48 Hours in Munich: City Guide
A whirlwind trip to the capital of Bavaria? Here’s what you should do.
Take the S-Bahn (Suburban Train) from the airport to Munich Hauptbahnhof (Main Station). You can take either line S1 or S8 and purchase your ticket from the kiosk outside the entrance to the underground. To get to the train, just follow the signs at the airport which leads you right there. From there we grabbed a bus that led straight to our hotel.
We checked into the Hilton Munich Park, a gorgeous property overlooking the English Gardens and the Eisbach River. The weather in October was lovely, so we kept our balcony door open at night and fell asleep to the sounds of the rushing river below.
I’d also recommend checking out the Ameron Munchen Motorworld. They were fully booked when we tried to reserve during Oktoberfest, but the rates were suprisingly low for such a beautiful and fun hotel. It is connected to Motorworld where private dealers sell some of the most exclusive automobiles. Take a look and ogle the sleek machines!
Hilton Munich Park Terrace overlooking the English Garden.
After dropping your bags at your hotel, grab a bus (we used google maps for all our public transport needs!) or stroll along the streets to the best lunch in the city - Xaver’s. We had a reservation, but it wasn’t needed as the place was fairly empty when we came in around 12:20 pm. We opted to sit at the bar so we could chat with the bartender and we weren’t disappointed. He walked us through the Augustiner beers that they had on tap as well as various Bavarian liquors. We enjoyed fried cheese, pate, and a buttery hearty meat stew - along with their delicious Oktoberfest beer.
Gastropub Xaver’s featured appetizer sampler for the day.
Once sated, we meandered the short distance to the Marienplatz, Munich’s famous town square. We marveled at both the New Town Hall and the Old Town Hall and then paid the small fee to go to the top of the New Town Hall and take in the views of the city. The Rathaus Glockenspiel, cuckoo clock, only chimes at 11 am and 12 pm (and 5 pm in the summer), so make sure to go before lunch if you want to see it.
Make it stand out
The New Town Hall in Munich’s Marienplatz.
Views from the top of the New Town Hall.
After checking out the square, we wandered over to the English Gardens where we watched the surfer’s (YES! Surfers) and then found a shady spot and took an hour nap to quell our fatigue from the flight.
Surfer’s on Munich’s Eisbach River.
For dinner we headed to Lonely Broccoli, which despite the name, is a mecca to meat with a giant grill roasting various cuts over an open fire. We strolled back through the gardens to our hotel for some much needed sleep.
On Sunday, it was time for Oktoberfest. We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel (a Hilton buffet never disappoints) before making our way to the Therenweisse. We arrived about 8:30 am which was more than enough time to grab a place in line before the gates opened at 9 am. In fact, it may have been too early and a we could’ve grabbed a few more hours of sleep.
We had done extensive research and decided to spend our time at the Hacker-Festhalle tent. We grabbed our seats (there was plenty at 9 am) and started enjoying our brews. It didn’t really start to fill up until around 11:30 when a lovely German family sat next to us. I would recommend bringing cards to pass the time with your beers.
By 5 pm we were done. Meandering back to the hotel to get enough sleep for our 6 am flight.
The Hacker-Festhalle tent at Oktoberfest features Hacker-Pschorr beer. Traditional outfits are a must!
