to stay and what to see in Bavaria
If there’s one thing Munich is famous for it’s Oktoberfest. But if beer-swilling stag parties aren’t your thing, visit the Bavarian capital any time of the year apart from late September and you will find one of Europe’s richest, most varied city break destinations. The art scene is second to none, and the beer stein and pretzel is undoubtedly a gastronomic match made in heaven.
Munich: What to do
Munich’s Kunstareal is one of the biggest and most diverse museum quarters in Europe. Within a few city blocks you will find 18 museums, 40 galleries, six universities, and a handful of other cultural organisations, all fighting for your attention. Together, these institutions celebrate 5,000 years of human history, so you will need to narrow down your sightseeing based on your personal interests. The Glyptothek and the Staatliche Antikensammlung have Classical sculpture from Greece and Rome; Ancient Egypt and Assyrian artefacts are at the Staatliche Sammlung für Ägyptische Kunst; and the Alte Pinakothek has the European masters. When it was built in 1826, the Alte Pinakothek was the largest museum in the world, its design inspiring the later construction of the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg and many of the Vatican galleries in Rome.
It is in its collections of modern and contemporary art that the Kunstareal really comes into its own, however. Museum Brandhorst Munich is a magnet for Pop Art fans: it has more than 100 artworks by Andy Warhol, 170 by Cy Twombly, and masterpieces by Jeff Koons, Louise Lawler, and Bruce Nauman. Neue Pinakothek Munich exhibits the best of the Impressionists, including Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers and one of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies; and the gargantuan Pinakothek der Moderne is a fabulous, sometimes bonkers mishmash of contemporary art, industrial design, and architecture. The temporary exhibition Eccentric: Aesthetics of Freedom runs until the end of April, bringing together dancing neon polar bears, distorted pop icons, sci-fi, and hyper-realistic if sometimes grotesque human body parts.
Going out in Munich
Conveniently, Munich’s best concert venues are its churches, so you can indulge a love of architecture and music in a single outing. The Neo-Romanesque Ludwigskirche is the work of Friedrich von Gärtner, the same Bavarian architecture responsible for the Bayerischer Hof; the Gothic Heilig-Geist-Kirche has a fine Rococo interior; and the Asamkirche – completely over the top in drama, with enormous frescoes, gilded cherubs, and spiralling columns – exemplifies exactly what other Baroque architects would have done if they, too, had had this kind of artistic free rein. The churches host concert series throughout the year, mostly classical programmes but occasionally jazz and brass bands. Immersive sound and light shows are popular, too.
The best Munich hotel
The Bayerischer Hof opened its doors as a hotel in 1841: it was commissioned by Bavaria’s King Ludwig I to ensure his guests would have somewhere suitably opulent to stay. The hotel has been owned by the Volkhardt family since 1897, and their long-running partnership with the renowned Belgian interior designer and art dealer Axel Vervoordt has revitalised every part of the building, including the triple Michelin starred Atelier restaurant and, in 2024, daylight-infused The Atrium.
Rooms and suites at the hotel are spread between several interconnected buildings; Vervoordt’s latest designs are in the South and North Wing. Here, he has taken inspiration from the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of Wabi, whereby beauty is to be found in imperfection (though it looked pretty perfect to me). Much of the furniture has been made from reclaimed wood, and the bathrooms are of Valverde limestone, bringing nature right inside the hotel.
Where to eat in Bavaria
Set in the Bayerischer Hof’s winter garden, head chef Philipp Pfisterer commits to putting art on your plate as well as on the walls at his Garden restaurant. The menu gives a contemporary spin on classic German bistro dishes: beef tartar is a Bavarian speciality, but here you have the option to combine it with N25 Oscietra Reserve caviar. Alternatively, try the Guinea fowl pâté with marinated artichokes and radicchio, or perhaps the braised shoulder of venison with Jerusalem artichoke purée and potato fritters. The wine list is suitably extensive, and rightly has some excellent German wines, several of which are available by the glass.
The best beerhalls
Munich’s most famous brewhaus, the Hofbräuhaus Brewery, has been in business since 1589. Originally it supplied beer to the Bavarian court; now, it serves long lines of tourists. The present tavern dates from 1828 and although it is an impressive historic building with elaborately painted ceilings, its popularity means that it is invariably overcrowded. For a marginally quieter but no less authentic experience, go across the street to Ayinger am Platzl. Don’t forget to order a pretzel with your beer.
Getting there
British Airways (www.BritishAirways.com) flies direct from London Heathrow to Munich from £53 each way. Double rooms at Hotel Bayerischer Hof start from £315 per night.