48 Hours In Munich

WHY GO NOW?

WHY GO NOW?

To feel festive. The frenzy of the Oktoberfest is still months away, but the Bavarian capital is celebrating its 40th Spring Fair: the ubiquitous beer tents and fun rides fill the huge Theresienwiese park from today until 2 May. The "Auer Dult", a mixture of funfair and serious antique market held three times a year in the Au district, starts next Saturday. And late spring sees the city at its finest.

BEAM DOWN

Lufthansa (08457 737 747, www.lufthansa.co.uk) and BMI (0870 60 70 555, www.flybmi.com) run a joint operation to Munich from Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester. British Airways (0870 850 9 850, www.ba.com) flies from Gatwick, Heathrow and Birmingham. Duo (0871 700 0700, www.duo.com) flies from Edinburgh, while easyJet (0871 750 0100, www.easyJet.com) operates services from Stansted. If you book in advance you may find fares below £100.

From Franz Josef Strauss airport, S-Bahn lines one or eight take 40 minutes to reach the main railway station, the Hauptbahnhof, 20 miles south. A single ticket costs €8 (£5.50). A taxi to the city costs €50 (£35).

GET YOUR BEARINGS

The heart of this million-strong city is Marienplatz at the centre of the Altstadt (Old Town), one kilometre inland from the Isar river. The main tourist information office (00 49 89 233 03 00, www.muenchen-tourist.de) is just outside the railway station; it opens between 9am and 8pm from Monday to Saturday, and 10am and 4pm on Sundays.

CHECK IN

A few minutes from the railway station, the Hotel Schweiz at Goethestrasse 26 (00 49 89 54 36 960, www.hotel-schweiz.de) offers weekend doubles from €81 (£57) including breakfast. The rooms are compact but comfortable. The Gasthaus Englischer Garten at Liebergesellstrasse 8 (00 49 89 383 94 10), part of which includes a converted water mill, is a friendly establishment in a quiet district. Outside main festival times, en suite weekend doubles start at €96-€108 (£63-£71). Breakfast costs an extra €9 (£6). Nearer the river, the Hotel Torbräu at Tal 41 (00 49 89 24 234, www.torbraeu.de) claims to be one of the oldest hotels in town. Its spacious double rooms cost €165-€205 (£110-£135), including breakfast. The budget option is the 4-You Ecological Hostel on Hirtenstrasse where a bed costs €22 (£14) per night, excluding breakfast.

TAKE A VIEW

Climb the 300-odd steps to the top of the Alter Peter's tower at Rindermarkt 1 for spectacular views over the city roofs - weather permitting, you can see the Alps. The building occupies the site of Munich's first parish church. The tower opens 9am-6pm daily (Sundays from 10am) - entrance costs €1.50 (£1.10).

TAKE A HIKE

Starting from the railway station , head along Schützenstrasse and over Karlsplatz to Neuhauser. Follow this street along to Marienplatz, with a short diversion to the twin-domed Frauenkirche church on Frauenplatz . From Marienplatz, turn left up Diener Strasse to Max-Joseph Platz . A right turn leads into Maximilianstrasse, then it's a straight walk along to the Isar and Prater insel. On the other side of the river, the landscaped banks make for good people-watching.

TAKE A RIDE

Munich has an extensive public transport network, including an underground and ten tram lines. Tickets cost €1 (70p) each. Anyone spending a few days in town should consider buying a "welcome card" from the tourist office. It gives free travel on the four central zones and reductions on 50-odd museums and tourist attractions. It costs €6.50 (£4.50) for a one-day ticket and €16 (£11.50) for the three-day version, or €11 (£8) or €23.50 (£18) for a "partner" card (for up to five people). Alternatively, yellow rickshaw taxis wait on Marienplatz, and are a fun way to reach most destinations around the centre: prices start at €7.70 (£5.50) for one person for 15 minutes; a half-hour trip for two will cost €18.90 (£13).

LUNCH ON THE RUN

The area around Marienplatz is well-served with the fast-food Imbiss stands offering bratwurst, chips and other snacks. Better still, wander into Viktualienmarkt , home to the city's main produce market: the stalls sell everything needed for a picnic - wine by the glass, pretzels, soups from €2.20-€4.50 (£1.60-£3.20), cheese - or there's a beer-garden in the centre under the chestnut trees.

