Markus Gärtner & Nele Köstler

  • early birds
  • beat lovers
  • energizing couple

Markus and Nele love to fill their days in Munich with as much activity as possible. Their feet never stand still!

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Our 24 Hours in Munich

We get up, sip some coffee on the balcony and then go for a quick run through one of Munich’s many parks. The northern part of the English Garden, has become a recent favourite of ours and feels like a secret spot. Only five minutes away from Münchner Freiheit and you’re in the middle of nowhere! It’s also a lot less crowded than the southern part.

After a shower, we head out for some breakfast – either a traditional Bavarian Weißwurst breakfast at Wassermann or pancakes at Soda or Tresznjewski. Another classic breakfast place is Cafe Reitschule.

Then we have to check out at least one of the many museums for which Munich is renowned, like the Haus der Kunst or Hypo Kunsthalle. They always have exhibitions worth seeing.

For a quick coffee break or a piece of pie in between the museums stops, our favourite cafés are the Backerl (because there is always sun in the morning and everything is homemade), tiny Necado in Schwabing (that serves undoubtedly the best coffee in town), and Café Clara at Isabella Straße (the best place for homemade cakes and pies).

Since the city centre is not far, we might go for a little shopping stroll down Theatinerstraße into Maximilianstraße. One of our favourite shops is Leidmann for extravagant eyewear and a very inspiring store concept too. Marion Heinrich is an institution for all Munich fashionistas and is on par with the boutiques of Paris and New York. Next up is Mohrmann where you can always find something special. Last, but not least, you must pick up something for a rainy day at A Kind of Guise Store, something up-and-coming at House of Hrvst, and something lovely for your home at Falkenberg.

After a quick lunch break at or around Viktualienmarkt (the opportunities are endless: Riva Bar, Due Passi, Poseidon, Bar Centrale), our shopping trip gets a bit more indie in the Glockenbach district. But first, there are a few extraordinary lunch (or dinner) spots that deserve a mention here. For typical Bavarian dishes we’ve got the Kaisergarten, a beautiful beer garden for sunny days; the KVR for some good steak with a traditional Bavarian atmosphere; and the Osterwaldgarten, right next to the English Garden. Seeking an Italian flavour? Enjoy a delicious pizza in a casual atmosphere at Passaparola or classic Italian food at Seerose. Lovers of Asian food are in good hands at Ahn Thu, Munich’s finest Vietnamese cuisine.

Tired from walking, we might grab a quick cappuccino and some amazing cake at Götterspeise or dip our sore feet into the Isar river with a cold beverage in hand from the famous 24hr Kiosk on Reichenbachbrücke. Well-rested and refreshed we’d start walking back towards Odeonsplatz. It takes a while because we always meet friends on the way and stop for a chat, especially at Gärtnerplatz, which seems to be the number one hangout for anyone in Munich under the age of 30. When we finally get close to Odeonsplatz, we buy some freshly baked bread at Manufactum for the next morning, followed by a refreshing Munich Mule at Schumann’s Bar (they have amazing homemade ginger beer).

After some very entertaining people watching, we move just a couple of metres to KOI to make a dinner reservation with friends. Full and happy from the amazing Japanese fusion food, we’re finally ready to go home. We’re already looking forward to the next amazing day in our small but beautiful and diverse city, known as ‘Monaco di Bavaria’ (the Monaco of Bavaria). Plans might take us hiking in the mountains or to one of the many lakes right outside the city gates. There are so many choices and so many opportunities for adventure!

Locations



English GardenEnglischer Garten, München, Deutschland

Go north!
Schwabinger WassermannHerzogstraße 82, München, Deutschland

Have the breakfast "Schütze".
Café SodaTürkenstraße 51, München, Deutschland

A great place to sit outdoors when it's sunny and the street is full of life.
TresznjewskiTheresienstraße 72, München, Deutschland

Delicious pancakes in a lively corner of the city.
Café ReitschuleKöniginstraße 34, München, Deutschland

A Munich classic.
Haus der KunstPrinzregentenstraße 1, München, Deutschland

Contemporary art in an impressive building.
Kunsthalle MünchenTheatinerstraße 8, München, Deutschland

Beautiful exhibitions.
BackerlElisabethpl. 1A, München, Deutschland

Quiche, pie, and wine - what else do you need?
NecadoIsabellastraße 48, München, Deutschland

Tiny place with the best coffee.
Café ClaraIsabellastraße 8, München, Deutschland

Homemade sweet dreams.
LeidmannMaximilianstraße 11, München, Deutschland

Cool concept store selling even cooler glasses.
Marion HeinrichResidenzstraße 18, München, Deutschland

High-end fashion.
MohrmannMaffeistraße 6, München, Deutschland

Bright and beautiful store inside the contemporary shopping mall Fünf Höfe.
A Kind Of Guise StoreAdalbertstraße 41B, München, Deutschland

Munich-based brand.
House of HrvstZieblandstraße 5, München, Deutschland

Cool street-style clothes.
FalkenbergFranz-Joseph-Straße 21, München, Deutschland

