Bavarian creme

Visit Munich, Germany‘s third largest city, for a little culture, a little Glühwein and a lot of shopping. Sitting in the shadow of the Alps, Munich is friendly, compact, picturesque and hip

December is a magical time to visit the capital of Bavaria and Germany’s third largest city. Sitting in the shadow of the Alps, Munich is friendly, compact, picturesque and hip. It is also clean and safe, making it perfect to explore on foot, but when it’s chilly, public transport is cheap and efficient. The Munich Welcome Card (purchased from tourist offices) works like a Travelcard but with an additional benefit of entitling discounts at certain attractions. A one-day card is €6.50; a three-day card €16.
Tourist offices: Central train station (Hauptbahnhof), Bahnhofplatz 2; and at City Hall (Neues Rathaus), Marienplatz.

Christmas Markets

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Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz in the centre of the Altstadt (old town), the site of a seasonal market since the fourteenth century, is a great place to source traditional hand-made gifts. Sip a spiced glühwein or two, admire the fairy-lit tree and listen to carol singing (daily at 5.30pm) while browsing the market’s 140 or so stalls (housed in cute wooden huts). Great gifts include wooden crafts, toys and tasty edibles like lebkuchen. Other markets – each with their own character – are scattered around the city: try those in the bohemian Schwabing district near Münchner Freiheit U-Bahn station; Sendlinger Tor; and at the Chinese Tower in the English Gardens. The Tollwood Winter Festival at the Theresienwiese is an alternative fair where you can buy arts, crafts and food from across the world. It also puts on theatre performances, live music and workshops for children.
Christkindlmarkt, until Dec 24 2004. Open Mon-Fri 10am-8.30pm, Sat 9am-8.30pm, Sun 10am-7.30pm, Christmas Eve 10am-2pm.
Tollwood Winter Festival, until Dec 31; Tollwood market until Dec 23. Open Mon-Fri 2pm-12midnight, Sat, Sun 11am-12midnight.

Eat, drink
There are plenty of small, friendly cafés and restaurants in and around the centre of the city. Glockenspiel Café is perfect for a lazy breakfast, while for lunch or afternoon tea the Literaturehaus Café makes a stylish pitstop, as does Aroma Café, a short walk from Sendlinger Tor. For dinner there are numerous places; taste traditional Bavarian fare at the cosy Dürnbräu, or on Platzl (where the pricier restaurants are concentrated), try Pizza Riva for Italian.
Munich’s café culture is stylish and civilised; chocaholics will love the 30 odd types of hot choc available in Trachtenvogl Café. For post-prandial drinks join the bright young things in Café Mozart (which by day is a tea shop frequented by smart ladies) or the popular Bar Centrale, where the chic clientele sip espresso and Ramazotti (an Italian liqueur). Don’t miss the Hofbräuhaus, a massive beer hall founded in 1589, where everyone sits on long trestle tables and drinks beer by the litre.
Glockenspiel Café, Marienplatz 28 (089 264 256).
Literaturehaus Café, Salvatorplatz 1 (089 291 934).
Aroma Café, Pestalozzi 24 (089 269 49 249).
Dürnbräu, Tal 21 (089 222 195).
Pizza Riva, Tal 44 (089 220 240).
Trachtenvogl Café, Reichenbachstrasse 47 (089 201 5160).
Café Mozart, Pettenkoferstrasse 2 (089 594 190).
Bar Centrale, Ledererstrasse 23 (089 223 762).
Hofbräuhaus, Platzl 9 (089 290 136 10).

What to Do
Munich boasts Germany’s largest number of museums and galleries. A good start is one of the three excellent Pinakothek galleries, which collectively house paintings and sculptures from the fourteenth century to the present day. The galleries are free on Sundays, otherwise entry to each is €5. The city’s oldest church, Peterskirche, has a splendid rococo interior and if you brave the 300 narrow stairs to the top you’ll be rewarded with stunning city views. Nearby the Residenz (now a museum), home to Munich’s ruling Wittelsbach family until 1918, is so vast that separate areas open to the public in the morning and afternoon. If you need a break from shopping and culture, the English Garden makes a good escape.
Pinakothek der Moderne, Barerstrasse 40 (089 238 05 360). Open Wed, Sat, Sun 10am-5pm, Thur, Fri 10am-8pm; Sat.
Alte Pinakothek, Barerstrasse 27 (089 238 05 216). Open Tue 10am-8pm, Wed-Sun 10am-5pm.
Neue Pinakothek, Barerstrasse 29 (089 238 05 195). Open Mon, Thur-Sun 10am-5pm, Wed until 8pm.
Peterskirche, Rindermarkt 1. Open daily 8.30am-7pm. Tower open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm.
Residenzmuseum, Residenzstrasse 1 (089 290 67225). Open daily 10am-4pm.

Where to Stay
The super-stylish boutique hotel, Cortiina, is close to Marienplatz on a street with smart cafés and shops. Hotel Olympic is minimalist, modern and centrally located near Sendlinger Tor. A good budget option is the Euro Youth Hotel near the Hauptbahnhof which has rooms, dorms and an on-site bar.
Cortiina, Lederstrasse 8 (089 24 22 490/www.cortiina.com). Doubles from €186.
Hotel Olympic, Hans Sachs Strasse 4 (089 231 890/www.hotel-olympic.de). Doubles from €140.
Euro Youth Hotel, Senefelderstrasse 5 (089 599 088 11/www.euro-youth-hotel.de). From €15 per person per night.

Getting there
Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.co.uk) flies from City Airport to Munich 11 times per week and from Heathrow seven times a day. Returns from £90. EasyJet (www.easyjet.co.uk) flies to Munich from Stansted twice a day. Returns from £40.98.

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