We started our Bavarian castle road trip in Munich but basically landed and drove straight to Schwangau in the Bavarian Alps. Our plan was to return and spend three nights in Munich’s historic center exploring this on foot after returning our rental car.
Munich is a city of 1.6 million people (over 6 million if you include all the outskirts). It actually started off as a tiny 10th century settlement for monks named Zu den München (to the monks). Today in German it is still called München. The first record using this name dates back to 1158 and the city has played an important role in Bavarian and German history.
Where we stayed
We stayed in the oldest hotel in Munich, and you know what, it was really very nice. We had splurged on a suite and managed to get it all on points through our credit card.
To be quite frank, we had also stayed in a US chain brand elsewhere at which my husband is a top-tier member and the service (even in Europe) was trimmed back. Room service every three days for the environment, big bottles of shared products, a single bottle of water, instant coffee.
Not here, at the private hotel, it was like stepping back to a better time with a slew of amenities. Top-tier L’Occitane products, a free minibar generously filled daily, and service with a smile. They even left us a box of marzipan chocolates, and a long-stem rose for our wedding anniversary. We highly recommend the Hotel Torbräu and if you come to Munich, you should stay there too!
All this really made us reconsider our fall back of just booking the familiar name brand and collecting points vs getting the best location and a local brand with a history and reputation.
The Hotel Torbräu was opened in 1490. Funny, they even have a small life-size display showing what the rooms were like back then. Let me tell you it wasn’t like it is today with six to a small room!
The room we had was a spacious suite that had a sliding wall between the bedroom and living room. It had decent air conditioning (none of the A/C in Europe is like the polar extreme of what has become customary in the US). It also had a Nespresso machine, a safe, two sinks and a modern marble shower. There was ample storage and plenty of seating with a couch and two chairs.
Exploring Old Munich
Residenz Museum
On our first day we explored the huge Munich Residence (castle museum) complex. This is made up of the Residence Palace Museum, the Treasury, and the Cuvilliés Theater. We had gotten combo tickets for all three and fortunately these were not timed. Afterwards, we went to explore the Hofgarten (formal gardens) adjacent to the palace.
We started off our visit with the Residence Museum which was a short walking distance from our centrally located hotel. As you walk in, the long room of portraits with the gilded ceiling is really impressive. Make sure you circle back to see the grotto too.
The Antiquarium room is 66 meters long and named after having all the antique statues. It also served as a banquet room.
Be sure to look up in the Black Hall (the room with four black door portals). You’ll see a painted illusion of height on the ceiling. From the side you can see it’s an illusion but standing in the middle of the room looking up it is quite convincing and it makes the ceiling look much higher than it really is.
Much of the original chapel was destroyed in WW2 and rebuilt simply with bricks. A stark reminder of how destructive war can be. Many of the original rooms were reconstructed with stucco. Some of the original paintings were salvaged and are on display.
As you are going through the huge museum, be sure to descend the long staircase to see the bronze exhibits. Many visitors bypassed this, despite the small sign pointing down. I think people’s legs were too tired (the museum is huge!). We too thought twice about having to come back up those stairs after visiting but we’re determined to see it all!
Many of the columns are made of imitation marble (scagliola polished to look like marble). In some places painted-on decorations such as cherubs and busts do make it less awe-inspiring than the original works which we believed would have been carved. Again, the ravages of war.
In the Treasury there were many religious relics. These human remains of religious figures were considered more precious than gold.
The original Royal Palace was extended into its current enormous size under King Ludwig I between 1825 and 1835. The 30-meter-high King’s Building (Köningsbau) was based on a Florentine-style and has rococo ornate rooms. Other areas of the Munich Residence burned down in 1729 and were subsequently rebuilt.
The complex is huge and one should plan for at least 3 hours for visiting, but you could easily spend a full day. We’d been walking the place for two hours before we came upon the spectacular Royal Appartements. They had preserved the elaborate table settings. There was seemingly more and more and MORE everywhere you looked. Akin to trying to explore Versailles.
