Munich, beer and Bavarian culture

Germany has always interested me because of its history and beer (more so the beer). I've only ever been to Berlin, which I believe shows a completely different Germany to the rest of the country. I wanted to see the old beer halls, the gothic architecture, lederhosens and eat knodel – Munich promised to tick all of these boxes.

As the Bavarian capital, Munich is steeped in tradition and history. However, during World War Two it was heavily bombed with most of its buildings turned to ruble or were severely damaged. To this day, the buildings you see around the city have a fake layer over the top of them to give the illusion of what the buildings used to look like. Walking through the city, you can feel the history in the buildings and the streets, one of the reasons I love to travel.

Marienplatz

Drinking all the beer

Beer is a big part of German culture and a big part of my life. My partner and I are obsessed with Weihenstephaner hefe weissbier – the oldest brewery in the world and lucky for me it's located right near my friend's house in Freising.

Enjoying a hefe weissbier

The Brewery is weirdly sandwiched between some university buildings in what feels like the middle of nowhere, but actually it's not far from where they harvest the hops (yes I did pick a hop and eat it). But to be honest, I didn't care, I just wanted that crisp, cloudy hefe weissbier from the source of the beer river. I even went to the gift shop and bought a t-shirt, that's how much we love it. From then on, the beer kept flowing - I was falling in love with Bavaria.

Bavaria in itself is like its own country, it has its own laws – even a law on its beer! It's like stepping back in time, with its old traditions, farming culture, types of clothes and its converted barn houses. You can just imagine back in the day the horse and carts going through town, the beer halls full of people singing songs and cheering steins. The other thing I noticed was how accessible beer was, I know that sounds odd, I mean in shops, tiny cafes - you will see Helles lager lined up next to water bottles or alongside the supermarket checkouts, I loved it.

I was so eager to get inside a proper beer hall because I saw it as the epicentre of German culture. Much like we have pubs in England, where people from all walks of life get together. They are like a churches to people. I wish in England though we had a drinking culture that's a bit more merry and not all about getting drunk. I've noticed in Europe they enjoy a drink but don't go as far and they'll enjoy food with a drink or play games. 

I went to the Hofbrahaus Munchen beer hall in the centre of Munich that has three-floors and dates back to the 16th century. When I got close I heard trumpets playing, people singing – I was stoked. Entering the massive hall it was like some kind of religious building with massive ceilings laced with gold and old paintings on the ceiling, very dramatic. There were rows upon rows of tables and benches full of people with beers the size of their heads. There was a Barvain band playing that rallied up the drinkers to jump up, dance and loop arms – it was like covid didn't exist in here. I had turely arrived in Munich.

Lucky for me, it was Oktoberfest whilst I was there too, but a covid-version. They didn't have the usual events, but they did make the beer stronger and people seemed to be in Oktoberfest spirits, maybe this was linked. You couldn't help but get involved. 

Another amazing beer hall I went to was Paulaner Bräuhaus not far from Goethplatz station. I had a bit of time to kill before my flight back to England so of course I wanted to fit in another stein or two.

But it's not all traditional in Munich, it is also peppered with forward-thinking and on trend restaurants, cafes and shops. 

As I had been eating rich, stodgy Bavarian food for the last few days, I ventured to Wagners – Juicery & Health Food cafe – a health conscious cafe with amazing bowls, smoothies and coffee. For dinner, we went (twice) to an amazing Vietnamese restaurant not far from my hotel called Chi Thu in Pestalozzistrasse. They have plenty of veggie and vegan options, Vietnamese beer and the classic sweet Viet coffee (the iced one is so good). Other cool places I went – Sweet Spot Kaffee and Charlie Green CBD – kind of reminded me of East London cafe vibes.

Also, if you like football, Munich are mad for it. Their team Bayern Munich FC are pretty good and they have a very impression home at the Allianz Arena. It's a really beautiful perfect circle that looks like it's all incased. They also have a few shops where you can buy the shirts and other merch. I ended up buying their away shirt, just because it looked cool.

Running tour

As I had hurled my running trainers with me I was determined to get out for a run around Munich – you can always squeeze in a run I say! It's also a really great way to explore a new place, because you have no idea where you're going and you're not constantly looking at your phone, you're looking up and around you. I got an all day subway ticket for the U and S-Bann and got off at the University, which I knew was near the large English Gardens (78km to be exact). I ran clueless of where I was going around the gardens that were full of lush green trees and a river running through it. Of course, as it was Germany, I also passed a few beer gardens.

Being the history geek that I am, I had to squeeze in a museum, so I went to the Jewish Museum. It told the stories of the many jews that lived in Munich pre-war to present day. The businesses they set up, how they were evicted during the war, then the way the community came together and grew their population again. There’s plenty of other museums too, from urban art to hunting and fishing, a museum for every taste. 

Getting out the city

If you want to get out of the city into the Bavarian countryside, it's pretty easy on the trains. I was lucky as my friends had a car, although the Autobahn was by far the most scariest road I've ever been on (and I've been to South East Asia) as there's no speed limit. 

We visited Garmisch-Partenkirchen right near the Austrian boarder, and where Eddie the Eagle did his thing. It's also home to Germany's largest mountain the Zugspitze and is a popular ski resort. You can get there from central Munich train station in an 1 hour and 40 mins. It's definitely worth a visit as it is absolutely stunning. I was really lucky as there were blue skies so I could see the mountain range clearly. You can also visit the Partnach Gorge that runs 702 metres (2,303 ft) long and, in places, over 80 metres (260 ft) deep. It's about a hour walk through the gorge next to the roaring water, but as it's Germany, you're greeted with a couple of beer gardens along the way.

Partnachklamm