24 Hours in Munich, Germany
To wrap up our three-week adventure in Europe, we spent 24 hours in Munich before flying home from the Munich International Airport. Alyssa had spent a good chunk of time in Munich prior to my arrival, but my only experience with Munich was navigating my way from the airport to the train to take me to Venice at the beginning of our trip. Although we didn’t have an extensive amount of time in Munich, we were able to see a lot and get a good feel for the culture in the short 24 hours we were there.
Where We Stayed
For our single night in Munich, Germany, we stayed at a hostel called Jaeger’s Munich, located in Central Munich near the Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) train station. We flew into Munich from Barcelona and were able to easily take the train from the airport into the city, arriving at Hbf and walking to our hostel for check in.
We stayed in a mixed dorm and had no issues with that. Ironically, our roommates were also Canadians. They were all from Montreal! We had a funny interaction with them in which they tried to convince us to come out with them for the night. Ultimately we made the responsible decision to stay in so we wouldn’t risk missing our flight back to Canada the next morning.
Overall, the hostel was great. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the location was very convenient for both sightseeing and transportation purposes. Jaeger’s Hostel has a bar and frequent social events for guests. Since we were only there overnight, we opted to just do our own exploring of the city, but the hostel does offer free city tours and maps for those who are interested.
What We Did
- Visited Marienplatz and explored the Old Town. Marienplatz is consider to be the heart of Munich. The picturesque square is the location of many festivals and events throughout the year and the home of the city’s town hall.
- Took a walk in the English Garden. The English Garden is a large public park in center of Munich. Swimmers and surfers can be seen in the rivers which run through the park. The waves on the Eisbach river at the entrance to the park are considered some of the biggest and best river waves in the world. It was really interesting to watch people surfing in the middle of Munich! In addition to watching the surfing, the park has tons of lovely trails to explore and lawns where you can sit and relax.
- Had a drink at a Beer Garden. I’m not a beer drinker – in fact I really hate beer – but you can’t go to Germany and not visit a beer garden. We visited the Chinese Tower Beer Garden in the English Garden and sat in the sun with our giant beer and pretzel, both of which we split between the two of us.
- Attended Oktoberfest. When Alyssa and I planned our trip Oktoberfest wasn’t even on our radar. The reason for this? We were misled by the name to believe it was actually in October and not late September. When we arrived in Munich we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were arriving in the height of Oktoberfest. As I mentioned before, I am not a beer drinker, but it was fun to walk around the grounds of the festival and see all the beer tents and people dressed in traditional German garb.
What We Ate
- Chinesischer Turm Beer Garden is located in the English Garden by a monument known as the Chinese Tower (hence the beer garden’s name). We opted to only order a giant pretzel and giant beer, but there are many other food offerings if you wanted to have a more substantial meal. As I mentioned above, I am a hater of beer. Despite this, I did my part and at least tried the beer we ordered here. Alyssa was sure to capture the whole experience with photos and my face says it all.
- For dinner we wanted to stay close to our hostel. We spent a bit of time wandering around, ducking in and out of different restaurant before we found Munchner Stubn. Let me tell you, this place was a hoot! The restaurant was bustling with Oktoberfest attendees and waiters in traditional German dress with live music tying it all together. People were getting rowdy, but in the best way possible. Everyone was singing and laughing and generally having a great time. On top of that the food was also excellent. I would highly recommend!
Final Thoughts
What a whirlwind it was travelling to and experiencing so much of Southern Europe over three weeks. Each destination had its own unique charm and character, which was thrilling to experience and discover. Reflecting back on this trip while writing these posts has been so much fun. I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to relive the memories and laugh about fun moments that I had forgotten.
Now that I have finally reached the end of (writing about) my European adventure, I will leave you all with some final thoughts based on my experiences:
- Google My Maps will be your best friend for trip planning. I now use Google My Maps for every trip I plan. It is so helpful to have everything visually plotted out on a map to help organize your days and make the most of your time. I love to colour code my maps based on different categories such as accommodations, restaurants, monuments, etc.
- Get a European phone plan for mapping and communication purposes. I made this same point in my post about Italy, but I’m going to say it again. Though completely not necessary, having some kind of a phone plan while we were in Europe made navigation and communication so much less of a headache. The plan that I bought was a regional eSIM for Europe through Airalo. It was the perfect plan because it allowed me to use things like iMessage and maps, it was easy to activate, it covered 39 European countries, and it was relatively inexpensive (especially compared to the coast of Roam Like Home). The cost of the plan depends on how much data you want and how many days you intend to use it, but there are plenty of different options. There is also an Airalo app that you can download to manage you plan.
- Cheaping out on accommodations doesn’t always save you money. This is so, so, so important! If you don’t want to run into a situation like we did in Milan, then I would suggest taking the time to read through the reviews for different accommodation options. If booking a hostel, read the reviews on Hostel World and Google. This is also the best way to ensure that you get the most for your money in terms of services. Different hostels have different services available to visitors such as continentals breakfasts, luggage storage, communal kitchen spaces, city tours, social events, the list goes on.
- Take advantage of the amenities offered by your accommodations. Luggage storage, free breakfast, city tours and guides, and social events can all be game changers when travelling. We stayed at some hostels with excellent amenities that helped us make the most of the cities we were in. The QUO Milano stands out to me because of its excellent city guides!
- Pack as light as you can. Trust me on this one, you will thank yourself later! I know the urge to pack all your best outfits when preparing for a long stint in Europe is strong, but I’m here to tell you it is completely unnecessary. I managed just fine for three weeks with a 36 litre backpack and one smaller backpack for my personal items like my camera, shower shoes, and a book. I’m pretty impressed with how lightly I was able to pack, but reflecting back I definitely could have eliminated a few items that didn’t get worn or that I could have made do without.
- Packing cubes are a life saver. This goes hand in hand with my point above. I purchased my first set of packing cubes for this trip and now I will never travel without them. Using packing cubes to organize your clothing and other belongs keeps everything so much more organized, especially when you’re living out of a backpack. I purchased three of the medium packing cubes from MEC and was able to get away with those.
This definitely isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are my top tips and suggestions to consider when planning a trip.
Other Adventures
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my other travel posts! Here are some of my most recent adventures abroad:
Nine Days in Italy: An Itinerary
Touring the Best of the French Riviera in Three Days
Barcelona on a Budget: A Three Day Itinerary
And so ends my European adventure! I hope that you have enjoyed following along and that this post might inspire some of your future adventures! As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated, so feel free to leave a comment!
xx
Ashley