Munich

Marienplatz, the Pinakotheken and Nymphenburg over two Munich days

Two days in Munich cover the core sights. Spend day one around Marienplatz for the 11 am Glockenspiel, the Viktualienmarkt, the Frauenkirche, the Residenz and the Englischer Garten with its Eisbach surfers. Day two is for the art museums of the Kunstareal in Maxvorstadt and Nymphenburg Palace with its canals.

Day one, morning. Be at Marienplatz for the Glockenspiel in the tower of the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus at 11 am, then climb the Alter Peter for the view. Wander through the stalls of the Viktualienmarkt and walk to the Frauenkirche, whose onion-domed twin towers are the city's signature.

Afternoon. Follow the Residenzstraße to the Residenz and give its state rooms and treasury two hours. Leave through the Hofgarten and across to the Englischer Garten, where the Eisbach surfers perform by the Prinzregentenstraße bridge. Walk north through the meadows to the Chinese Tower beer garden for an early evening drink.

Day two. Spend the morning in the Kunstareal of Maxvorstadt, choosing between the Alte Pinakothek for old masters, the Neue Pinakothek's 19th-century art (check what is on display during its renovation) and the Pinakothek der Moderne. After lunch, walk across the neoclassical Königsplatz, then ride tram 17 to Nymphenburg Palace, the Wittelsbach summer residence, and walk its long canal to the hunting lodge of the Amalienburg. Eat dinner at the Hirschgarten, a huge beer garden with deer in an enclosure beside the tables.

Day three. Pick a theme: the Deutsches Museum of science and technology on its island in the Isar, or the U3 to the Olympiapark and BMW Welt, or a sobering half day at the Dachau memorial, a short S-Bahn and bus ride north. End the trip in the Glockenbachviertel's bars.

The Viktualienmarkt, a few minutes south of Marienplatz, moved there from the old grain square in 1807 on the orders of King Max I Joseph. About 107 traders now fill roughly 22,000 m², and the beer garden at its centre seats about 1,000, with Munich's breweries taking turns at the taps. The six big breweries have donated the maypole since 1962, and six fountains honour Munich folk performers, among them Karl Valentin and Liesl Karlstadt.

What to eat in Munich, from Weißwurst to Obatzda

Munich's food is Bavarian and built around pork and beer. Eat Weißwurst with sweet mustard and a Brezn before noon, Schweinsbraten or Schweinshaxe for a main meal and a Leberkässemmel on the move. In the beer gardens, order Obatzda, the spiced cheese spread, under the chestnut trees.

Munich's food is Bavarian through and through, and it is built around pork and beer. The local breakfast is Weißwurst, a pale veal sausage simmered (never grilled) and brought to the table in its hot water. Peel off the skin, eat it with sweet mustard and a Brezn, and drink a wheat beer with it, all before the noon bells. The stalls around the Viktualienmarkt and the old inns near Marienplatz are the places to try it.

Lunch and dinner bring Schweinsbraten, roast pork with crackling, dark beer gravy and a potato dumpling, or the bigger Schweinshaxe, a whole roasted pork knuckle. For a snack on the move, butchers sell the Leberkässemmel, a thick warm slice of baked meat loaf in a roll; despite the name it contains neither liver nor cheese.

In the beer gardens, order a Brotzeit: Obatzda (a spicy spread of camembert, butter and paprika), thin spirals of white radish called Radi, smoked fish and bread. At the Oktoberfest and summer fairs, look for Steckerlfisch, whole mackerel grilled on sticks over charcoal. Sweet tooths should find a café for Kaiserschmarrn, torn pancake with plum compote, or Dampfnudeln with vanilla sauce.

The beer comes from the city's six old breweries: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. The Hofbräuhaus is worth a look for its painted vaults, but locals drink at the Augustiner Bräustuben by the old brewery on Landsberger Straße.

Oktoberfest, the Auer Dult and Munich weather month by month

Munich's biggest event is the Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese, and the calendar also includes the Starkbierfest in Lent, the Frühlingsfest in April, the Auer Dult markets three times a year and the Tollwood festival. Summers reach 25 °C with heavy thunderstorms, and January averages 4 °C by day.

Munich sits about 520 metres above sea level, which makes for cold winters and warm, stormy summers. January averages a high of 4C and a low of -2C; July and August reach 25C. Rainfall peaks from May to August at 107 to 121mm a month, delivered in short heavy thunderstorms that clear as fast as they arrive. February is the driest month, at about 46mm.

The calendar is full of beer. The Starkbierfest in Lent (usually March) celebrates the strong beer that monks once drank while fasting, with the Paulaner hall on the Nockherberg at the centre. The Frühlingsfest in April is a smaller spring fair on the Theresienwiese. Three times a year the Auer Dult market of pots, antiques and fairground rides fills the square around the Mariahilfkirche in the Au.

From June into July, the summer Tollwood festival puts music tents and food stalls in the Olympiapark, and returns to the Theresienwiese in winter. The Oktoberfest itself starts in the second half of September and runs for 16 to 18 days, with Saturday's parade of brewery horses and the mayor's tapping of the first barrel at noon.

Advent belongs to the Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz and a ring of smaller markets, among them a medieval one at Wittelsbacherplatz. Snow is unreliable in town, but the Alpine ski areas are within two hours.