Munich 3-day itinerary

Start at Marienplatz. The Glockenspiel on the New Town Hall chimes at 11am (mechanical knights, coopers' dance). Walk through the old town to the Viktualienmarkt, Munich's beloved daily market with 140 stalls selling Bavarian specialities. Traditional breakfast: Weisswurst (white sausage, €4–5) with sweet mustard, a pretzel, and a Weissbier. It is served only before noon, a sacred Bavarian tradition.

The Munich Residenz (€9, combined with Treasury €17) was the Wittelsbach palace for 500 years: 130 opulent rooms, the Antiquarium hall covered in frescoes, and the Treasury with crown jewels. Allow 2 hours. Walk to the bright yellow Theatinerkirche (free), a Baroque masterpiece. Lunch at Schmalznudel (Café Frischhut) near Viktualienmarkt: legendary Schmalznudel doughnuts (€2) since 1973.

Munich without a beer hall is incomplete. Augustiner Bräustuben (Landsberger Str.) is the local favourite: authentic, less touristy than Hofbräuhaus, and serving Munich's most loved Augustiner Helles from wooden barrels. A Maß (litre, €10–11), Schweinshaxe (€16), and the buzz of Bavarian conviviality. Alternatively, Hofbräuhaus (since 1589) for the full oompah tourist experience.

The English Garden is one of the world's largest urban parks, bigger than Central Park. Start at the Eisbach wave where surfers ride a standing river wave year-round (near Haus der Kunst). Walk or cycle north through the park to the Chinese Tower beer garden (Chinesischer Turm, 6,000 seats). Rent a bike (€15/day from Spurwechsel) or walk the pastoral meadows and streams.

Munich's three Pinakotheken are world-class. The Alte Pinakothek (€7, €1 on Sundays) has Dürer, Rubens, and Raphael. The Neue Pinakothek covers 19th-century art (Monet, Van Gogh, Klimt). The Pinakothek der Moderne (€10, €1 Sundays) has modern art, design, and architecture. Choose one or two. All three in a day is overwhelming. Lunch at the museum cafes.

Schwabing is Munich's bohemian, university neighbourhood. Leopoldstraße is the main boulevard with cafes and cinemas. Walk the side streets for independent restaurants and bars. Dinner at Ruff's Burger (Munich's best burgers, €10–14) or Alter Simpl (historic pub, mains €12–18, where Thomas Mann used to drink). Walk to Münchner Freiheit for beer garden terraces.

Tram 17 to Nymphenburg Palace (€8 palace, €15 combined with park palaces), the Wittelsbach summer residence. The Great Hall is a Rococo masterpiece, and King Ludwig I's Gallery of Beauties (portraits of 36 women he found beautiful) is fascinating. The 200-hectare park has lakes, canals, hidden pavilions, and the Amalienburg hunting lodge, one of Europe's most exquisite Rococo interiors.

Walk or metro to Olympiapark, built for the 1972 Olympics with iconic tent-roof architecture. The Olympic Tower (€13) has a viewing platform at 190m with Alpine views. BMW Welt next door is free, a futuristic showroom with concept cars and driving simulators. The BMW Museum (€10) traces automotive history. Lunch at the Olympiapark restaurants or nearby Schwabinger 7.

A proper Munich farewell is in a beer garden. Hirschgarten is the world's largest (8,000 seats, Augustiner Maß €10), where you can bring your own food (beer garden tradition). Alternatively, Augustiner Keller (Arnulfstraße) has ancient chestnut trees and a loyal local crowd. The Seehaus in the English Garden sits on a lake with sunset views. A Maß, a pretzel, and a Bavarian goodbye.