We only came to Munich for one day. It’s not really enough time to fully enjoy this city but we made the most of our time. The morning was spent visiting
historical sites and then in the afternoon we attended
Oktoberfest.
The train from Salzburg left fairly early in the morning
and once we arrived we bought a metro day pass for
the subway system. Everything we wanted to see was in
the M sector, so we only purchased the 24 hour pass
for that sector which cost us around nine euro each
with unlimited rides. You will find that if you plan to do a lot of different things in a city, buying a day pass or even a multi day pass will save you money.
Our stops in the morning started with a trip to see Hitler’s apartment. He was said to be having an affair with his niece there until she killed herself. The building now houses a police department. We then walked to Konigsplatz where the Nazis held many rallies and burned books. Then it was a subway ride to Feldherrnhalle in Odeonplatz. It was the site of a clash that ended Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch. It then served as a memorial during the Nazi era.
A walk to Rasthaus-Glockenspiel followed to watch the clock show. It was very entertaining to watch the figures on the clock spin around to the music. The show only happens a couple times a day, so if you want to see it when you go, make sure you plan ahead to fit it into your schedule. The show takes place at 11am and noon daily and also at 5pm May through October. Nearby was also Hofbrauhaus. This is one of the oldest beer halls and gets insanely busy. Look up at the painted ceilings if you go and you will see sections where they had to paint designs over the Nazi swastikas.
Then it was on to Oktoberfest, where far too much beer was had. We had fun walking around looking at all the food stalls and rides. The experience is like a state fair but much larger and with way more beer. After having some currywurst and a sandwich, we headed into a beer hall because we were getting cold and it was threatening to rain on us. It was only around two thirty in the afternoon but it was already getting very busy.
Finding a table can be a bit of a challenge. A lot of them will have reserved signs on the end and you can’t join those tables. We lucked out and a waitress brought us to a table where we were seated with a couple of people from Australia. Everything was great and we all got along well, maybe too well because we missed our train back to Salzburg and had to buy later tickets. It worked out and we got spend more time together.
As the beer flowed and the hall became more and more packed, people end up dancing on the benches and tables to the lively music. We joined in and it was a blast. Eventually we had to run to catch our train and we barely made it. Munich was a fun day for us and we would definitely go back.