Exploring nature, camping and various outdoor sports activities are becoming more and more popular nowadays. Therefore, we decided to visit the largest travel and outdoor activities tourism fair in Bavaria, f.re.e. Munich, whose partner country was Croatia. This was also a great opportunity to visit Munich, get inspiration, and explore new destinations and offers. We decided to explore it on a guided Old Town tour. Such tours provide a lot of information for the first time visitors like ourselves. In this article, we bring you insight into what you can see and experience in Munich in three days.
MARIENPLATZ
We started our tour of the old part of the city at the central square – Marienplatz, where we met Mrs. Ana Maria. She was our guide and host for the next 2 hours. She shared with us a lot of interesting facts from the history of Munich, as well as everyday life. You can buy a ticket for the tour online or at the Tourist Office located in the New Town Hall building. You can find all the information about the tour here.
There are two town halls on the main square – the old and the new one. The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) is an impressive piece of architecture and one of the most famous symbols of Munich. More than 600 city employees work in its 400 premises. The balcony of the town hall is also known for the fact that sports teams celebrate their victories on it, such as Bayer Munich football players. The entire square turns into one big party zone then.
The town hall is also special because of the unusual clock with figures – the Glockenspiel. Every day from March to October, at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., the clock is activated with music, and two important historical events are shown. The first one is the wedding of the Duke Wilhelm V with Renato von Lorraine in 1568, and the second one is the famous “Schafflertanz”, a dance that celebrated the end of the plague epidemic. It is interesting that the clock consists of 43 bells and is powered by solar energy. A library is also situated there. Well-known for its spiral staircase, it is often referred to as the most beautiful library in the city.
VIEWPOINTS
Two viewpoints, which offer a beautiful view of the city, are located on Marienplatz itself. One is in the tower of the New Town Hall, and the other one is in the tower of the Church of St. Peter. You have to climb the 299 stairs to the one in St. Peter’s Church, and there is an elevator which takes you to the top of the tower in the New Town Hall. We reached the New Town Hall tower just in time for a beautiful sunset. You can buy the ticket (€6.5) at the Tourist Office.
The view of Mariensplatz, Fischbrunnen fountain and the city. According to legend, if you wash your wallet in the fountain, you won’t have any financial problems until the end of the year.
A beautiful sunset and a view of another symbol of Munich, the Cathedral of Our Lady (Frauenkirche).
You can see the church of St. Peter from the tower in the New Town Hall.
St. Peter’s Church from the outside…
… and the inside. This is the oldest church in the city.
FUN FACT: Munich has 1.6 million inhabitants, 27% of which are foreigners. There are no skyscrapers in the city center. In a referendum, the residents voted against skyscrapers being built in the city center. They can only be built on the outskirts.
RECOMMENDATION: When you get hungry, stop by the basement of the New Town Hall. There is a real “labyrinth” of restaurants and pubs. We ate at the Ratskeller restaurant and the food was delicious.
VIKTUALIENMARKT MARKET
Right next to Marienplatz, you’ll find Viktualienmarkt. As the city grew, the market on the main square became too small, so King Maximilian I decided in 1807 to open a new one, located just two hundred meters from Marienplatz. The market is full of small traditional shops and stalls with various delicacies and is a famous place for all the food lovers.
Viktualienmarkt is not a “classic” market. It is actually a meeting place for all the citizens and their visitors. Located in the middle of the square, a beer garden or Biergarten with large wooden tables is the place where visitors can enjoy beer, sausages and other Bavarian specialties. Six breweries run the Biergarten (Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Spaten) and a beer from one of the breweries is sold every day.
You can find all kinds of delicacies at around 140 stands and shops. Meat, sausages, cheese, honey, various spices, and wine are sold on the square. A little further you can find bakery products, fish, fruits and vegetables, even exotic ones. Walking through the market, you will also notice several fountains with figures of folk singers and comedians. Various celebrations and festivals are also held there.
Soak up the atmosphere and enjoy delicious breakfast or lunch served in numerous cafes and restaurants in the area.
Opposite the market, you’ll find more local meat stores. The tower of the Old Town Hall can also be seen from there.
Behind the Old Town Hall, we stumbled upon a sculpture of Juliet of Verona. This replica of the original statue is a gift from the Italian community to Munich. You will often see her “holding” flowers, given to her by tourists.
On the tour, we also stopped by a boutique with traditional German costumes. Our guide Ana Marija told us how it was common for Germans to dress in their traditional costumes for various festive occasions and celebrations. It was interesting to hear the meaning of tying a bow on a woman’s skirt. If the bow around a woman’s waist is tied on the left side, it means that she is single. If it is tied on the right, it means that she is married.