WINDOW SHOPPING

Munich's shops rival those of Paris and Milan. The big department store is Galeria Kaufhof on Marienplatz, but German and international fashion can also be found along Maximilianstrasse, Kaufinger Strasse and Neuhauser Strasse . Cheap and cheerful Bavarian gift shops abound around the Altstadt, but if you really need to take home a pair of authentic lederhosen, the place to go is Loden-Frey at Maffeistrasse 7 (00 49 89 21 03 90). A good quality pair will set you back about €300 (£220).

AN APERITIF

The Hofbräuhaus at Platzl 9 (00 49 89 290 13 60) is Germany's best-known drinking house - a vast, cheerful place where customers are entertained by brass bands and waitresses in traditional costume juggle with a dozen large beer mugs at once. Choose between a Helles (lager) or a Dunkles (dark beer). The huge Augustinerkeller at Arnulfstrasse 52 (00 49 89 59 43 93) is another historic watering hole, slightly more up-market than the Hofbräuhaus. Try some Augustiner Helles: €6.30 (£4.50) for a one-litre mug.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

Just off Marienplatz, Zum Spöckmeier at Rosenstrasse 9 (00 49 89 268088) is a spacious and charming beer hall, and a good place to relax after a day's sightseeing. Customers sit around long communal tables - handy if you need advice on the menu. Dishes include roast pork at €11.20 (£8) and crispy turkey escalope at €12.80 (£9). The deep-fried apple pudding €4.90 (£3.50) shouldn't be missed. German food may be largely meat-based, but the Prince Myshkin at Hackenstrasse 2 (00 49 89 26 55 96) serves tasty vegetarian food inspired by Italian and eastern cuisines. Main dishes cost €8-€15 (£5.50-£11).

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

Together with several other Wittelbach rulers, "mad" king Ludwig II of Bavaria is buried in the 16th-century Michaelskirche at Maxburg Strasse 1, which is open from 9am to 7pm daily. This is the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps. Its soaring barrel-vaulted roof is Europe's second-highest, and its pale colours and sense of space are restful after the bustle outside.

OUT TO BRUNCH

The Café am Beethovenplatz at Goethestrasse 51 (00 49 89 54 40 43 48) is one of the oldest cabaret venues in town. From 9am on Sunday mornings a pianist entertains customers in the chandeliered dining area - €10 (£7) buys a full plate plus bread, jam and coffee.

A WALK IN THE PARK

The Englischer Garten is vast and beautiful. It takes its name from the landscaping fashion that determined its layout. Miles of footpaths link a lake, two rivers and woodland to a number of beer gardens, a Chinese pagoda and a Japanese tea room. Nude sunbathing is permitted in certain areas.

WRITE A POSTCARD

Make your way to the Monopteros, the Neo-Classical rotunda in the south-eastern part of the Englischer Garten. The panoramic views over the Altstadt and rolling park should prove inspirational.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Munich has one of Europe's best museum complexes and an impressive cultural calendar: the annual Long Night of the Museums is scheduled for 15 May. If you only have time for one major venue, then head for the Pinakothek complex , comprising three excellent museums. The newest and most striking is the Pinakothek der Moderne at Barer Strasse 40 (00 49 89 23 80 53 60, www.pinakothek-der-moderne). It houses a lavish and striking collection based around the concepts of art, design, graphic art and architecture. Familiar names like Matisse and Picasso are exhibited alongside German artists such as Max Beckmann and cutting-edge technological gadgets. It opens 10am-7pm (until 8pm on Fridays) daily except Monday, and admission is €9 (£6.50) except on Sundays, when it is free.

THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Take tram 17 or bus 41 to Schloss Nymphenburg (00 49 89 17 90 80, www.schloesser.bayern.de), a few miles north-west of the city centre. This 17th-century summer villa grew into an impressive Baroque monument, a testament to the Bavarian royal family in its heyday. An all-inclusive ticket gives access to the main palace, a porcelain museum, a carriage museum, a hunting lodge, several pavilions and the royal stables, and costs €10 (£7). Alternatively, a €5 (£3.30) ticket to the main palace gives access to the fascinating Gallery of Beauties, a series of portraits commissioned by Ludwig I in honour of striking-looking women who had caught his eye.

The 200-hectare park (free admission) is a wonderful contrast to all the finery inside, and once you've finished strolling around, an alcohol-laced hot chocolate in the Palmenhaus cafe is worth every cent of its €4 (£2.65) price.

Compare Travel Insurance - 5 day Euro cover from £4.33 and Annual worldwide policies from just £43.08