Best in 3 to 5 Days

Best in 3 to 5 Days

Visit the tourist information office at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and then head for one of the cafés at the pedestrian shopping zone to get your bearings. Plan an eastward course across (or rather under) Karlsplatz and into Neuhauserstrasse and Kaufingerstrasse, plunging into the bustling shopping area. Escape the crowds inside one of the three churches that punctuate the route: the Bürgersaal, the Michaelskirche, or the Frauenkirche, a soaring Gothic cathedral. Try to arrive in the city's central square, Marienplatz, in time for the 11 AM performance of the glockenspiel in the tower of the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall). Proceed to the city market, the Viktualienmarkt, for lunch, and then head a few blocks north for an afternoon visit to the Residenz, the rambling palace of the Wittelsbach rulers. End your first day with coffee at Munich's oldest café, the Tambosi, on Odeonsplatz.

On your second day, go on one of the guided bicycle tours. They're very educational, giving you a better feel for some highlights you may want to go back to for a closer look. You'll be shown things like the Englischer Garten (where you stop for a beer), the Maximilianeum, the Peace Angel, and the Haus der Kunst. After the tour is over you can meander over the river at Isartor to the Deutsches Museum, an incredible collection of science and technology. On the third day take a closer look at some of the world-class museums. Walk north to Königsplatz, meandering past the Grecian-style pavilions there on your way to the Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek museums and the Pinakothek der Moderne. You may not be able to see all of them in one day. After the museums, you can walk east to Ludwigstrasse and make your way south back toward Odeonsplatz and Marienplatz.

If You Have 5 Days

For the first three days follow the itinerary described above. On the fourth day venture out to suburban Nymphenburg for a visit to Schloss Nymphenburg, the Wittelsbachs' summer residence. Allow a whole day to view the palace's buildings and its museums and to stroll through its lovely park. On the fifth day, tour the Olympiapark in the morning. Ride to the top of the Olympic Tower for the best view of Munich and the surrounding countryside. Then either take a walk along the quiet city banks of the Isar River or visit one of the two villa-museums, the Museum Villa Stuck or the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus. The latter is huge and has a popular café.