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I'm planning a trip to Munich for this December. Looking for an idea of a good central location/neighborhood to stay in, to be within walking distance of lots of big things.

I live in New York, and can understand how vague of a question this is. But think of this as "I don't want a hotel in Times Square, but not one in the Brooklyn either."

Any ideas out there?

Thanks!

Look online at Rick Steve's travel website or something similar.

Munich is an interesting city. There is plenty to do within walking distance of the rail station right downtown. We did a gigging tour for Mai Woche in Ossnabruck in 2005 and spent the following week in Munich. We stayed just a block from the rail station at an Ibis Hotel. It's an easy walk through the downtown area... the Hofbrau Haus... Marion Platz... and some great open-air markets.

Virtually everyone under 60 in Germany speaks English. Don't be afraid to stay right downtown and be prepared to do some walking. A BIG plus with staying in downtown Munich is the ICE high speed train. You can be at Innsbruck or Salzburg in just a couple of hours.

Christmas time in Munich should be wonderful!

Thanks!

Is the area south of the train station a good area? I'm surely an American -- I see "near the train station" and then roll my eyes that it's in a bad spot of town. But we Americans don't use trains like the Europeans do!

I spent 1 night in Munich about 5 years ago, and am looking forward to going back. I'm a big walker (usually walk 5+ miles/day on the weekends), so I'm not afraid of that at all.

Is Nymphenburg Palace too far from the interesting/tourist parts?

Don't forget your rotary F tuba! German border agents will check for one and deny you entry to the country if you don't have it.

bort wrote:Nymphenburg Palace

Sounds fun!

Bob Kolada wrote:Don't forget your rotary F tuba! German border agents will check for one and deny you entry to the country if you don't have it.

Good thing for the Schengen Agreement, or this Czech-made F tuba would be trouble. Yuk yuk yuk...

bort wrote:Is Nymphenburg Palace too far from the interesting/tourist parts?

I think Nymphenburg Palace is within walking distance northwest of downtown Munich and the main railway station.

At any rate... if you stay directly downtown... bus, trolley, or cab transport to any of the 'high points' of Munich should be fully doable.

I had no problems and no regrets staying right downtown Munich.

I lived in Munich for more than a year. I agree about downtown being perfect. Look on a map, find the Hauptbahnhof, Marienplatz, and Unniversitate. This triangle has a bunch of hotels and lot's of stuff to do. The train system is perfect there, so you shouldn't have much trouble getting around. Remember that the English Gardens has brass music on Saturdays at noon (I think).

bloke wrote:In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus.

By appearances, this alone would make the trip worthwhile. Where do I sign up?

Unfortunately, I'll be there in December. I suspect the dress code is a little different in winter!

That picture has been shown for so long, I bet those women are like 40 by now....

Bob Kolada wrote:That picture has been shown for so long, I bet those women are like 40 by now....

Buzzkill Bob...

Bob Kolada wrote:That picture has been shown for so long, I bet those women are like 40 by now....

There ain't a damned thing wrong with 40!

TubaTinker wrote:

Bob Kolada wrote:That picture has been shown for so long, I bet those women are like 40 by now....

There ain't a damned thing wrong with 40!

Haha, very true, and it's so relative.

I'm 11 years under 40. But when I'm 11 years *over* 40, I'm sure I'll feel like you Dan.

Not sure how old Bob is, but I'm guessing pretty similar.

Enjoying my last 6 months of being 20-something! Shoot, I'll be 30 when I'm actually in Germany!

bort wrote:Unfortunately, I'll be there in December. I suspect the dress code is a little different in winter!

Not necessarily. At least not in the breweries and beer halls.

Of these, Hofbräuhaus is the classic tourist attraction, but Augustiner-Bräu has better beer. Paulaner Wirtshaus at Nockherberg is also worth a visit - if you're lucky you might hear the tuba polka. If you like Weißbier, I also recommend Weisses Bräuhaus - they serve Schneider Weisse.

In December, it is also essential to visit the Christmas markets and try some Glühwein and roasted almonds.

Have fun, it is a wonderful city!

finnbogi wrote:

bort wrote:Unfortunately, I'll be there in December. I suspect the dress code is a little different in winter!

Not necessarily. At least not in the breweries and beer halls.

Of these, Hofbräuhaus is the classic tourist attraction, but Augustiner-Bräu has better beer. Paulaner Wirtshaus at Nockherberg is also worth a visit - if you're lucky you might hear the tuba polka. If you like Weißbier, I also recommend Weisses Bräuhaus - they serve Schneider Weisse.

In December, it is also essential to visit the Christmas markets and try some Glühwein and roasted almonds.

Have fun, it is a wonderful city!

Excellent advice, thank you! And yes, the Christmas markets are certainly high up on the "reasons to go" list (and our reason to go this time of year). We will be in Munich for Christmas Day.

Oh yes.... one note...

The HofBrau Haus in Munich is well worth a visit. There is some pretty good talent in the upstairs showroom. The barmaids really do have the ability to carry a half-dozen of those HEAVY one liter glass mugs. But... I don't recall seeing any of the girls that appear in that popular picture.

I spent two weeks in Munich and hit 'The Haus' most every day. I never saw one person playing tuba there. A small group of house musicians played downstairs but consisted only of a trumpet, saxophone, keyboard, and snare drummer. Maybe I just wasn't there on the right day.

I recommend the Platzl Hotel. It's right across the street from the Hofbräuhaus. My wife and I stayed there several nights on our honeymoon.

http://www.platzl.de/" target="_blank

We made it a driving trip. I recommend you not do that. However, the cops in Munich were quite friendly and speak pretty good English . I even got directions to our hotel along with my warning.

Try the area around the Viktualien Markt (an open air market) It is very close walking distance from Marienplatz. The hotel is small but clean and neat. Here's some contact info:
Hotel am Viktualienmarkt
Utzschneiderstraße 14
80469 Munich - Germany
Tel.: 0049 (0) 89 / 23 11 09-0
Fax.: 0049 (0) 89 / 23 11 09-55
E-Mail: reservierung@hotel-am-viktualienmarkt.de" target="_blank" target="_blank
No I'm not a relative just a satisfied customer.
ps. I accidentally left my cellphone in the room and didn't realize it until I was on the plane home. I wrote them and within a week they sent back postage -paid.