Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

There simply is no way to tour Europe & not be awestruck by its natural beauty, epic history & dazzling artistic & culinary diversity. Once you have ticked off the great Museums, panoramic vistas & energetic nightlife, what's left? A chance to indulge in a culinary adventure to beat all others, that's what!

And prepare for a roller-coaster ride of feasts, treats & temptations in Germany which has always marched to a different drummer - Lederhosen, Oktoberfest, polka dancing, Bavarian pretzels, sauerkraut & drinking beer like no others. Experience Deutschland's soul-stirring scenery, spirit-lifting culture, big-city beauties, romantic Palaces & half-timbered towns. It is Europe at its most exotic.

‘Why visit Munich as a tourist?’. But it is also home to the most impressive skyline in Germany as well as world-renowned Museums & Galleries, historical Cathedrals & stunning views. So, come……experience  Munich with us…

Willkommen to Deutschland. Arrive in Munich, the Capital of Bavaria. with over 20 Museums & various historical monuments scattered around town.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Munich Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel. *Transfer is mentioned for illustration only. Optional. Supplement, if required.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Balance of the day at leisure or perhaps opt for one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Teutonic Treasure Trove   | Gastro Delights   | Bizarre Bavaria

Munich has long been known as the ‘city of art & beer’, so before you head off to the Pub, take some time to savour the local art scene at Kunstareal, the city’s art quarter, with 4 major venues displaying everything from Dutch masters to 1960s design. The city also boasts some world-class Museums focusing on topics as diverse as Oktoberfest, Porcelain & BMW cars. And if that weren't enough, there are still royal Palaces to explore - the legacy of 700 years of rule by a single family, the Wittelsbachs.

The locals have a favourite word - Gemutlichkeit - that untranslatable intermingling of cosiness, well-being & laid-back attitude. In Munich, you will sense it most under the fairy lights of a summer Beer Garden, people-watching in the English Garden & behind the wheel of a BMW heading south. It may be just the local character, but a large share of Gemutlichkeit must come from the fact that the Bavarian Capital is one of the most affluent cities on the planet, it’s economy larger than most small countries, its infrastructure well-tended.

The natural habitat of well-heeled power dressers & Lederhosen-clad thigh-slappers, Mediterranean-style street cafes & Mitteleuropa Beer Halls, highbrow art & high-tech industry, Germany’s unofficial southern Capital, Munich is famous for its beautiful architecture, fine culture & the annual Oktoberfest Beer celebration.

Munich’s various quirks, the things that make the city the place it is, might be what stick in the memory most. Whether it be the inebriated oompah band, that special knife for eating monster radishes, the Bavarians outrageous dialect, the mad hat traditions of the Oktoberfest or the surfers on the Eisbach wave - you are sure to discover some freakish aspect of Munich life every day. And then there is the local garb - nowhere else in central Europe do the locals don their traditional costume - the famous Lederhosen & Dirndl - as readily as the Munchners, so why not join them?

Munich's cultural scene is second to none in Germany, with the Museums even considered by some to outrank Berlin in quality & many travelers to Munich are absolutely stunned by the quality of the architecture. If you are looking for Alpine cliches, they are all here, but the Bavarian Metropolis has many an unexpected card down its Dirndl.

Beer has been part of Munich life for at least 7 centuries & the brewing tradition is very much alive & kicking today. Nowhere else in Europe has a beer tradition quite like the Bavarian Capital with 6 mammoth Breweries pumping out world-class suds to hundreds of Beer Gardens & Beer Halls. The city has several of the largest Breweries in Germany. And the climax to the Munich beer year is, of course, the famous Oktoberfest, attended by over 6 million people. Germany’s ‘purity law’ guarantees there is nothing in your Mass (1L tankard) that shouldn’t be, so if you can lift the thing - ‘Prost!’ (Cheers!)

Munich’s walkable centre retains a small-town air but holds some world-class sights, especially Art Galleries & Museums. Throw in royal Bavarian heritage, an entire suburb of Olympic legacy & a kitbag of dark tourism & it is clear why southern Germany’s Metropolis is such a favourite among those who seek out the past but like to hit the town once they are done

Morning, proceed to the Pick-up Point on your own to board the Hop On, Hop Off Bus tour. With 16 stops around the whole city, the tour gives you the perfect overview of Munich.

