Our 24 Hours in Munich

The perfect 24 hours start in the Haidhausen district. First task of the day: have an espresso at the Ideal Espresso Bar. They serve fantastic organic coffee and great Italian sandwiches and pastries. Afterwards stroll up Weißenburger Strasse and turn right at Pariserplatz to see if the vintage bike shop Steel is real is open. The guy running it is very laid back and always up for an Augustiner Helles beer.

If you’re not into beer in the morning and the sun is already shining, stop in at the old school Italian icemaker Il Gelato Italiano on Weißenburger Strasse, they have great “spaghetti ice cream“ and it’s a good spot for your second espresso of the day.

Stroll through Haidhausen towards Wiener Platz. Down Sedanstrasse and over on Wörthstrasse you will find Iunu, a delicious vegetarian restaurant. The lovely and cheerful owner Asha runs it with passion and joy.

Wiener Platz is another spot you should check out, right next to Max Weber Platz. It’s a small marketplace with permanent stalls. If you are already up for lunch sit down at Fisch Häusl, they have a great selection of fish and always a very tasty soup on the menu. Right off the Wiener Platz on Kirchenstrasse there is a little bookshop, called the Buchpalast. The shop is run by two gentle ladies who are obsessed with books. For parents it’s one of the spots because they have an awesome selection of books for young readers from 6 – 16 years. The shop was recently recognized for their youth engagement and their book club for young readers is a valuable contribution to education.

After doing some book shopping, stop by the wonderful flower shop run by Silke von Otto, called Blumen die leben, to buy some lovely flowers. They always have the perfect blooms for your current mood. Before finishing up with shopping, pass by the beautiful kitchenware store Kochgut. You can find very nice tools for your kitchen here!

In the late afternoon head to the Glockenbach neighbourhood. Put on headphones with some great music by the Munich-based band Pollyester and hop on the tram at Wiener Platz going toward Romanstrasse. If you’re still hungry for literature, get off at Isartor and walk across the street to one of the most beautiful book stores in Germany: Literatur Moths. A little ways down Rumfordstraße you can enter the great store of soda books for inspiring reads about photography, design, typography, children’s books, or cookbooks. Or continue to Wortwahl – Salon für Buchkultur (a parlor for books) on Reichenbachstraße.

For lunch on weekdays, cross the street and head to Viktualienmarkt – one of Munich’s landmarks. Look out for Sababa, there you will find great oriental fast food like falafel and more. Be aware: the line of people might be long but it’s definitely worthwhile. To cap off lunch in a civilized manner cross the marketplace again and have an espresso and handmade Florentiner cookie at Kaffee Rösterei Viktualienmarkt.

If you’d prefer some fresh and homemade pasta head to the great Italian bistro Due Passi. The venue is a former cheese shop from the turn of the century with hand-painted tiles and two very sweet ladies running it. This place is only open during lunchtime and on Saturdays. It is a must!

For one more option for lunch you can also make your way to Würstlkönig close to Goetheplatz. It’s only open on weekdays and during the daytime, double check the hours online at www.bosnawurst.de. Delicious fast food!

Now that we’ve taken care of food, keep walking towards the pedestrian precinct of Residenz- and Theatinerstrasse. Need some sunglasses? Pay a visit to Freudenhaus (the ancient German word for “whorehouse”); they have several branches throughout the city and all of them are individually designed. Their collection of frames is outstanding – look out for their own brand as well!

Another beautiful experience is the fashion/concept store Schwittenberg. Besides inspiration and fashion you’ll find great products from the Stählemühle distillery here. A bottle of Sicilian blood orange will spark memories of Italian summers. Christoph Keller, the master distiller of Stählemühle, is also one of the inventors of the very tasty gin Monkey 47.

After the little shopping tour, it’s time for a cultural field trip. Four must sees:

First is the Alte Pinakothek with great old master paintings including the famous Jesus look-a-like self portrait of Albrecht Dürer. On Sundays admission is only 1 euro. Second is the Neue Pinakothek, which is not too appealing from the outside but the galleries and the works of art are just awesome! Right next to the old and new Pinakothek you’ll find Munich’s finest ice cream at Ballabeni. Do not get scared by the long queue of people, it’s worth every minute of your wait. The third stop on our cultural tour is the Lenbachhaus museum. It houses a beautiful collection of expressionist paintings and the marvelous sculptures of Erwin Wurm. Last but not least the Kunstparterre in the Nymphenburg area is a private home which opens upon request for curated art exhibitions – it is a wonderful place to see. Before you go, check their website and contact them for a tour: www.kunstparterre.de.

In the late afternoon it’s time for some tea and sweets. Head back to the city centre and go to the Stereo Café (first floor of the fashion store) on Residenzstrasse. If this place is too packed go to the The Victorian House, Sconery & Tea to go, located at the entrance of the stylish shopping mall Fünf Höfe.

When it’s finally time to taste some wine for dinner at home or to bring along for an invitation to a friend’s house, the perfect address in the city for Italian wine and food is Garibaldi. We recommend the red Barbera d’Alba and the amphora red Teroldego of Elisabetta Foradori.

Another spot for wine lovers (but located a bit outside of town) are the best wine dealers in Munich. You tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll give you a recommendation. And their choices are always on point! Try it for yourself at Walter & Sohn. You won’t be disappointed.

For dinner, a new outstanding spot is Max Trenta, a small restaurant in a backyard on Maximilianstrasse. This secret gourmet hideaway is run by two warm and hospitable Sardinians, Franco and Pietro. They serve simple but excellent food and wine at reasonable prices.

A few more spots to have a nice dinner (or lunch) are spread all over the city but every single one is worth checking out:

Vietnamese restaurant Cochinchina has a very cool and modern interior and serves fine Asian cuisine. Make sure you order the do-it-yourself rice paper rolls kit, available as vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Helene is a restaurant with Israeli-inspired cuisine. Downstairs is a great discotheque which plays music you can certainly dance to as a thirty-or-forty something (a rare find!). Try new food and dance moves here!

Dalmatiner Grill in the Bogenhausen area is a very down to earth place with great food. It’s been run by a Dalmatian family for decades. Some years ago the second generation took over and luckily kept everything the same, even the decor!

In the northern part of Schwabing the award-winning restaurant Tantris leads you back to the 70’s with its retro interior. The chef Hans Haas and his crew offer a real gourmet experience for guests.

If you’re not staying with friends, a fantastic hotel is the Hotel Olympic in the hip Glockenbach area. The hotel is frequented by a lot of big names in the cultural scene: actors, writers, artists. Every now and then in the rooms and hallways you might encounter an artistic performance – very inspiring and always feels like home thanks to the excellent staff and their cheerful manager Christine Klessinger.