Having flown into Munich International Airport to access Central Europe, it seemed apt to have a couple of nights in this city to get into the right time zone before skiing.

With jet lag alive and well, I woke up ridiculously early the first morning and after killing some time with a lengthy hotel buffet breakfast, I headed out for a stroll of the old town (Altstadt) starting at Karlstor. There was a little fresh snow overnight which made it rather pretty, and it was lovely to see the many beautiful old buildings. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, because one exception was the interior of Asamkirche where I didn’t see the beauty. At least I got out of the cold for a while and it wasn’t busy inside the chapel, because unlike me, it seemed that most Munich tourists had slept in.

I went in search of the Hofbrauhaus ready for a stein, but I was premature because it didn’t open until 11am. What Bavarian city famous for beer drinking makes a jet-lagged hound wait until after 11am?! I then found where all the tourists were. They were swarming the Marienplatz waiting for the 11am clock re-enactment of local history. I definitely needed a beer after that and went back to the Hofbrauhaus for quintessential beer and pretzel.

I’d hoped to go to the Nymphenburg, because a palace full of nymphs sounded mighty exciting to me, but instead I broke the first rule of jetlag with an afternoon nap aka München Mittagsruhe.

I stayed at the well priced Boutique Hotel Atrium München which had a nice room with an all too comfortable bed, and an impressive breakfast. I’d know considering the length of time I sat there “doing breakfast”. The location was very good because it was within easy walking distance of the old town and the train station in particular, plus it was in the interesting Afghan and Pakistani district, with its abundance of barbers and multi-cultural fare. I didn’t have dinners in the area though, as Bavarian food seemed more appropriate for munchin’ in München, and the old town was buzzing in the evenings.

In terms of logistics, I found the stopover in Munich pretty easy. Rather than training it from the airport, I got the Lufthansa bus (it didn’t matter that I’d flown with another airline) to the train station and it was an easy walk to the Boutique Hotel Atrium München. Departure was easy too, with an efficient train to Innsbruck in Austria.
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We have started many a European ski odyssey from Munich. Of all the major airports dotted around the Alps, it is only second to Zurich on our list of favourites, and that’s only because it is further away from the mountains and, perhaps strangely, from our experience more likely for disruption than its Swiss competitor. Worth noting is that if flying to the Alps from within Europe or the UK, the best airports are more likely Innsbruck (or Geneva if skiing further west), with a question mark over Zurich depending on your ultimate destination. We say that because generally the first the first thing I do upon landing in Munich is leave by rental car or train toward Innsbruck!

For visitors from well beyond Europe & the UK, the airport provides fast & efficient egress upon landing. Car rentals & the train station are across an open plaza toward the secondary airport terminal. If renting a car, whilst they will all come with winter tyres, check the wear & quality of them before accepting the vehicle. German rentals can often have lower quality winter tyres than those hired from Austria. By train, if immediately heading beyond the city toward Innsbruck or Salzburg, you will have to catch the train to Ostbahnhof. Whilst the S1 and S8 lines go to Ostbahnhof, the S8 line is the swifter journey.

In summary, Munich is a fantastic entry point for intercontinental travellers to access the best ski resorts in Austria, Germany & northeast Italy (i.e. Dolomites). It is a fun city with a beautiful old town and the world’s greatest beer drinking establishments including the original Hofbrauhaus. The flight, train & highway connectivity to the mountains in the south is very good. The city itself is well worth an overnight stay before heading home, if only to wander the old town and experience one (or two) of the traditional beer halls. Prost!

See our thought on the pros & cons of the airport & staying in the city on our Munich overview page.

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