A collection of beautiful porcelains reminded us of the Porcelain Museum in Valencia. Bouquets of flowers all made of porcelain with each petal and each leaf true to the original, even some browning leaves and wilted flowers placed in for realism. A wonderful collection.
Cuvilliés Theater
To access the theater, you must exit and go around the courtyard to another entrance. It’s worth it to go have a look at the decorated balconies, ceiling, and stage. This masterpiece of rococo art was built in the mid-1700s and designed by the architect, François de Cuvilliés.
Theatine Church
This bright yellow Catholic church next door had a lot of nice stucco work. It was also really nice and cool inside and a respite from the mid-day heat.
Munich Cathedral (Frauenkirche)
While sparsely decorated inside compared to other cathedrals we’d seen (likely because it was badly damaged during WW2), its tall and narrow stained-glass windows were really impressive.
Legend has it that the builder tricked the Devil into believing that there would be no windows inside the church and that it would be a dark place to get him to finance its construction. When the Devil first entered and didn’t see any windows, he stomped his foot in joy leaving an imprint, the Devil’s Footprint. But when he took a step forward the beautiful windows were revealed.
Do go behind and under the altar to see another small chapel too. You can’t miss the huge wooden Jesus on the Cross above the main altar.
You can walk up 90 steps and take an elevator to the top for great views but note that it is all inside behind windows and there is no A/C and no outside balcony.
New Town Hall and Rathaus-Glockenspiel
In the heart of Old Munich, you’ll find the New Town Hall with its 85-meter-tall Rathaus-Glockenspiel and its large mechanical clock.
Inside the Rathaus there’s an elevator that takes you up to the top of the Clock Tower (actually two elevators). This is definitely worth the trip up and the place to get the best views of the Cathedral, the Marienplatz (the Old Town square), and surroundings.
Marienplatz
There are also numerous historical statues and fountains of note in the old city square including the Fish fountain and the Mariensäule monument with its golden statue of the Virgin Mary on top.
This huge plaza is the place to come to see the Rathaus-Glockenspiel mechanical clock in action. Try to time your visit to be there at 11am, 12pm or 5pm so you can watch the show! The mechanical clock animates a host of moving figurines and plays music on the many bells. But do watch your purses and wallets in the popular tourist square as you’re looking up in awe.
St. Peter’s Church
This is another nice church to visit near Marienplatz. St. Peter’s is Munich’s oldest church and dates back to the 12th century, but it was also rebuilt. Once in the 1300s after a major fire and again after WW2 with final touches completed in 2000.
You can also climb up the tower here but there is no elevator (about 300 steps), and we were already tired and the heat made it difficult.
Church of the Holy Spirit (Heilig Geist)
As soon as you enter the Church of the Holy Spirit, you’ll marvel at the beautiful, vaulted ceiling with frescoes and stucco reliefs.
Old Town Hall (Toy Museum Munich)
Once the Town Hall, the building has now been converted to a toy museum. The small winding staircase in the tower takes you up to the museum where you can have a look at the private collection of toys dating back to the 1800s and early 1900s. It was an impressive collection. There is also an elevator.
This was already a pretty full day for us and with the heat (unusual for Munich) we headed back to our hotel to cool off a bit and shower before heading out to dinner. The next day we had another grandiose Royal Palace to visit.
Nymphenburg Palace Complex
This vast complex is definitely an attraction to plan a full day for. We had time-slot tickets to visit the Nymphenburg Palace at 10am, and we could visit the other museums and gardens at our leisure on the same day.
Getting there from the Munich’s Old Town was easy by using tram 16 or 17. You could also uber or taxi, but the tram was fast and efficient and with the MVGO app it was really a breeze. See our tip on that below.
The former summer residence of Bavaria’s ruling family is sprawled out over a 445-acre garden area. The Nymphenburg Palace’s façade measures an amazing 2,000 ft (and that’s just the main building!).
Arriving at the Nymphenburg Palace
We got off the tram at Romanplatz station from where it was just a 10-minute walk to the palace along the canal. We arrived with time to spare for our timed entry tickets.
