Seven Hours in Munich
Yeah. I know what you are thinking. Only seven hours in one of the biggest beer capitals in the world? Why not longer? Well… let me explain.
This was the start of a two week trip in Europe and I decided very early on in the planning stages to see if there was any way to hit more cities when I traveled. An easy way to do this? Check to see if there are any flights to Europe that have long layovers in interesting places that fit my dates. Fortunately enough for me… Munich popped up and I couldn’t have been happier. The last time I had been there was back in 2016 for Oktoberfest and I had an absolute blast when I was there.
The only slight hitch in my plan was the amount of time that I was being given in the city… seven hours. It's barely enough to really get down to the city and hit some spots. It’s doable but not the optimum. Anyways… I did the math and it worked out that I could spend around three and a half hours in the city which would give me enough time for the metro from the airport to the city center and back. Which was around forty minutes each way. The last time I had arrived in Munich was by train from Florence and I did NOT realize that the airport was so far away!
So I landed after twelve o’clock and getting through customs and entering the EU was… surprisingly easy. I had already gotten every single piece of paperwork that I would need loaded up on my phone… so I was ready. There were some issues with buying a metro ticket which… there ALWAYS are issues with buying a metro ticket in Europe. I mean… can Europe upgrade their metro ticketing machines to somewhat of a modern convention? They are all stuck in the mid to early 2000s. And DON’T even get me started on them requiring pin numbers for Credit Cards… ! All I know is that in the United States that is not a thing… and I’m always a little blind-sinded when I run into it. You are now forewarned.
ANYWHOO. I get down to the city center and head directly to the original biergarten from the 16th century, Hofbräuhaus München. I know it is extremely touristy but I am a BIG fan of history and this place has it in spades. I head past the Rathaus-Glockenspiel as I get off the metro and head directly towards the biergarten. It is BLOODY cold there… high 30s(Fahrenheit) but I am not deterred even as I drag my suitcase behind me.
I arrive and after showing my various proofs of COVID vaccination… I stroll in and sit at one of the tables in the hall and immediately order myself a stein of their Dunkel. The thing about this place is that it ALWAYS has a band playing some classic Bavarian tunes. For that reason alone… I love it. This is also one of my first forays for the trip in the language barrier category but ordering a bier in German is easier than you would think. “Ein bier bitte.” There’s a tad bit more to it when it comes to styles… but you get the gist. If you want to get fancier… I would HIGHLY recommend Google Translate on your phone to help out. That app these days has saved my life more times than I can remember.
Thankfully I was able to sleep on the plane a good bit and I am READY to maximize my time here in Munich. I was planning on just drinking one stein and then heading to the next place… but since the Hofbräuhaus is a tourist spot… they have a €20 minimum for credit cards… and a stein of bier is €10. Guess who has to have another full stein of bier? This guy! I am a little peeved because I know this is just because this place is geared towards tourists but I quickly make good work of my second stein and head back out into the cold cloudy day.
Besides Hofbräuhaus… there is another favorite brewery that I have in Munich and it is Augustiner-Keller. This place is fairly close to the grounds where Oktoberfest is hosted but besides that… this place is impressive. The largest outdoor biergarten space that I have ever seen in my life and the interior is just exactly what you want when going to a German brewery. They even have a ‘secret’ underground bar/restaurant space that used to hold beer waaay back in the day. This is the next stop on my very short stop in Munich. The only thing is… it is just a thirty minute walk across the city from where I am. In colder weather than I was expecting and I may or may not have not had the correct winter clothes on. It was fine. I promise.
This video may not be the best but you can certainly get the ambience and feel for a tiny bit of that walk to Augustiner-Keller. I did make one quick stop at another brewery, Ayinger, for a quick half pint just because I do like them as well but sadly… it was not the best place but it was fine for what it was. I eventually make it to the brewery and man has it changed in the best ways possible! It is a completely different beast from the summer days of Oktoberfest and is fully decorated for the winter season. Fire pits! Winterized outdoor bars! Curling lanes! I never knew that they transformed the outdoor spaces for different times of year but now that I think about it… this could be an effect of COVID as well. We all know that being outside is one of the best ways to allow a large group of people to hang out together. Either way… just take a look at this.
I head inside to grab an early dinner and proceed to get one of the best Schnitzels that I have ever had in my life. Unbelievably good and I had some really fun people serving me while I was there. I was telling them about my two week trip in Europe that I was on and they proceeded to warn me of the pickpockets in Spain. Which I know about but I appreciate the kind warning. German people are quite lovely. After I finished up dinner I headed outside with a drink in my hand and went exploring! First thing I did was some of that curling I had seen earlier. They had real ice and everything set up! I threw one down the lane and called it a game. After a while… time was running short and I had to bid this great place a ‘Lebewohl’ with some sadness but I know I will be back again. Some day. Maybe someday soon? Who knows?!