Climb aboard to the upper deck of one of the comfortable open-top double decker buses for a panoramic tour through the fantastic city. Just sit back & enjoy the 1 hour drive from the comfort of your bus (with an audio-guide explaining about the places you pass by).  Although the loop takes just about an hour, feel free to disembark & get back on at any of the Stops as your Ticket is valid for the whole day. With buses departing every 20 - 30 minutes all day long, you will have the freedom to experience self-guided sightseeing of Munich on your schedule without worrying about bus availability!

There is plenty to see & do in Germany’s 3^rd biggest city, known for its beautiful Parks, many Museums & beautiful centuries-old Palaces. Bavaria’s Capital is especially known for its annual Oktoberfest celebration & its numerous Beer Halls, including the famed Hofbrauhaus, founded in 1589.

The drive will take you around some of the famous landmarks like Marienplatz Square, Viktualienmarkt, National Theatre, Frauenkirche Church & a lot more.

In the Altstadt (Old Town), central Marienplatz Square in the centre of Munich, contains landmarks such as Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (Town Hall). It was originally called Schrannenplatz (or Grain Market Square) as it was the main market place in the Middle Ages. The 500 year old building has conserved a Medieval look despite several reconstructions over the years. Picturesque Marienplatz has been the city's main Square since Munich was founded by Henry the Lion in 1158. It was the centre of Munich's life, used for Markets & Events.

There is always something going on in this world-famous Square – whether it is the Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market) the city’s Anniversary celebrations, Championship celebrations for FC Bayern or public gatherings for a variety of occasions.

Marienplatz is dominated by Neues (designed by Georg Hauberrisser, who won a competition to design the city’s new Town Hall) & Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) the Neues (new) Rathaus, which covers 9,159 m² (3.5 sq miles) & has over 400 rooms. The façade features grotesque gargoyles, a turret-climbing dragon & the famous elaborate Glockenspiel (cuckoo clock), one of the largest in Europe, in the Tower of the New Town Hall with its 43 bells that chime & a carousel of 32 figures re-enacting stories from the 16^th century & the Schafflertanz (or cooper's dance). at 11.00 am & noon. Between March & October the carillon also takes place at 05.00 pm

At the centre of Marienplatz, there is the 11metre tall Mariensaule (column) of Tegernsee marble, erected by Elector Maximilian I in 1638, on top of which a golden statue of the Virgin Mary, the Patrona Bavariae, watches over the city & state of Bavaria. The Column was meant to symbolise his gratitude for keeping Munich safe & in celebration of the end of the 30 Years Swedish occupation. It is also a central point for Catholics as a total of 3 Popes have visited the Column: Pius VI in 1782, Johannes Paul II in 1980 & Benedict XVI in 2006. It is a popular meeting place, the start of the pedestrian zone & the starting point from which distances from other locations in the city are measured.

A short walk away, stands another architectural icon - the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) biggest Church in the city with its distinctive twin green-domed Towers, considered a symbol of the Bavarian Capital city.          

Built on top of a Romanesque Church that dated back to the 12^th century, the enormous Gothic-style Cathedral was completed in 1488, with the Domes crowning its Towers, in 1525. Badly damaged by airstrikes in World War II, it has been gradually restored with several original stained-glass windows, a collection of 14^th & 18^th century artwork & now serves the seat of Archdiocese of Munich & Freising.

Just around the corner is the colorful, historical farmer’s market – Viktualienmarkt. located in the heart of the historic Altstadt. It is an enormous food market where more than 140 vendors sell all sorts of culinary products from their sprawling stalls, from fresh ingredients to hot snacks like the famous wurst, or sausages, homemade soup, pretzel, fresh falafel to fresh fruit & vegetables, colourful flowers, artisan cheese, meat, fish, spices & much more.

When Marienplatz, the city's former Grain Market, became too small to act as Munich's main marketplace, King Maximilian I ordered it to be moved to a new & bigger location in the Square between Heiliggeist-Kirche & Frauenstrasse. The traditional maypole, a historic way to inform illiterate visitors of the city's trades & crafts, is a popular meeting place, here.

Another iconic landmark synonymous with Munich is the legendary Hofbrauhaus Brewery which features one of the most famous & popular Beer Hall in the world. According to legend, Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria & a member of the Wittelsbach ruling family, found the beer in Munich so bad that he commissioned his own state Brewery & Staatliches Hofbrauhaus was thus born. In 1589, it evolved in the Hofbrauhaus that we know & love today. And, after centuries of producing beer for the Royals, in 1828, the Hofbrauhaus was opened to the public by King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

The Brewery's immense Beer Halls quickly became the centre of public & political life in Munich, counting famous names such as Mozart & Lenin amongst its regular customers. The Brewery's significant role as a meeting place for political figures led to it witnessing a number of important historic events. In 1919 the Munich Communist Government established their headquarters in the Hofbrauhaus & in 1920 the Festsaal saw the first meeting of Hitler & the National Socialist Party.

