although i'd been to bavaria and the outskirts of munich with my wonderful host family in germany several years ago, i hadn't yet seen the city itself; so when the other students suggested a weekend trip, i went along and am very glad that i did! the city can definitely be seen in a weekend, and entirely on foot, but be prepared for an ambitious itinerary.
1. deutsches museum. first thing i did after checking into the hostel was to drag my roommate across the city to see this museum. admittedly, i didn't understand most of the very technical scientific explanations in the exhibits on space travel and engine mechanics, but there was a great deal to see and i definitely felt smarter after we left. my favorite part was the futuristic nanotechnology exhibit, which projected that before long we'll have tiny little robots swimming through our blood stream and filtering out impurities and clearing out our arteries. yeah, that was my reaction too..
2. kaufingerstrasse is a nice broad street that makes for a very pleasant stroll. you'll pass by the rathaus-glockenspiel, a very impressive and beautiful building on marienplatz. there you'll also see mary's column, and you know i love anything with my name on it. kaufingerstrasse also has good shopping, and maximilianstrasse will give you a nice ritzy stroll past the mercedes, prada, gucci, etc. stores.
3. the hofbrauhaus is a good time, and a fun way to try munich's world famous brews. dinners in touristy places can get expensive, so i grabbed a veggie doner kebab and caught the happy hour at the bar.
4. there was a free walking tour of munich offered in a brochure in our hostel. i just grabbed the map they offered and followed the tour myself, which allowed me to wander off a bit and get a closer look at the parts i found most interesting. munich is definitely walkable, and as we were only a couple blocks away from the train station i didn't catch a single subway or bus all weekend.
5. st. peter's belltower is well worth the climb and offers a beautiful view of the city. plus just 1 euro for students!
6. the englischergarten is the largest city park in continental europe (larger than central park in nyc!) and is a wonderful place to go exploring. don't miss the surfers riding the perpetual wave generated by the water rushing in to fill the park's meandering stream-- they're even out there in february!
7. the alte pinothek art museum is just one euro admission on sundays. you can guess what i did with my last afternoon!
my favorite thing about munich was just getting to wander around on my own time and seeing the sights and sounds at my own pace. my own pace is, admittedly, rather fast, but if you've only got the weekend, you have to fit in everything you can!
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