Munich Musts
Hello everyone all the way from Munich, Germany! This past week has been crazy because I travelled with my Masters program and spoke to amazing companies, toured the BMW HQ, and went on tours around Munch with our tour guide.
What did my daily schedule look like? Wake up at 7am, attend school activities until 5pm and then explore the city and nightlife until who knows when and REPEAT! Let’s just say we didn’t get much sleep in, but now I have some great daytime activities and restaurant recommendations for you all!
Activities
BMW Headquarters
The building is beautiful and very futuristic. If you want to go inside and view the newest automobiles, you definitely should! And, if you’re dedicated, you must sign up for a plant tour because the technology and robots used to create the cars is absolutely unbelievable.
I had to present a case study in a group to a few BMW employees and my class and I was able to say a line in German, which I was a nervous wreck about, but apparently I said it okay!
Neuschwanstein Castle
This 19th century unfinished castle is a little over an hour away from Munich, but is worth the bus ride & hike. It sits on top of a rugged hill overlooking a village on the border of Germany and Austria.
Little did I know, our bus was going to stop on the bottom of the hill and we were going to have to hike up hill for 30 minutes… and I was wearing sparkly booties -.-. Aside from that miscommunication, the hike was okay (minor ankle sprain obviously) but the view was amazing and the tour of the castle was even more incredible!
Spring/Oktober Fest
This really depends on the time of year you visit Munich, but this festival is where you’ll find beer halls, fun rides, and Bavarian foods (aka pretzels beer and currywurst). Springfest is 100x smaller than Oktoberfest, which attracts over 1 million people worldwide.
Dachau Concentration Camp
I highly encourage everyone visiting Munich to make a trip to this Nazi concentration camp, just a 30 minute train ride from the City. It was the first camp ever built and every other concentration camp was modeled after it. Upon visiting, you can read the archives and learn more about World War II and the Holocaust.
I visited a few days after the 72nd annual liberation of the camp, so there were flowers and other items left from the memorial service. It seems like all that we know is the sad and gruesome history of the Holocaust; the numbers, facts, and stories that seem so distant because we weren’t even born yet. But in reality, it wasn’t very long ago and there are still survivors today who are scarred by what they had to endure.
Visit Dachau and dedicate a couple hours to learning about history so that the memory remains alive, the history seems more real to you, and the world Never Forgets.
Bayern Munich Game
Everyone who I spoke to made it seem like it was impossible to purchase tickets for a Bayern Munich game. The morning of the game, however, a group of 7 of us found tickets on ViaGoGo and purchased 7 tickets just 2 hours before the game began!
Our friend had rented a car so we drove there, but taking the train is just as easy. Engulf yourself in the German culture and experience the true European fútbol atmosphere.
Restaurants
Hans Im Glück
This restaurant, based off of a German fairytale, has a beautiful interior with tree barks everywhere resembling the setting of the children’s story. They have an extensive vegetarian/vegan menu and delicious cocktails. I highly recommend visiting this restaurant that attracts locals and tourists alike!
Bite Delite
I can’t eat the meat and chicken in Munich and living off of Pasta and bread wasn’t doing it for me, so I had to find a healthy restaurant STAT! I discovered this restaurant through an Instagram blogger and fell in love.
They have pre-packaged sandwiches and salads as well as homemade acai, mango, and matcha bowls. My favorite was the matcha bowl!
Restaurant Einstein
For those of you looking for a nicer meal, I highly recommend this Israeli-Mediteranean style restaurant. I paid 20 euros for a platter of gyro, salad, falafel, moroccan cigar wraps, hummus, and rice. I went to eat dinner alone and sat at the bar and became friends with the staff. They are so nice and gave me so much insight on the city and history of the community.
It’s right next to the Jewish Museum and Munich’s synagogue if you decide on making a trip there. Regardless, it’s in the heart of the old city, so pretty much near everything and for those of you who keep kosher – definitely the move!
Der Pschorr
My program took us here for the Farewell Dinner and, coming from someone who isn’t too fond of German food, it was good! It’s a beer cellar and restaurant with authentic Bavarian dishes. They gave us a huge room on the top floor and the place was beautiful. It’s located in a beautiful part of town called Viktualienmarkt, which is a daily food market and square in the center of Germany which you should explore during the day.
Der Verrückte Eismacher
This ice cream place is perfect for those of you with a crazy palette like me! This infamous ice cream shop creates the weirdest flavors, such as “Gyro meat”/”shit”, which ended up being rich chocolate, or “Gin and Tonic”, which actually had gin in it and probably would’ve had me feeling light headed if I had a whole cup of it!
I ended up keeping it simple with creating a Ferrero Rocher ice cream combination with the walnut ice cream and “shit” flavor ;).
There is so much to do and see in Munich, so naturally I couldn’t write it all, but I highly recommend visiting these places! Part 2 will be Munich nightlife so stay tuned.
XX,
Shir