Having been almost completely destroyed by World War II bombings in 1945, it underwent over a decade of restoration work, finally reopening in 1958. Today, more than 35,000 people visit Hofbrauhaus, making it one of Munich's main tourist attractions, especially during the annual celebration of Oktoberfest. Its fascinating history, elaborate traditional decor & of course - diverse & delicious beers still brewed according to the Bavarian Purity Law make it a must-do experience during your visit.

For automobile aficionados, visiting the BMW Group Plant offers an interactive experience in all areas of automotive production of the brand's vehicles, from design to assembly. The 2 hour ‘guided’ tour of different sections of the factory, shows how different BMW Group vehicles are made throughout their engineering production processes.

Then, there is Schloss Nymphenburg, in the center of the city, the baroque summer Palace of the Bavarian monarchs of the House of Wittelsbach, sprawling over large 200 hectares of elegant Gardens, with long green lawns, water features, a Lake, a Canal & home to a number of Pavilions (or mini Palaces). It used to be outside the city limits but now the Palace is in the northwestern part of the city. Germany’s largest city Palace contains 10 courtyards & offers 130 rooms for display. The Munich Residence served as the seat of government & residence of the Bavarian Dukes, Electors & Kings from 1508 to 1918. “Mad” King Ludwig II (who built the Neuschwanstein Castle, most famous icon of Germany) was born there.

Inside the Palace, the exquisite decoration & furnishings of the era have been well preserved & visitors can admire a Rococo-style Ballroom, the Queen's Bedroom complete with original sleigh bed on which Ludwig II was born & the Schonheitengalerie, home to a collection of portraits of beautiful women admired by Ludwig I. The Palace also has Marstallmuseum (or "Museum in the former Royal Stables"), home to an extensive exhibition of extravagant royal coaches, one of the world's most extensive Collection. Upstairs on the 1^st floor, there is also one of the world's largest Collection of Porcelain.

Return to the hotel whenever you want & relax.

Balance of the day at leisure or perhaps opt for one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Morning, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby & proceed for a 4 hour excursion to visit what is known as the “fairy-tale Castle”, used as the original inspiration for Walt Disney's movies.

In the solitude of the mountains & amidst an idyllic landscape, the eccentric “mad” King Ludwig II built 2 of his fairy-tale Castles: Neuschwanstein & Linderhof.

Neuschwanstein Castle surely the most famous Castle in the world & one of Germany's most popular tourist destinations & rightly the backdrop of many movies about the Royals. And its builder, one of the most misunderstood.

Known worldwide as a symbol of romantic architecture as well as for the curious life story of the man who created it, Neuschwanstein Castle is a spectacular building whose magic is felt by all who visit it, to the extent that it inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty movie.

Construction began in 1869, but, like most of King Ludwig's ambitious building plans, it was never completed. He designed the Palace himself with the vision of a stage more than a home & naturally was aided by a Stage Designer rather than an Architect. The construction lasted 23 years, until long after Ludwig’s death. With some of the structure still not totally complete, Ludwig moved into Neuschwanstein’s finished rooms for the first time in 1884. The King spent only 11 nights in his dream Castle from 27 May to 8 June.

Just as his father had done before him, Ludwig wanted to build a splendid new Castle upon the ruins of another. His new project was known as the Neue Burg Hohenschwangau (New Castle Hohenschwangau). Only later, when the Castle was opened to the public on August 1, 1886, just weeks after Ludwig’s death, did the edifice come to be known as “Neuschwanstein” (“new swan stone”).

The Castle that Christian Jank designed for Ludwig inspires awe & surprise in visitors to this day. The unique location combined with Ludwig’s “fantasy in stone” creates a special magic. But like any work of art, the more one knows about Neuschwanstein, the more one can appreciate it.

Neuschwanstein reflected Ludwig's dreams & ideals to a T. Inspired by the works of Richard Wagner, his friend & the object of his obsessions, the Castle would have had over 200 rooms had it been completed. Among the 15 built according to the King's wishes, 2 highlights are a Tristan & Isolde themed Bedroom complete with a spire-topped bed & a Byzantine-style Throne Room which has no Throne but whose mosaic floor contains more than 2 million stones.