The walk through the city was full of interesting photo spots.
We also stopped by the Hofbrauhaus pub. It is one of the most popular in Munich and can accommodate up to 3,000 guests. Mozart used to come here for a beer.
OPERA
Our next stop was Max-Joseph square and the building of the national opera, or the Bayerische Staatsoper, whose history is more than 350 years long. It is the largest opera house in Germany, which holds about 450 performances annually, and is visited by more than half a million opera and ballet lovers. On one side of the square you’ll find Maximiliannstrasse, a shopping street with well-known, luxury brands.
On the other side of the square, you’ll see the Residenz Munich palace.
PALACE RESIDENZ MUNICH AND THE ENGLISH GARDEN
This largest palace in Germany and the largest museum complex in Bavaria is located in the city center. Various Bavarian rulers had their headquarters there in the period from 1508 to 1918. The former royal palace is a huge complex that includes 10 courtyards, 3 museums, 130 rooms and is open to visitors. You will definitely need a whole day to explore it. It is particularly interesting to visit the Residence Museum, where the royal rooms have been reconstructed, and the Treasury, where all the wealth of the German monarchy is displayed – crowns, jewels, royal jewelry, the queen’s beauty accessories…
The palace also houses the splendid Cuvillies Theater. You can find all the details about visiting the palace here. Behind the palace complex and its gardens, you’ll discover the English Garden, a large public park covering an area of 417 hectares. It is one of the largest parks in Europe, larger than Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore it this time.
ODEONSPLATZ
Right next to the palace’s western wing, you’ll see the Odeonsplatz. As soon as you step on this square you will notice the Feldherrnhalle, a replica of the Loggia dei Lanzi from Florence.
Being the northern border of the pedestrian zone, the square got its name from the once most popular Odeon concert hall, which was located there. This is also where our tour of the old town ended.
The striking Theatiner yellow church, the first baroque church in Bavaria.
JAPANESE PANCAKES IN MUNICH
Luffy Pancake Cafe is definitely a place for all those who have a sweet tooth. We discovered this cafe on Instagram and decided to visit it. The fact that we managed to try the pancakes only on our second visit speaks volumes of their popularity. The first evening we came too late. There was a long line in front of the cafe. Since the kitchen closes at 7:30 p.m., they no longer accepted orders. The second time we had better luck, although it was also quite crowded. But it is definitely worth the wait.
SPECIAL SOUFFLE TECHNIQUE
This was our first time trying Japanese pancakes and we were delighted. Just like the cafe owners Fred from Paris and Marco from Munich were when they tried them on their trip to Japan. They had been testing and perfecting the recipe for two years. They even consulted a Parisian pastry chef to create the perfect experience and, in our opinion, they absolutely succeeded.
These pancakes are made using a special souffle technique. The dough is extremely soft, airy, light as foam and melts in your mouth. You can choose from several types of flavors so we opted for Fruits Jolis, Jolis and Mon Tiramisu. The prices range from €9.9 to €12.9. You can view the entire menu here.
Due to their unique structure, they are also called Kiseki or miraculous pancakes in Japan. They really are a miracle and we hope to enjoy them again in Munich.
F.RE.E. – TRAVEL AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FAIR
This is the largest fair of tourism and outdoor activities in Bavaria and one of the reasons why we visited Munich. 900 exhibitors from 50 countries presented themselves to as many as 160,000 visitors in 5 days. These are impressive numbers, which actually describe this fair the best. We saw numerous offers from different destinations, various presentations, tastings and activities that you can try in several huge exhibition halls. We met tourism representatives from all over the world and definitely got inspiration for new journeys.
F.RE.E. 2024
Although nowadays many book their holidays and trips online, sometimes it is good to meet the local experts who can reveal lesser-known, but extremely interesting things about their country. If you decide to visit this fair next year (February 14 – 18, 2024) be sure to check all the information here. You can see what it was like this year in our photo gallery.
This year, the partner country was Croatia.
The large pool where you could try kayaking or SUP was particularly attractive.
Children were delighted with the climbing rock.
And we with different campers.
The Japanese drummer was excellent. You can watch the video of his fantastic performance on our TikTok or Instagram profile.
Three days aren’t enough to fully experience this dynamic city, but we hope we gave you some inspiration and useful information. We are certainly looking forward to coming back to Munich soon.
Jasminka Đaković, Željka Đaković
Photos: Putopis
Thank you Munich Tourismus
1 comment
jako dobro napravljeno.cestitamo