Pimp your home at this gorgeous home store!
ViktualienmarktViktualienmarkt, München, Deutschland

It's all about food at and around the Viktualienmarkt.
Riva BarTal 44, München, Deutschland

Tasty Italian cuisine.
Due PassiLedererstraße 11, München, Deutschland

Cute little bistro.
PoseidonWestenriederstraße 13, München, Deutschland

The freshest and best fish.
Bar CentraleLedererstraße 23, München, Deutschland

Laid-back atmosphere. Nice for cocktail hour.
KaisergartenKaiserstraße 34, München, Deutschland

Yummy "Kaiserschmarrn" in a beautiful beer garden.
KvRViktoriastraße 23, München, Deutschland

Choose you own piece of meat at the butcher and tell him exactly how you want it.
OsterwaldgartenKeferstraße 12, München, Deutschland

Cozy beer garden next to the park.
PassaparolaKaiserstraße 47, München, Deutschland

It's pizza time!
SeeroseFeilitzschstraße 32, München, Deutschland

Italian food with a twist.
Anh ThuKurfürstenstraße 31, München, Deutschland

High-end Vietnamese restaurant.
GötterspeiseJahnstraße 30, München, Deutschland

Heavenly cakes, cappuccino, and chocolate.
Kiosk ReichenbachbrückeFraunhoferstraße 46, München, Deutschland

A Munich institution - the kiosk has everything you need for a little time out at the Isar.
GärtnerplatzGärtnerplatz, München, Deutschland

The place to be on warm summer nights.
ManufactumDienerstraße 12, München, Deutschland

The most interesting store for everything!
Schumann'sOdeonspl. 6-7, München, Deutschland

A famous bar serving the best drinks.
KOIWittelsbacherpl. 1, München, Deutschland

Japanese fusion food.
‘You'll always have something to look forward to the next day in this small but beautiful and diverse city.’
  • Gingerbread hearts make the girls happy!
  • Bar Centrale near Viktualienmarkt.
  • Try the delicious bread at the Manufactum bakery.
  • Munich is so relaxing, it makes us feel perfectly satisfied.
  • Shop the freshest and best groceries at Viktualienmarkt.
  • After a long day exploring the city, make sure get a good night's sleep in crisp linens.
  • "Haus der Kunst" - one of the best museums in town.
  • Fresh flowers at home always brighten your mood.
  • Live, laugh, love.
  • We love to add a special note to our interiors.
  • Creating communicative spaces is important to us.
  • Sometimes life deserves a little celebration by opening a superb bottle of wine.
  • Markus strolling through a photography exhibition.
  • Keep memories - take as many pictures as you can!
  • My little obsession: Vogue magazines from every country I've been to.

Our thoughts about Munich

What do you love about your destination?

It’s the perfect size – it offers all the opportunities of a big city, while still providing its citizens with the comfort and familiarity of a small town. Also it has so many leisure opportunities in and out of the city, and great infrastructure while still remaining very green.

Which music fits best to your destination?

We can’t breathe without minimal electronic music, and Alt-J is a Sunday favourite. Plus, no Sunday evening is complete without the FM4 radio show ’imSumpf’. We also listen to hip hop as soon we leave home.

Sunshine in Munich means the day can only turn out perfectly!
We love to have friends over, so we need a big kitchen table.
A mix of materials.
Coffee out of a golden plunger tastes even better. Wouldn't you agree?
A little colour here and there makes your home even more comfy.
The creative corner.

Take a vacation into Our life

What is the best moment of the day?

The mornings - the moments when you wake up and have the whole day ahead of you. You're surrounded by silence, the city is still asleep, only the birds praise the first rays of sunshine. It's the moment when you're still planning your day; make the most of this special time while everyone else is still asleep. Go for a quick morning run or hit the weights while watching the sun rise. It's a wonderful feeling!

What inspires you?

These moments in the morning hours are the most inspiring moments of the day. Being outside in the nature, the mountains, the English Garden or at the Isar. It recharges your batteries and reminds you that there is more to life than your little problems. We're also inspired by stoic and unchangeable things, things that present themselves in the same way over and over again. For us it is the old Isarwehr - our place of inspiration.

How would a good friend describe you?

A good friend would describe us as an energetic and committed couple.

Your lifestyle in 5 words?

Sun, Nature, Peaks, Love and Big Beats.

Which books, newspapers or magazines do you read?

We love to read Brand Eins on the weekend along with the local newspapers. Vogue is a must have for me (Nele). I started to collect one from every country I've been to. Markus loves Vice. Edge.org and nfl.com are our online readings.

Which films blow your mind?

Drive - a modern classic.
Biutiful - Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Any Given Sunday.
Snatch - a must see.
TV Shows: Suits - as good as it gets, Friday Night Lights, Monaco Franze, Der ganz normale Wahnsinn, Shotty.

What are your favourite destinations around the globe?

Copenhagen, Chicago, Munich, London. We just kicked Paris of the list. Istanbul when the weather is fine. Some parts of L.A. And Rome will be on the list as soon as we visit together.

Travelling is…

the world to us! Figuratively and literally!

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