Despite being built in medieval style, the Castle boasted the latest technological innovations of its time, including a central Heating System, hot & cold running water & automatically-flushing Toilets. Its rarely-used Kitchen was of the most advanced design. The winter Garden features a large sliding glass door.

One of the biggest ironies of this Castle is that a structure built to be a private refuge, “sacred & out of reach” (“Heilig und unnahbar”), should now be host to 1,000s of tourists each day. Another irony: although it was built largely as a stage for Wagnerian productions the Composer never set foot in Neuschwanstein. Nor was the Castle’s Throne Room ever completed in time to contain a Throne.

Neuschwanstein, like Ludwig’s other Castles, was financed entirely from the King’s own funds. Today, like his other Palaces, Neuschwanstein earns the state of Bavaria considerable sums of money each year & draws many tourists to southern Germany.

After spending 1 hour here (Entrance Fee not included - to be paid directly), hop in the Bus again & drive to another Castle nearby, where the King actually lived for a significant amount of time.   

A pocket-sized trove of weird treasures, Schloss Linderhof near the Monastery & village of Ettal, was Ludwig II’s smallest but most sumptuous Palace & the only one he lived to see fully completed. (Entrance Fee not included - to be paid directly),

Ludwig already knew the area around Linderhof from his youth when he had accompanied his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria on his hunting trips in the Bavarian Alps. When Ludwig II became King in 1864, he inherited the so-called Konigshauschen (Hunting Lodge) from his father & in 1869 began enlarging the building. In 1874, he decided to tear it down completely & rebuild it on its present-day location in the Park. At the same time 3 new rooms & the staircase were added to the remaining U-shaped complex & the previous wooden exterior was clad with stone façades. The building was designed in the style of the 2^nd rococo-period. Finished in 1878, the Palace hugs a steep hillside in a fantasy landscape of French gardens, fountains & follies. The reclusive King used the Palace as a Retreat & hardly ever received visitors here.

Although Linderhof is much smaller than Versailles, it is evident that the Palace of the French Sun-King Louis XIV (who was an idol for Ludwig) was its inspiration. The staircase, for example, is a reduction of the famous Ambassador's staircase in Versailles. The symbol of the Sun that can be found everywhere in the decoration of the rooms represents the French notion of absolutism that, for Ludwig, was the perfect incorporation of his ideal of a God-given monarchy with total royal power. The Bedroom was important to the ceremonial life of an absolute monarch; Louis XIV of France used to give his first (lever) & last audience (coucher) of the day in his Bedchamber.

Linderhof’s myth-laden, jewel-encrusted rooms are a monument to the King’s excesses that so unsettled the Governors in Munich. In imitation of Versailles, the heavily ornamented & anchored by an enormous 108 candle. 500 kg crystal chandelier, the Bedroom is the largest chamber of Linderhof Palace. An artificial Waterfall, built to cool the room in summer, cascades just outside the window.

Hall of Mirrors was used by the King as a Drawing Room; he enjoyed sitting in the niche, sometimes reading there the whole night. Because Ludwig II used to sleep in the daytime & stay awake in the night, the mirrors created an unimaginable effect for him when they reflected the light of the candles a thousand times. The ingenious placement of some mirrors evoke the illusion of a never ending avenue. The Dining Room reflects the King’s fetish for privacy & inventions. The King ate from a mechanised dining board, whimsically labelled ‘Table, Lay Yourself’, that sank through the floor so that his servants could replenish it without being seen.

Created by the famous royal Gardener Carl von Effner, the Gardens & outbuildings, open April to October, are as fascinating as the Castle itself. The highlight is the oriental-style Moorish Kiosk, where Ludwig, dressed in oriental garb, would preside over nightly entertainment from a Peacock Throne. Underwater light dances on the stalactites at the Venus Grotto, an artificial Cave inspired by a stage set for Wagner’s Tannhauser. Now sadly empty, Ludwig’s fantastic conch-shaped boat is moored by the shore.

Spend 30 minutes here before driving back to Munich.

However, another interesting Stop enroute.

Stop at the village of Oberammergau best known for its once-per-decade production of the Passion Play in the Passion Play Theater.

Oberammergau is a tiny village / town of 5400 in the Bavarian Alps, where most of the buildings have beautifully detailed murals on them, mostly of Biblically significant tableaux. Although it is a Catholic town with a beautiful baroque style Catholic Church, there is also an Evangelical Church.

