Munich Tourism & Travel Guide - Places to see in Munich

Munich Tour & Travel Guide - Places to See in Munich

Museums

The collection of museums in Munich is breathtaking. The techies should reserve a few days for the Deutsches Museum, which is said to have the world's largest science and technology collection. This magnificent and huge museum occupies its own island southeast of Isartor. It also has some interesting and interactive displays, such as glass blowing and paper making and brilliant sections on musical instruments, caves, micro-electronics and astronomy. You can also shop at the fascinating gift shop, which has loads of gadgets, working models, kids' science sets, unusual toys and unique 3-D postcards. If you’re trying to comprehend the history of this city, you should spend a day roaming through the collections at the Münchner Stadtmuseum. As the historical exhibits will help you understand how the royal residence evolved into today's modern metropolis, the main artistic draw is the ensemble of Erasmus Grasser's 10 spritelike Morris Dancers, medieval travelling entertainers who performed at court and on market squares. Don’t miss the small yet significant section on Munich during the Third Reich that forms an enlightening complement to the nearby Jewish Museum. Set in a windowless hall among riveted steel plates, it shows the city as the birthplace and spiritual centre of Nazism through exceptional visuals including photographs, propaganda posters, Gestapo uniforms, flags, underground resistance papers and letters from concentration camp victims. But museums aren’t all about history and science. There’s also a lot in store for those into the arts. The Musikinstrumenten-Museum has precious and rare sound machines from across the world, including Indonesian ceremonial gongs and mechanical musical instruments. Some of them are cranked up during concerts. The Foto Museum (Photography Museum) focuses on the early years of the medium, beginning around 1840 and the Filmmuseum has well-curated screenings of tributes, retrospectives, foreign films, both old and new. You might even catch directors, actors and film historians who often swing by for pre-show presentations. For a charming diversion visit the Puppentheater-Museum, which is a fantasy world inhabited by an international cast of hand puppets, marionettes, shadow puppets, stick figures and all manner of dolls, dragons and devils.

Frauenkirche

The Frauenkirche is said to be the most significant church in Munich. Its onion-domed twin towers stand tall at lofty 99m in the central city. Legend has it that as you enter the foyer, the hoofed footprint in the floor was made by the devil who stopped by once the construction was finished, and in this very spot he started cracking up because the builder had apparently forgotten to put in any windows. He stomped his foot in triumph but didn't have the last laugh because just a few steps later are plenty of windows. Today, the trick doesn’t work well because the high altar that used to conceal the choir window has been removed, but the hoofed outline remains.

Marienplatz

It is a very popular spot that packs in a lot of personality into its seemingly small frame. It's anchored by the Mariensäule (Mary's Column), topped by a golden statue of the Virgin Mary balancing on a crescent moon. At 11:00 and noon, the square crowds up with tourists craning their necks to take in the animated Glockenspiel (carillon) in the New Town Hall, a neo-Gothic fantasy festooned with gargoyles, statues and a dragon scaling the turrets. For catching Munich's landmarks without much ado, catch the lift up the 85m-tall tower.

Bavaria Filmstadt

The Bavaria Filmstadt is a theme park built around Bavaria Film, one of Germany's oldest studios founded in 1919. Films and TV shows are still produced today and if you get lucky you might spot a star during the guided 90-minute tours. Don’t forget to check the timings for the tour is in English. The Stunt Show is a big hit and the kids are particularly fond of the wacky 4D cinema.