Munich

Live Your Life Newsletter - November 2005
Travel & Hostel Newsletter for Backpackers

Newsletters: November 2005 | All Archives

Euro Youth Hostel in Munich, Germany

So normality returned to the fine city of Munich last week, after 17 days of what can only be described as utter carnage. Yes, I am indeed referring to the Oktoberfest, the most turbulent time of the year for hostel employees in Munich! The calm after the storm is most welcome, guests who are not only able to remember in which rooms/hostel they are staying, but incredibly even know their own names… ahh a welcome change! How we shall miss carrying our guests to bed for another year!

Visiting Munich after the Oktoberfest also has its benefits for travellers, not only are the streets less congested and free of “Bierleichen” / beer corpses (the local term for a person that has overindulged in the festivities, and fallen asleep where he or she has dropped!), but the city is much more laid back, whilst offering more than enough things to do to fill a three of four day stay. If you are particularly keen on kitsch and bad taste, then the current collection of garish lions cluttering up the old town will bring a smile to your face and make anyone of artistic integrity shudder! In the name of charity, a further two hundred are in the pipeline! Yikes!

Aside from offering a wealth of culture (Technicolor lions aside), Munich is quite rightly known as Europe’s Beer Capital and some of the best brews you will taste on your trip are to be found here in the city’s beer halls and of course, the Euro Youth Hotel’s bar all year round. A word of warning, some of our guests have been known to actually not leave the hostel, nourishing themselves on “liquid bread” from dusk until dawn.

Here is a slightly more constructive programme for your stay in Munich:

Day 1

Morning: Get your bearings with a free walking tour.
Afternoon: Visit the city’s English Garden and take a well deserved break in at least one beer garden.
Evening: 6-9pm Happy Hour at the Euro Youth Hotel Bar and then off to one of the city’s beer halls. Crawl into bed.

Day 2

Morning: Visit the fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle (the “Disney” one they say)
Evening: Happy Hour and then off to one of the city’s beer halls.

Day 3

Morning: Traditional Bavarian breakfast at the Viktualienmarkt and then visit the Dachau Memorial.
Afternoon: Visit the city’s impressive art galleries (Pinakhoteken) followed by a tasty and reasonably priced traditional evening meal at the Augustiner Bräustuben.

Day 4

A visit to the world-renowned “Deutsches Museum”, Munich’s fabulous Science and Technology Museum, drink off the shakes during Happy Hour, and then board a night train, swearing you will not be drinking beer for at least a week!