Today’s plan was to just walk around the city. I had researched specific sites to start the itinerary, but I was also ready to walk through any door to see where it led.  Munich’s old town has so many beautiful buildings, churches, and parks, that it wasn’t hard to spend a whole day talking in the sights. 

I started with a walk down Sendlinger Straße. And a walk into my first church of the day. Set in the middle of the pedestrian shopping street, Asamkirche was an unexpected find.  The old stones jutting out of the smooth building facades around it let me know that there were surprises to find inside. Brothers Cosmas Damian and Egid Quirin Asam designed this baroque church in the mid 1700s. Because it was set to be a private chapel, they had more freedom with the design and the finished space showcases their ornate vision. The dark interior draws the eye up to the brightly lit ceiling.

Sendlinger Straße ends at Marienplatz, Munich’s main tourist center. The grand Neues Rathaus dominates one side of the square and the Mariensäule statue with the golden Virgin Mary atop, the Fishchbrunnen fountain and the famous glockenspiel draws the tourist crowds throughout the day. The glockenspiel performs at 11am, noon, and 5pm. I was fortunate enough to witness the ten minute show twice – once from below and once from above. 

Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) is a functioning space, so I took a little time to walk through a hallway or two to take in the stained glass windows and arched hallways.  For those who would like easy access to a view of Munich from above, you can pay to take the elevator up the clock tower. 

I did want to see Munich from above, but I wanted the City Hall to be part of the viewscape and I was ready to sweat a little to go to it.  Just off Marienplatz, St. Peter’s Cathedral offers just that. For 5 Euros, you can climb up the narrow staircase to the Turm Alter Peter. From here, there’s a 360 degree view of the city, including the glockenspiel, and while I didn’t plan it, I lucked out that I was up there for its 12pm performance.  

St. Peter’s Cathedral is also a beautiful church inside, so it is worth a stop even if you don’t want to climb the tower.

Around the corner from Marienplatz is a small statue that one might miss except for the one golden breast. This statue of Juliet was a 1974 gift from Munich’s sister city, Verona.  A corresponding QR code transforms the statue into Tamiko Thiel’s augmented reality art installation #JuietToo. One of  as part of #MakeUsVisible project aiming to bring gender-expansive voices to public spaces. 

While I didn’t need to go to Hofbrauhaus during my stay, I just so happened to be in the vicinity when I was looking for a lunch spot on a rainy day, so I figured I would check out the beer garden restaurant that is the centerpoint for Munich’s Oktoberfest.  The painted ceilings, live band, and shared tables made this a festive atmosphere, though I will have to caution that it is hard to find a table and even harder to get service here.  The food was fine, definitely not the best I had during my stay, but the experience is a classic one. 

To walk off lunch and the beer, I walked over to Hofgarten: Munich’s Court Garden. Designed in 1613 for the royal court, this small symmetrical palace garden features the Diana Temple in the center with well manicured flowers lining the walkways. The garden is flanked by the Residenz on one side and Bavarian State Chancellery on the other, Outside of State Chancellery is a war memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives during World War I and World War II.

Just outside the park, I made a quick stop at another beautiful church.  The yellow facade and ornate white stucco interior of the 17th century baroque Theatine Church creates a grand and unique space.

The Residenz is where Hitler resided during his reign, and it was expected for people to salute him and his power when they walked by. For those who didn’t want to comply, the Viscardigasse side street became “Shirker’s Lane”.  To honor those small rebellions, artist Bruno Wank installed a golden cobblestone winding path through the street (“Arguments” 1995). 

On the way back to my hotel for my afternoon reprieve, I stopped by Rindermarkt to see the cow fountain and take in some live music at Music Sessions Summer Fest. The three day music festival includes all different genres of music. The band I saw was funky and fun with both their songs and their attire. It was a great way to spend an hour, and while I planned to come back here later in the evening, my sense of adventure took me to other places.

I ended the day with a bus ride over to the English Gardens. It had been a rainy day, so I was pleasantly surprised to see people surfing the Eisbachwelle surf spot. Surfers of all levels and ages took their turns riding the “mother of all river waves” created by a man-made stone step. 

From there I walked through the woods and fields to the Monopteros. At this point it was near 7pm and people were still enjoying the large green space. I enjoyed dogs and kids running after geese and people playing lawn games. The short steep walk up to Monopteros is worth the view of the park with the city peaking out in the background. People talk about this being akin to Central Park in New York City, and I can see why. 

My final stop for the day was at the nearby Chinese tower.  I thought this would be another opportunity to climb for a view, but it’s really just a decoration in the midst of a lively beer garden. 

One last place I visited the morning I was leaving was the Viktualienmarkt  – this could easily be combined with the rest of the walk around Munich.  Viktualienmarkt runs from 10-5pm daily. Set around a large maypole, the market offers a  collection of prepared food, fruit stands, and craft stalls makes this a nice place to grab a snack and take in the local goods. I enjoyed sampling the assortments of pestos – favorite is pesto rossa – and drinking some freshly squeezed juices.