Munich Travel

Overview
Munich, perhaps known best for Oktoberfest, its yearly beer festival, is a relatively small German city, though it has the feel of a capital. The city's center, Marienplatz, could potentially be traversed on foot in no longer than 30 minutes from one side to the other. This is the part of the city where you'll find the most malls, markets, and churches, as well as the royal palace. North of Marienplatz is Schwabing, the entertainment district and the home to most of the city's bars, pubs, and nightclubs. West of these two districts is the museum quarters, home to almost 40 local museums. The River Isar runs the length of the eastern side of the city, home of the Nymphenburg palace and gardens. There are many suburbs outside of the city's downtown; however, these are mostly residential districts.

Sightseeing Attractions
Once a major base for Hitler's men during the Holocaust, Munich is home to the Dachau concentration camp. Though most of the buildings that stood in the area during the Holocaust were destroyed at the end of the war, the area still retains the chilling feel of its horrific past, and it is well worth a visit. The museum quarter is a great place to browse Munich's collections of art and history; however, if you only make time to see one museum, it should be the Alte Pinakothek, world famous for its collection of art that extends from the 15^th century to modern times. Munich's palaces are also a worthwhile sightseeing attraction. There's Residenz in the city's center, Schloss Nymphenburg in Nymphenburg, and Schloss Schleißheim in Oberschleißheim, just outside of the city's walls.

Nightlife
There are three streets in Munich that are great for department store shopping: Maximilianstrasse, Hohenzollernstr, and Leopoldstr. Munich also has three notable shopping malls: the PEP, the OEZ, and Riem Arkaden. For less upscale shopping, visit the Viktualienmarkt and Elisabethmarkt open-air markets. Munich is the best place in Europe to dine on traditional Bavarian cuisine, including dishes like Weißwurst, Schweinsbraten, Schweinshaxe, and Leberkässemmeln. If exotic meats, on the other hand, do not appeal to you, there are also plenty of restaurants scattered throughout the city that serve different worldly cuisines. For drinking, you've come to the right place. If you can't come to Munich during Oktoberfest, you're missing out, but there are still plenty of bars and pubs serving world class beers the rest of the year. There are three notable beer gardens that are worth checking out: Kugleralm, Leiberheim, and Waldwirtschaft. However, if you're more interested in dancing and cocktails than beer, you'll want to head for Haidhauen, the most popular nightclub district.