This quaint village is world famous for the spectacular Passion Play performed on Stage, solely by 2,000 of its residents just once every 10 years, re-enacting the story of the life & death of Jesus Christ through dramatic 5 hour Performances, with choral & musical accompaniment. It is the world’s longest-running play & widely regarded as the most important Passion Play in the world.

The origins of the Play began in 1633, when the residents of Oberammergau vowed that if they were spared from the Bubonic Plague sweeping the region, they would produce a Play in perpetuity, depicting the life & death of Jesus. When the death rate began to subside, the villagers decided they had been spared by God. Consequently, keeping the pledge, the first Play was performed in 1634 & it has run ever since, every 10 years.

This year's show, May - October 2022 is extra special after a 2 years pandemic delay. Next one will be in 1932.

Nearly half a million + people from around the world, descend on Oberammergau to sit before its massive open-air stage & take in the Play. On 5 nights a week for the 6 months that the Play is performed, the town’s population can be nearly doubled: Hotels here & nearby fill to capacity & locals rent out space in their guest rooms to meet the demand.

Security guards in neon vests direct traffic along the main street as pedestrians meander between packed restaurants, souvenir stands & shops filled with handcrafted wood statues & biblical scenes. And, backstage at a pastel-colored theater, hundreds of locals don long, flowing robes & sort through piles of prop swords & wooden staffs as they prepare for the second act of the passionate ‘Passion Play’.

It is truly a community effort as nearly a third of the town’s 5400 residents participate in the Play in some form & seemingly everyone else plays an indirect role in managing the chaos that descends on the town once a decade, from restaurant owners & shopkeepers to Ticket Collectors & Firefighters. The Play has such an outsize impact on the town that in Oberammergau, people measure their lives (& generations before them) not in years but in number of Passion Plays. Participants are not allowed to cut their hair or shave for more than a year before the Play begins.

If there is something that anybody who has been to Oberammergau should have as proof, is a wooden souvenir. Wood carving is an ancient art practised here for generations (there are even a couple of schools in town).

The best place where one can find handmade souvenirs is at Lang seel, the oldest woodcarving company in Oberammergau where toys for King Ludwig II & Sissi has been produced. Exquisite hand carved Nativity Sets make unique Christmas decorations. The most common & cheapest souvenir is a wooden Crucifix.

There are also 2 types of wooden clocks that can be purchased, the first is a Cuckoo Clock (which may vary in size & price) & the second one is a Bavarian Clock, which goes in the opposite sense of conventional clocks with the inscription "In Bayern gehen die Uhren anders" (in Bavaria, the Clocks run differently).

For a small town Oberammergau offers a great variety of places to eat. You may want to enjoy your Lunch (nor included – direct payment) here eating at one of the Imbiss (Bars where food is also served).

After spending an hour strolling around town, hop on the bus & depart.

Reach your hotel by late afternoon.

Balance of the day is at leisure for Optional activities (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Alas, like all good things, your short glimpse of this enchanting city comes to an end & it is time to say au revoir.

Check-out of the hotel by 11:00 am (if the departure time is later in the evening, we will request the hotel to allow the use of the hotel facilities & leave the luggage at the Bell Desk if you have the time to walk out). 

Germany is full of wonderful culture that just wants to be discovered. There is something for everyone in this ancient country’s most diverse selection of towns & cities and its top Museums & other cultural institutions. Munich is the cultural, economic & political Capital of Bavaria. Best known for Oktoberfest, Munich is much more than that.

You will encounter history in towns where streets were laid out long before Columbus set sail & in Castles that loom above prim, half-timbered villages where flower boxes billow with crimson geraniums. The great cities – Berlin, Munich & Hamburg among them - come in more flavours than a jar of jelly beans but will all wow you with a cultural kaleidoscope that spans the arc from Art Museums & high-brow Opera to naughty Cabaret & underground Clubs. And wherever you go, Romanesque, Gothic & Baroque classics rub rafters with architectural creations from modern masters such as Daniel Libeskind, David Chipperfield & Frank Gehry.

With so much culture to explore & cuisine to taste in Munich & beyond, spending 3 days here is bound to be a fantastic glimpse / experience but certainly not enough do justice to the city or the country.

So, you see, you have much more to discover if you come to enchanting Germany ‘again’ & we will of course, look forward to be able to facilitate that.

 “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller” - Ibn Battuta

In time, you will be met by a Journeys Rep, who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to Terminal? - Munich Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, for your onward journey.  B

*Transfer is mentioned for illustration only. Optional. Supplement, if required.

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