Two Days in Munich (2017): From Nymphenburg to Oktoberfest
Munich was one of those stops where we decided to arrive early, purely so we could breathe a little before the main tour started. And honestly, it was the best decision. We had two full days to play with, and we used Munich exactly how it’s meant to be used: a mix of grand palaces, modern landmarks, green spaces, and beer culture.
We weren’t doing it alone either. We were with an American friend we’d met on a different tour back in 2016, and he was joining us again for this trip. It’s one of those travel friendships that somehow sticks, even when you live in completely different countries. He came with us to Füssen too, so Munich ended up feeling like the perfect little reunion stop before the tour properly began.
We bought a sightseeing bus ticket, which made everything feel ridiculously easy. No stress, no overthinking routes, and no accidentally ending up on the wrong U-Bahn line because one of us swore the map “looked straightforward”.
Our first stop was Nymphenburg Palace, the former summer residence of Bavaria’s rulers. We didn’t go inside the palace itself, but the grounds were more than enough. The gardens feel properly royal, the kind of place where you half expect someone in a powdered wig to come strolling past. Even just walking around, you get a sense of how powerful and wealthy Munich was historically, long before it became known for cars, football, and Oktoberfest.
From there, we leaned into modern Munich and headed to the Olympic Park. It’s one of those places that feels oddly calm considering it was built for the 1972 Olympics. The architecture has that retro-futuristic vibe, and it’s the kind of landmark that makes Munich feel like a city with layers. It’s not just medieval churches and palaces, it’s also a place that has hosted huge global moments.
After that came one of the highlights for me: BMW Welt and the BMW Museum. Even if you’re not a massive car person, it’s still worth it. The whole place feels sleek and futuristic, like Munich showing off what it does best. It’s also one of those visits where you leave thinking, “Right… so this is why Germany is Germany.”
We balanced all that city energy with the English Garden, which is honestly one of the best things about Munich. It’s huge, it’s green, and it makes the city feel liveable in a way that surprises you. It’s not a small park you walk through in ten minutes. It’s a proper escape, the kind of place where locals actually spend their day, not just tourists taking photos.
And then, because we were in Munich and it would’ve been criminal not to, we finished the day heading to Oktoberfest in the evening. It was loud, busy, and completely over the top in the best possible way. We ended up in the Paulaner tent, and because there were only three of us, we managed to squeeze onto a table with a few other people. It turned into one of those nights where strangers feel like friends after ten minutes.
I had local beer served the way it should be served, in a proper stein, and we also had schweinshaxe because if you’re doing Oktoberfest properly, you don’t order a salad and pretend you’re delicate. It was so much fun… and by the time we made it back to the hotel I was barely upright. But it was my birthday, so I feel like Munich had no choice but to forgive me.
The next morning, I was hanging on by a thread, but we still had our Altstadt day to do. We started at Marienplatz, the heart of the city, and the place that always seems to be buzzing no matter what time you show up. We stopped to watch the Rathaus-Glockenspiel at the New Town Hall, which is one of those classic Munich moments that’s weirdly satisfying. It usually plays at 11:00 and 12:00, with an extra show around 17:00 in summer, and there’s something about standing there in the crowd that makes it feel like you’re properly in the city, not just passing through it.
From there we headed to the Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady), one of Munich’s most recognisable landmarks with its twin domed towers. Then we climbed up St Peter’s Church, known as Alter Peter. The climb was absolutely worth it. Even though it was busy, everyone was giving way going up and down the narrow stairs, and the view at the top made it feel like the perfect reward for surviving both the steps and the previous night.
That evening, we went to Augustiner-Keller for dinner, this time with the tour group. It’s one of Munich’s most famous beer halls and beer gardens, and it felt like the perfect way to end our little pre-tour mini break. The vibe is exactly what you imagine when you think “Bavaria”: long wooden tables, big steins, and the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to stay longer than planned.
Somewhere in between all of that, we also managed to squeeze in a Kaiserschmarrn, because if you’re in Bavaria and you don’t eat something warm, sweet, and slightly ridiculous, are you even doing it right?
Looking back, Munich felt like the perfect opening chapter to Bavaria. We arrived early, we got sunshine, we got a proper mix of old and modern, and we still had enough energy left to head out to Füssen for the castles before the main tour even began. It was busy, yes, but it was the good kind of busy. The kind where you fall asleep feeling like you’ve actually lived your day.