Walking along the canal towards the Nymphenburg Palace you can really appreciate its size. Seeing it from a distance and how wide the span is, even with a panoramic photo it was hard to get the whole thing in.
There seemed to be some parking too, but we had already ditched the car on our arrival to Munich with no regrets.
For the first time this trip we actually saw some live swans. They had been depicted in the paintings and decorations in all the castles but perhaps it had just been too hot!
Nymphenburg Palace visit
The palace was (in what we had come to appreciate as the usual German efficient style) controlled strictly by time slot QR codes scanned on entry. A bleep sound is made if you try to enter one minute too early. And you get a dirty look from the attendant, so best to wait!
When you enter the Palace of Nymphenburg the enormous Great Hall with painted ceiling and gilded walls is indeed impressive. Musicians used to serenade the guests from the overlooking balcony. Ludwig II was born at Nymphenburg and was christened in this very room the following day.
Nymphenburg Palace was initially a summer residence where the huge complex could accommodate the entire Royal Court. French garden designers were brought in to create the baroque gardens. The interior decorations span baroque, rococo and neoclassical styles.
The audio guide is great and takes you room-by-room explaining the purpose of the rooms, describing paintings and decorations in detail, along with a historical perspective.
We had timed tickets for 10am and we toured the inside of the palace until 11am (and we didn’t even listen to all of the audio guide).
We enjoyed King Ludwig I’s Gallery of Beauties. 36 paintings of beautiful women from all walks of life including a shoemaker’s daughter and a great adventuress are displayed alongside Royal princesses (this mix of classes must have been considered quite shocking at the time, I am sure!).
Some rooms had Egyptian-style decorations. Others Indian and Chinese. There are only a small number of palace rooms to tour but they are definitely worth seeing.
As we wandered around the palace grounds we came upon a small science museum that had some interesting crystals. It seemed to be mostly for kids, but we appreciated the air conditioning. This was a separate ticket.
Museum of Carriages and Sleighs
This museum is located inside the former Riding Stables of Nymphenburg and houses a huge collection of beautiful Royal carriages and sleighs.
There were even some really small ones. And we read that Marie Antoinette was the first one to be carried in a sedan chair (a small carriage) by men.
Also of note was that the big elaborate carriages had what looked like rubber wheels as did the sleigh runners.
Some of the snow sleds dated back to 1680. I loved one of the horse blankets that was covered with sleigh bells. Jingle bells indeed!
In 1882 King Ludwig II was master of the Royal Nightly Order and we found out more about his life in the various museum exhibits. Ludwig loved to ride and hike in the mountains and as he withdrew more and more from society these mountain retreats became a refuge for him.
One of Ludvig II’s favorite horses Cosa-Rara was allowed to steal apples from the table. And after it died it was stuffed and is on display in the museum.
Read more about King Ludwig II in our Bavarian road trip post: Ludwig II’s Castles, Pristine Lakes, and the Bavarian Alps
Nymphenburg Porcelain Museum
The separate Porcelain Museum also had many impressive pieces from the 18th to the 20th century including statues, figurines, plates and serving ware.
Nymphenburg Palace Park
We then toured the Baroque Palace Park visiting many of the smaller structures which were also quite impressive. The park is open to all, but to visit the various pavilions you need a ticket.
In the garden there was an agave tree blooming. They only bloom once every 45 years and we were lucky to see it!
Amalienburg Pavilion
The Amalienburg Pavilion was built between 1734 and 1739 as a small pleasure palace and hunting lodge.
This beautiful little pavilion was decorated with bird wallpaper, silver gilding on the walls and ceilings, paintings and ceramics. There is a toilet that folds into a cabinet. You can’t miss the Dutch tile kitchen combined with chinoiserie decorations. We admired the wonderful rococo décor all around.
Magdalenenklause Pavilion
Interestingly this hermitage building was designed to look like a ruin on purpose. We initially thought it was run down but this was actually the intention of the design.
Inside the first room there is a grotto decorated with birds and various creatures.
Across is a chapel in the same design. Even the holy water font and the apostle crosses are made of shells. In the fountain there is a stucco figure of St. Mary Magdalene. On the walnut altar are an ivory crucifix and two narwhal tusk candlesticks.
