We spent 5 days in Munich in late March, 2009 - these are our recommendations & experiences.
Transportation: We used the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, street trams and buses. Getting a ticket from the airport into the central station was very easy using the machines in the airport. Many have an English option, but even so they are generally easy to figure out. We bought a 3 day partner ticket, which covers up to 5 people on all the public transportation for 3 full days & costs only 21 Euros and covers all of Munich. We did have to buy a seperate ticket (Bayern) for our trip to Neuschwanstein Castle, since it's so far away.
EurAid: The EurAid office in Central Station was very helpful with answering questions, selling us train tickets and booking tours. If you have a Rick Steves book, you get a small discount on various tour tickets.
Hotel Eder:
Pros: Very close to central station, walkable to Karlsplatz, UBahn, SBahn, trams & Marienplatz, quiet street location, helpful staff, good breakfast included, clean room, private bath, about 75 Euros per night.
Cons: Internet is a little pricey, the entire place in hardwood and it makes a lot of noise whenever anyone walks up/down the stairs and the housekeeper always tried to come in before we were gone for the day.
Augustiner Bier Hall & Restaurant: On the main street, btwn Marienplatz & Karlsplatz. A traditional Bavarian bier hall. Very friendly staff, an English menu if you need one, great food, excellent beer. The best goulash of our trip. The crowd was friendly & cheerful; this is a very authentic place. Skip the Hofbrauhaus & head here instead. We went back 3 or 4 times!
Riva: A pizza joint on Tal, on the main street after Marienplatz. Young crowd, great food - a good variety of tasty pizzas + a great staff. Also, they serve food later than many other places in the area.
Schneider Weisse: Also on Tal, just past Marienplatz. Another authentic Bavarian restaurant with good food & great beer. Great location, family owned.
Olympic Tower & Restaurant: The view from the top of the Olympic Tower is pretty awesome. IMO, totally worth the 5 Euros is cost. We had lunch at the rotating restaurant there as well. It's pricey, for sure, but the food was outstanding. If you go for dinner, you would def. need to dress up.
Viktualmarkt: This huge outdoor market is right in the center of town, just a few short steps from Marienplatz. There are something like 150+ stall w/ fish, meat, wine, cheese, bread, fruit, olives, etc, etc, etc. Stroll around, check it out, grab a snack.
Dachau Memorial Tour: We used Munich Walk for this tour & thought they were great. We had a small group & a great guide. Of course, going to Dachau in not exactly uplifting, but it was worth it. It was interesting, educational, enlightening. You can go on your own, you don't have to take a tour, but you'll def. get more detail and information with a guide.
Bier & Oktoberfest Museum: A small, antiquated museum in, supposedly, the oldest house in Munich. It's only a few Euros to get in & if you've got any interest in the history of Bavarian beer or in Oktoberfest, it's a pleasant way to spend an hour or so. It's a bit dusty, but certainly has some charm.
Englischer Garden: I only wish the weather had been better for us. Since it was cold, rainy and snowy for much of our trip, we were unable to enjoy this park as much as we would've liked to. We did check out the guys surfing in the river though! EG is the Central Park of Munich.
Deutsches Museum: If you're interested in engineering, planes, bridges, and things along those lines, then you might very well love this museum. For us, it was ok. First of all, it's HUGE. Don't get me wrong, there were some cool exhibits, but overall it just wasn't really our thing. We should've skipped it and done Residenz instead.
Neuschwanstein Castle: We spent our last day in Germany, heading to the Bavarian Alps to see the castle. I'd say it was worth it. It's a long trip, but not a difficult one. The little towns near the castle, Fussen & Hohenschwangau are lovely, the mountains were majestic, incredible views. We opted for the horse carriage ride up the mountain & boy am I glad we did! It's a hike, for sure. The castle itself is pretty neat, the paintings inside are beautiful, though the tour is not very long. The grounds are stunning & apparently in the summer you can swim in the lake.
That's all I can think of for now. I'll add more if it comes to me.
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