There are certain cities in the world that seem to be beloved by just about everyone for one reason or another. Munich, Germany is one of those cities. Some want to come for the legendary Oktoberfest every fall. Others may want to come and enjoy the 45 different museums there. Still others may want to spend some time in one or more of the more than 20 breweries in Munich. I just wanted to see a city in Germany that I had not yet seen, as I had spent time in the country and loved every bit of it. As circumstances played out one day recently, though, I had an opportunity for a 24-hour trip to Munich. However, I literally had minutes to find a hotel room in Munich. I wasn’t sure I could pull this off, as in my experience last-minute hotel rentals were a bit of a hassle and most of them took quite a bit of time.
I pulled out my phone and searched for apps that helped people find hotels when there was very little time. I found one called HotelTonight and opened it. I liked the way it looked and then searched for Munich hotels. I was quite encouraged when I found several choices available. I picked one that seemed like a good fit for me. I got ready for what I really hoped would not be a long booking process, as I didn’t have that kind of time available. I was thrilled when only a minute or so later, I had my room booked and confirmed. I was ready to go explore Munich, and all I needed now was a list of the areas of town I’d like to visit.
There’s almost never a better place to start exploring a new city than in its center, and as it turns out the center of Munich is Old Town. There is a pedestrian walkway in this part of town, and you can walk it in less than 20 minutes. Old Town is not big in size, but it is absolutely filled with beautiful buildings and historical landmarks that could keep you busy for the entire day. I would’ve been happy to spend the day in Old Town, but I had several other places to visit and a lot to see. I wandered around for a bit longer, taking in the scene before moving on to my next stop.
I moved into Schwabing, an area not far from the center of the city, but it sure seems like you’re in a different place as soon as you get here. Ludwig Maximilian University is here, and this is a school that’s over 500 years old. The campus is stunning and the entire scene was something that was almost cinematic. I was quite excited to be here, but I also needed to recharge a bit so I looked for and found a nearby cafe. It served delicious coffee and the sweetest, tastiest German snacks one could ever imagine. It was the perfect break in the day.
Bogenhausen was a very interesting part of town, as its architecture is a mix between 19th Century buildings and extremely modern properties. I took quite a few pictures of the Hypo Hochhaus, which is a building that stands nearly 375 feet tall and is unlike any tall building I have ever seen. I finally realized that I was hungry again, and it was time for lunch. I wanted something local, and some nice people pointed me towards a place that served a supposedly great schnitzel. I found it, sat down, ordered it and loved every bite of it. It was a bit heavy for lunch for me, but I didn’t care, as today was my day in Munich.
Maxvorstadt is another community that dates back over 100 years, and it is home to a lot of different art galleries and museums. These places provided the opportunity to walk off that lunch and enjoy more of Munich. There were also some very nice shops and stores here, which was a good break for me because I really wanted to make sure to come home with some nice gifts from my surprise journey. I found several places that sold a lot of unique items, and I filled several bags for people I now could not wait to see.
Haidhausen is a unique place with a story that is somewhat common around the world. This was a neighborhood that used to be a part of town you would not want to visit, especially at night. These days, though, after a generation of investment, it’s become a veritable hot spot for the people of Munich. It’s filled with restaurants among other things, and I really wanted to try some Munich sausage, which are those delicious white pork sausages that are sold around the world. I found a place that served them, and they were better than any I had ever had in my life. What a dinner – I was ready to call it a day.
As I made my way back to my hotel, I thought about how I had managed to pull all of this together to have such a great day. Of course, I didn’t do it myself – I had HotelTonight to thank for my Munich hotel room. I was looking forward to a very nice night of sleep in that comfortable room, and I was looking forward to traveling in the future with HotelTonight.
