Top 10 Things to Do in Munich on a Backpacker’s Budget

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Home to amazing architecture and varying art forms, Munich is also THE place to stuff your face with budget friendly sausages and beer. Between the Beer Gardens, historic museums and plazas, there is lots to do and see in Munich. OTP has kept its focus through the mounds of Bavarian breasts, lederhosen (German, leather panty-hosen?) and meaty treats to bring you our Top 10 Things to Do in Munich on a Backpacker’s Budget.

Museum of Modern Art

If you like your travel with a side of artistic flair, you must see the Haus der Kunst, Munich’s Museum of Modern Art. This is an informative and colorful museum where you can gaze at the work of some brilliant famous painters. No boring relics here — this museum is home to works by Matisse, Dali, Picasso and Warhol. The building itself is interesting in that it’s one of the last remaining Hitler-era constructions.

City Slacking

The River Isar runs throughout Munich, and is a good place to hang out when you’re ready to be one with German nature. If you happen to snag a kayak, head south to the Scharftlarn monastery, or north to the Freising monastery. Other popular water activities include fishing, rafting, or just soaking up rays along the bank. If being lazy gets lame, jump on a wave (in the middle of the river) with other Eisbach surfers for a kick of something more intense.

Famous Cathedral

Although Frauenkirche may sounds like you’re doing your kindergarten teacher, it’s actually the name of one of Munich’s landmark cathedrals, the Cathedral of Our Dear Lady, completed in 1494. Between the two towering domes of the cathedral (representing the prosperity and stability of Bavaria since the Middle Ages) you’ll find a good amount of spookiness. For starters, the basement is filled with crypts, containing remains of Bavarian royals. But the grimmest haunt, known as Teufelsschnitt , is the footprint of the devil himself left at the entrance when he surveyed the windowless cathedral for the first time.

Olympic Stadium

Built in 1972 for the Summer Olympics,  Olympia Park is sadly best-remembered for a tragic terrorist act and not for its incredible architecture. Now that the air has cleared, the stadium (which seats 78,000 people) frequently plays host to major international sporting and entertainment events. Check out  its unique architectural wonders like the tent roof that creates an illusion of a spider web when in use. Keep your fingers crossed for Munich to win the bid for the 2018 Olympic Games during which this great stadium would get some necessary renovations.

Street Food

Germany is shameless carnivore heaven (a candy store for the carni-curious). Munich is a city where food is taken seriously, with meat being the vital component. The famous white sausages (weiβwürste) will sweep you off your feet. Who needs a side dish when you can wash your meat down with a thick brew? The simplicity of ingredients in this authentic German meal means you don’t need to visit a fancy restaurant to get your eat on; the local Viktualienmarkt (food market) is a delicious buffet of affordable culinary face-pleasers.

Beer Gardens

While it would be nice to go beer-picking in a garden full of beer trees, we all know that beer doesn’t grow on trees. To soothe your disappointment in Mother Nature, beer gardens serve up steins that run about 9€ each. These gardens are also parks where you can hang out, listen to live music, make friends and, of course, indulge in some Bavarian bubbly. If you want to get your beer on with a huge crowd, visit Munich during Oktoberfest (a 14-day drinking extravaganza at the end of September). With over 100 beer gardens in Munich alone, you and your stein will never miss each other much. Save the best for last and make it to  Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, the mother of all beer gardens.

Cinema

To see the magic behind Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Sound of Music or The Neverending Story, visit their birthplaces at the Bavaria Filmstadt (Film City) — one of Europe’s most prolific and influential film production studios — for about 25€ ($34). It’s a small price to pay for a seat on Falkor (the wise dog of an unidentified flying breed) from The Neverending Story.

Plazas

Photo By: Dion Hinchcliffe

Hanging out in plazas is cheap, damn it, it’s free! In Munich, the hot spot plazas are filled with buskers, holiday markets, historic singing clock towers and window shopping paradises. A few plazas worth a long, hard visit: The Marienplatz Plaza puts you at a great vantage point of the Glockenspiel. Built in 1908, this massive cuckoo clock’s 43 bells chime and animated statues pop out to re-enact historical Bavarian stories several times a day. If you feel like getting swanky with your plaza hanging (still free), check out the Maxvorstadt, a ritzy square close to the city center and the heart of Munich’s art scene. The Staatliche Antikensammlungen Museum (say that three times fast and we’ll mail you a cookie) is a short walk away and houses the state’s antique art collection which includes ancient Greek, Etruscan and Roman relics.

BMW Enthusiasts

Car nerds can unite at the BMW Headquarters and Museum to discuss dorky, car-related topics using terms normal people reserve for their bi-yearly oil changes. Shaped like a 4 cylinder engine, the building itself is quite a spectacle. For 12 Euro ($16USD), you can explore 7 exhibition houses filled with concept cars, roadsters and other car creations of the classy Bavarian variety. Their temporary exhibit (going until June 2011), showcases the use of cars as canvases to create “rolling artworks”. Go poke around in the engines until your little car-loving heart pops.

Cold Weather Option

It can get cold in Munich. Warm your innards with golden goodness at a beer hall — a hearty, meaty, and satisfying lodge where homestyle food abounds. Try the liver meatball soup, because even if its not your thing, it’s a cultural experience. When you’re ready to gobble like a German, indulge in the traditional pig roast. We guarantee you won’t be sorry. Beer halls offer more than just meat perks: Men there are usually dressed in traditional Bavarian attire singing loudly and swinging giant steins. Warning: it will make you jolly as f*ck.

Whatever your flavor, Munich can accommodate (especially if your flavor happens to be sausage-related). Now that you’ve got some concrete plans (you’re welcome), feel free to throw on those lederhosen and go pursuing for Bavarian hotties along your route.

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