The Magdalene Hermitage was built between 1725 and 1728.
As we hiked to the next building, we saw a deer on the grounds in the distance. It’s actually amazing to have such a large plot of land in Munich that has deer in the forest.
Pagodenburg Pavilion
This was actually the first pavilion built in Nymphenburg and was made between 1716 and 1719. The Chinese motifs are beautiful and especially the second-floor room with black lacquer and beautiful inlays. A marvelous little jewel of a building for sure.
We walked over to the Grand Cascade and saw the other small houses including the Apollo Temple. Be ready for a good hour walk or more here.
Badenburg Pavilion
This bathing pavilion was built between 1718 and 1722. You can see the beautiful pool built into a lower floor along with a Great Hall and residential space.
The tall glass doors and mirrors make it seem larger and let in a lot of light. A ceiling painting with Apollo in his sun chariot and his nine muses is a replica as the original was destroyed in WW2.
The 54-sqm pool was originally done with lead (they didn’t know any better then). It held 80,000 liters of water that was heated and pumped from a boiler and came through two dolphin-shaped taps.
In the Nymphenburg Park they had an authentic gondola for rides, but the sun was so hot we could not bring ourselves to go.
We dedicated a full day to the Nymphenburg Palace, and we needed it! Our palace tour was at 10am and we didn’t leave until almost 5pm.
Returning to Old Munich
For dinner, we went to the famous Hofbräuhaus am Platzl that was founded in 1589 by the Duke of Bavaria. One of Munich’s oldest beer halls (biergarten) and at one time the brewery to the Royal Residence. It spans a full city block and is three stories high!
We were lucky to get a seat on the terrace where we had goulash and schnitzels and a Bavarian cream desert. We’d gotten pretty good at swatting away wasps by now, but it was par for the course!
One last look in Old Munich and museums
We had a later flight and were able to leave our luggage at the hotel giving us a good part of the day to visit Munich and see a few more museums.
We took a ride share out to the museum area and started with the Egyptian Museum.
This proved to be a wonderful modern and tastefully laid out museum that we really enjoyed. There were some magnificent pieces, and it was not huge but large enough for us to enjoy ourselves for about an hour.
The Alte Pinakothek (Art Museum) opened in 1836 and was actually the first of its kind to incorporate skylights which the architect called roof lanterns. These provided daylight to illuminate the large exhibition rooms, large enough to display Rubens’s six-meter-high painting “The Great Last Judgement” in the Rubens Room.
The museum has one of the largest Rubens collections in the world. There are many Old Masters masterpieces and many beautiful paintings and sculptures in the two-floor museum.
We were getting nervous about getting to the airport so while there were also the Modern Art and the Deutsches Museum (Technology museum) we ran out of time. Had it not been so hot we might also have walked through Englischer Garten (Munich’s central park).
Tips
- Get the Munich City Pass
- Try the oldest Biergarten: Hofbräuhaus am Platzl
- Stay at Hotel Torbräu, Munich’s oldest hotel
- Buy your timed entry tickets in advance
- Uber works well
- Public transportation is efficient
- Load the MVGO app (easy to use for public transportation)
- Just about everything is pay-by-phone although some touristy spots have a fixed minimum
- Lots of bikes, with bike paths everywhere, easy to rent.
How the MVGO app work
We were impressed with how easy the MVGO public transportation app worked in Munich. You just swipe on and swipe off, and it figures out your location, route, and ticket price by itself. Much easier than trying to figure out names of stops and zones and routes.
We took the tram to the Nymphenburg Palace and also took the metro/subway to the airport avoiding a €120 taxi ride. Simply swipe on when you start your trip and swipe off when done. At each station a clear easy to read screen shows you all the connections and all the upcoming stops. German efficiency!
Conclusion
We enjoyed our time in München (Munich) and while it was apparent that this was very much a rebuilt city, there was a lot to see and we had fun.
We unluckily came during a rare heatwave, so it was quite grueling. But we managed to see just about everything we wanted to see and were really happy to have finally made it to Munich, Germany.