Munich is the capital of Bavaria. There is so much to see and do, but if you only have 24 hours in Munich you can still make the most of it. We arrived late afternoon. Since we were only staying one night, we chose to stay in a Novotel hotel that was within walking distance of the Augustiner Keller Biergarten and the train to downtown Munich. What a great way to end the day touring Salzburg in the morning and zooming down the autobahn into this fine city. This is one of the oldest Biergartens in Munich. Shaded by 100 year old Chestnut Trees there are over 5,000 seats spread out around food stalls. There is also a dine-in restaurant on site.
Gina and I quenched our thirst with large steins of beer while the boys devoured huge soft pretzels. After recharging a bit the boys headed over to one of the coolest playgrounds that we’ve ever seen. The structure was built in the shape of a keg and the slide was the tap spout out of the keg. Talk about starting them early on one of the more important pastimes in life! We loved the fact that the Biergarten welcomed the whole family and provided activities for the kids. As a result we probably stayed longer than what we had originally planned, but when in Germany behave as Germans do!
We saw everything from families who had brought picnics, young people gathering after work, to older couples dressed in traditional German garb. It was a lively crowd, excellent beer and really good food. Plus an amazing playground for the children to enjoy. Make sure to add the Augustiner Keller Biergarten to your Munich itinerary!
The next morning, we headed over to the S-Bahn to go and see the Glockenspeil at the Marienplatz. When we climbed the stairs out of the subway we were greeted with a huge celebration because it was Munich’s 860th birthday. Townspeople were fully dressed in Liederhosen and dirndls and we were not! They were setting off fireworks, playing German music and dancing throughout the plaza. Not ones to miss a party, our family jumped right into the celebration and because the Germans are family oriented there were plenty of free kid activities to do.
Since Munich was celebrating its history there were booths set up where the kids could participate in historical activities like preparing vegetables to cook over an open flame, carving rocks, making wooden toys and using feather pens to practice calligraphy. It was odd for us, as Americans, to see children as young as preschool using sharp adult tools without supervision. We asked one of the adults working and she said that they are accustomed to using these tools in school, so it’s very common for them.
The boys moved eagerly from station to station. All of the adults spoke English, and many of the children their age too, so they had no problem talking with anyone and they had a chance to practice their limited German. We quickly altered our plans so that we could stay as long as possible. We still have the wooden cat and elephant that our boys carved out from wood as well as the “star destroyers” they carved from stone. We had no idea how much fun this quick trip to see the Glockenspiel would turn out to be, but the memories made that day will last forever.
There is so much to see in Munich between the Biergartens and Marienplatz. With more time we would’ve checked out the BMW factory, seen the children’s science museum, and spent more time in the biergarten. Alas, we needed to get back on the autobahn and head to our next destination.
If you have just 24 hours to visit Munich, there’s still plenty to do. And if you want to experience an awesome family fun day visit Munich on June 14! Hopefully you’ll enjoy the celebration as much as we did.
European countries are slowly reopening for tourism. We recommend considering these 6 things before booking your trip to be sure you can fully experience your time in Europe!
Have questions about what to do in the Bavarian region of Germany? Ask it in the comments or e-mail us for more information on how you can plan an amazing trip to Bavaria.
