Munich was one of my favorite stops on the trip – might have been that it was Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and the city was just festive, or it might have been that around every turn there was another gorgeous, historic church or museum or castle!

I arrived and quickly dashed to see the Christmas Market at the Rathaus (townhall) because it was closing down later that day. Fun fact- most people in Europe celebrate “Christmas” on the evening of the 24^th so if you are going on a holiday over Christmas, its worth noting and making plans for food/etc on that night! The Rathaus was beautiful and is actually the “new Town Hall”, serving as this key city building since 1874, with the old one being just around the corner. This central part of Munich was called Marienplatz and was surround by shopping, restaurants, and beer gardens…I can imagine it is packed during Oktoberfest!!!

Once again, I walked around Munich a bit more saw the luxury shopping street (Maximilianstrasse), the Opera House (Bayerische Staatsoper). This National Theatre on Max-Joseph-Platz is the home of the Bavarian State Opera, Bavarian State Orchestra and the Bavarian State Ballet.

I also walked near the Justizpalast, which houses the Bavarian Department of Justice and the District Court I of Munich. Perhaps the most iconic site against the skyline is the Munich Cathedral with its two pillars. The “Frauenkirche” serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city. As I mentioned, most everything was pretty closed for dinner, so we ended up going to the Sofitel Bayerpost for drinks and dinner – it was perfect!

On Christmas Day, I nearly had the city to myself which made for some amazing exploring. I started out with a stroll to Odeonsplatz, a large square in central Munich which was developed in the early 19th century. The square is named for the former concert hall, the Odeon, on its northwestern side. Located in this square, is both the iconic Theatine Church and the Feldherrnhalle monument honoring the Bavarian army of King Ludwig.

Near the Odeonsplatz is the Residenz Munchen. The Residenz in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany. The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms, and the first structures of this complex were built in 1385!

Just across one of the 10 courtyards is the Bayerische Staatskanzlei. The Bayerische Staatskanzlei (Bavarian State Chancelery) is the name of a state agency of the German Free State of Bavaria and also of the appendant building. With all of these references to Bavaria (Bayern), it prompted me to do a bit of research. Officially, the Free State of Bavaria (of which, Munich is the capital) is a landlocked federal state of Germany, occupying most of the southeast part of the country. Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total land area of Germany. I learned much more about this exploring the Bavarian National Museum (Bayerisches Nationalmuseum). This museum contains three vast floors of sculpture, painting, folk art, ceramics, furniture, and textiles, in addition to clocks and scientific instruments. The objects on view are among Bavaria’s greatest historic and artistic treasures. The museum also contains a famous collection of Christmas Nativity cribs from Bavaria, Tyrol, and southern Italy – perfectly festive for our timing 😊!

I finished the day, of course, with a glass of champagne at the Platzl Hotel, right around the corner from the famous Beer Hall, Hofbrauhaus Munchen. Dinner was an extra special treat as I made reservations in the “Ratskeller” or Town Hall Basement. It was filled with local fare and many Munich families celebrating the holiday!

Munich was absolutely fabulous and I am already looking forward to a return visit for Oktoberfest next fall.

Next stop on Tripmas – Switzerland!

-MAL

Hotel:

• Hotel Jedermann – pretty standard, a bit dated but clean and the staff was helpful. Great breakfast as well. 5 min walk to train station about a 15-20 minute walk to city center

Restaurants:

• Ratskeller Munich – amazing and a must-do if you are in munich. Restaurant in the basement of the TownHall
• Christmas Market Food
• Sofitel Bayerpost
• Platzl Hotel Bar

Sites:

• Christmas Market
• New Townhall/ Rathaus
• Old Townhall
• Bavarian History/Art Museum
• Shopping (Maximilianstrasse)
• Munich Opera House (Bayerische Staatsoper)
• JusticePlatz
• Munich Cathedral
• Odeonsplatz
• Royal Residences/Palace
• Bavarian State Chancellery