Munich: Where you're guaranteed bier und good times
If you’re staying in Munich, chances are you’ll be getting out here or at MarienPlatz which is closer to the historical centre and a good bit more upmarket.
The Hauptbahnof is a rather huge and intimidating sort of a place so it’s best to get out of it as soon as possible and head into the city. We arrived in the late evening so the city’s nightlife was in full swing. Like most main train stations, the surrounding area is quite seedy but not particularly threatening.
Having been sent the wrong way by a friendly but slightly clueless local, we managed to find the street on which our hotel was located. Having to walk through groups of Arab men hanging around on street corners under neon signs saying ‘lapdance’ and ‘sexy time’ will probably not be everybody’s cup of tea but many of the city’s more budget friendly hotels are located in what is simply known locally as Sexyland.
Our hotel is on Schillerstrasse and in terms of location, it couldn’t be better. We were 10 minutes from the Theresienwiese, a huge area of beer tents (more of which later), and 10 minutes from the historical centre on foot.
The rooms are basic and, apart from the unbelievably kitsch newspaper shower curtains, almost staggeringly boring; but they are clean and most importantly they are cheap. A quadruple room will cost you €35 per person per night and although they have nothing to offer in terms of pampering they do provide an excellent continental breakfast which will set you up for the day.
The staff, apart from the grumpy night porter, were fantastically friendly; a perfect spot for a group of mates or a family, not so great for a romantic getaway.
Having arrived so late on the first day we didn’t have time for much other than a quick bite to eat and a few scoops. After a bottle in a local disco bar we made for Kennedy’s Irish bar on Sendlinger – Tor – Platz.
Going to Irish bars abroad is not something we’d usually recommend but it had exactly what our weary bodies needed – cheap eats (everything was under a tenner), decent beer, staff who spoke English and most importantly outside seating in a nice part of town.
The next morning after breakfast we decided to stroll in towards the city centre. Munich was hammered by air raids during World War Two and as a result much of the architecture in the city centre has had to be restored or completely replaced with newer, sleeker but not always fitting buildings. It does manage to maintain much of its old-world charm however and any restoration that has been done is tasteful.
The centre of everything is The New Town Hall, a late 19th century neo - Gothic wonder. We got there just in time for the 11 o’clock Cooper’s Dance in the Glokenspiel Tower.
The New Town Hall is located in MarienPlatz from where you can either go shopping for labels such as Massimo Dutti or Michael Kors in the nearby Theatinerstrasse or you can do what we did, which was get a varying array of cheap but wholesome nibbles in the colourful open air food market Viktualienmarkt.
There are a reassuringly large amount of locals present which is always a good sign, and it is well worth spending some time here just soaking up the atmosphere, smells and food. Although there is plenty of money floating about, Munchners seem to be a refreshingly unpretentious lot and on the whole they turn out to be warm. Patience is also another quality they seem to have in spades but then when you’re dealing with as much beer as this city is you would need to be.
Your best bet for getting around is the very efficient and sometimes colourful U-Bahn underground train. When we consider the price of public transport in Ireland it’s worth noting that a day ticket here costs €5.80 and will get you to most places of interest. Just one stop from MarienPlatz, art lovers will find a complex of buildings dedicated to modern painting and sculpture. We chose to visit the Neue Pinakothek which houses top works from Picasso and Degas, to name but a few.
For people who are particularly interested in the process of beer-making a visit to the Bier und Oktoberfest Museum on the nearby Sterneckerstrasse is worth popping into.
Which brings us neatly to our next and what turned out to be main pursuit of the weekend – beer drinking. The weekend we showed up just happened to be the weekend of the Munchener Fruhlingfest or Little Oktoberfest.
This is a far more sedate affair to that of its world famous and now somewhat chaotic September festival but the banter is still mighty. If you’re an old codger of 37 like myself, you best get there early, three or four o’clock, and enjoy a few steins (litres) of remarkably fresh, chemical free beer before the younger and livelier locals join you and remind you of how vibrant you used to be.
We made the mistake of ordering some food here which amounted to a pathetic effort of cold cuts and pickled gherkins with appallingly bland tasting coleslaw and other chopped veggies at €17 a head. A much better idea turned out to be the Paulaner Biergarten which is a distance from the city centre but well worth the trek.
Located on a hill top on Hochstrasse this huge beer garden is a lager drinker’s paradise. Here you can sit at picnic tables in the shade of large oak trees while steins of freshly brewed Weiss bier or lager for under €8 are poured from cool bronze vats. Had we known, we could have, according to tradition, brought our own Brotzeit (snacks) to the Biergarten. We decided to sample what the kitchen had to offer instead.
The style of cuisine is typically Bavarian with Munich specialties such as hog roast and knuckle of pork served in cast iron pans. We went with what we knew and ordered wiener schnitzels and wurtsels with fried potatoes.
When people wearing Lederne, the traditional Bavarian lederhosen, showed up later on in the evening we were in doubt as to where we were. It doesn’t matter how many beers you’ve had those things sure are terrible. But I think they know that. Good fun.
Flights – We flew Aer Lingus to Munich International Airport which has the speedier and more direct transport options to the city centre.
Ryanair do fly to Memmingen (West Munich) but the service is limited to outbound flights on a Saturday with various return options and that runs until March. At €65 for a return ticket it’s not bad, though you’ll have to plan accordingly. Return flights are currently on offer from €173 flying midweek.
Accomodation – We stayed in the simple but not so bad three star the Hotel Brunnenhoff, 36 Schillerstrasse. www.brunnenhof.de
Transport – A day ticket on the U – Bahn is your best bet for getting around at €5.80 but taxis are not particularly expensive.
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