3 days in Munich

St Peter's tower (Alter Peter)

Altstadt · 45 min

306 steps up Munich's oldest church for the whole old town and, on a clear day, the Alps. Climb it first, before the line forms; the tower takes cash and card at the door.

€5

Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel

Altstadt · 35 min

The figures in the New Town Hall tower turn at 11 a.m. and noon every day, and at 5 p.m. as well from March to October. Stand near the Mariensäule for the show, which lasts about a quarter of an hour and ends with the knight from Bavaria winning.

Frauenkirche

Altstadt · 50 min

The cathedral with the two onion domes is free, and the devil's footprint is just inside the door. The south tower is 89 steps and an elevator, open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m., last ascent 4:30 p.m.

€7.50

Viktualienmarkt

Altstadt · 80 min

The city's food market since 1807, for a Leberkässemmel from a butcher's counter, roast potatoes at Caspar Plautz and a Schmalznudel from Café Frischhut. Finish with a half liter in the beer garden under the maypole; the market is closed on Sundays.

Residenz and Treasury

Altstadt · 150 min

The Wittelsbach palace: the Antiquarium hall, 130 rooms, then the crowns in the Treasury. Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from March 28 to October 25 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter, last entry an hour before.

€15

Hofgarten

Altstadt · 45 min

The palace garden behind the Residenz, free and formal, with the Diana temple in the middle and boules players along the arcades. Walk through to Odeonsplatz and the Theatinerkirche's yellow front.

Augustiner Stammhaus or the Hofbräuhaus

Altstadt · 120 min

The Hofbräuhaus has the brass band, the vaulted hall and a thousand other visitors; the Augustiner on Neuhauser Straße has the better beer, from the wooden barrel, and more Münchners at the tables. Order Schweinsbraten with a dumpling at either; small groups need no reservation and share a table.

Alte Pinakothek

Maxvorstadt · 120 min

Dürer, Rubens and Altdorfer's Battle of Alexander in one of Europe's major old-master collections; give it two hours. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., until 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, closed Monday.

€9

Eisbach surfers

Lehel · 30 min

A twenty-minute walk east along Theresienstraße and Von-der-Tann-Straße to the bridge by the Haus der Kunst, where surfers ride a standing wave on a city stream all year. Watch from the bridge for ten minutes; it is a free show nothing else in Munich matches.

Chinese Tower beer garden

Englischer Garten · 75 min

Follow the garden north about twenty minutes to the Chinesischer Turm for self-service Hendl, Obatzda with a pretzel and a Maß of Hofbräu. Carry cash, since the counters are quicker with it; a brass band plays in the tower on summer weekends, and the garden runs roughly April to October, weather permitting.

Monopteros

Englischer Garten · 45 min

The Greek temple on the hill ten minutes south of the tower, with the city's spires lined up behind the meadows. Sunbathers in summer, sledges in winter, and the Kleinhesseloher See nearby for a lakeside pause.

Schwabing

Schwabing · 90 min

Leave the garden on the west side for Leopoldstraße and the Siegestor, then the Jugendstil houses on Ainmillerstraße and Kaiserstraße, where Kandinsky and Rilke lived. Coffee on Hohenzollernstraße; the bookshops and small shops are around Kurfürstenplatz.

Steinheil 16 or Alter Simpl

Maxvorstadt · 120 min

Both in Maxvorstadt, a ten-minute walk back south: Steinheil 16 for a schnitzel that overhangs the plate and a Tegernseer beer, Alter Simpl on Türkenstraße for a dark-paneled old artists' tavern, Käsespätzle and a late kitchen. Neither takes bookings for small groups, so arrive by 7 p.m. or expect a wait.

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, or Nymphenburg Palace

Dachau · 150 min

Dachau was the first camp and the model for the rest; the exhibition, the barracks and the crematorium take two and a half hours, and the audio guide is worth it (free, open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Take the S2 towards Petershausen, about 25 minutes from Hauptbahnhof, then bus 726 to the KZ-Gedenkstätte stop on an M-1 day ticket; for something lighter, tram 17 goes to Nymphenburg palace instead.

Schneider Bräuhaus im Tal

Altstadt · 75 min

Back at Marienplatz, a few minutes down the Tal towards Isartor, the wheat beer brewery's own tavern pours Schneider Weisse from the tap. Order Weißwurst if you are early, Kronfleisch or Schweinsbraten if not; it gets full by 1 p.m., and a shared table is normal.

Deutsches Museum, or Olympiapark and BMW Welt

Isarvorstadt · 150 min

The Deutsches Museum is ten minutes on foot across the river onto its island: aviation, the mines, the musical instruments, the physics shows. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4:30 p.m.; the alternative is the U3 to Olympiazentrum for the 1972 stadium roof, the free BMW Welt showroom and the BMW Museum, which is closed Monday.

€16

Gärtnerplatz and the Glockenbachviertel

Glockenbachviertel · 60 min

Walk back over the Isar along the Reichenbachbrücke to Gärtnerplatz, the roundabout where the neighborhood sits out on the grass with a beer from the kiosk. Then the small shops and bars on Reichenbachstraße and Hans-Sachs-Straße.

Fraunhofer, or Haidhausen

Glockenbachviertel · 120 min

The Fraunhofer on Fraunhoferstraße is an old Wirtshaus with a courtyard, a theater at the back and Bavarian cooking that has not been smartened up; order the Ente or the vegetarian Knödel. Or cross the river to Haidhausen for dumplings in every form at Wirtshaus in der Au, or the chestnut-shaded Hofbräukeller garden on Wiener Platz on a warm night.