Our experience in Munich

Apartment and Air BnB.

We couldn't have chosen a better neighborhood to spend our week in Munich. An easy 10-minute walk into the old town, close to a public transport hub (Sendlinger Tor), 25 minutes by foot from the train station, next to one of the major cemeteries (an extensive green space to walk), and outstanding cafes and restaurants with a grocery store close by. It was also very quiet at night.

Our apartment was certainly large enough, and on the ground floor just off an interior courtyard. The bathroom was quite large and gave us plenty of space for spending a week and the bedroom was equally large with lots of storage for clothes. The king-size bed was very nice and quite comfortable and the pillows made sleeping easy. 

The overall feel of the space was one of comfort; heat controls were easily identified and adjusted and having the heated towel rack in the bathroom was a big plus.

But there were two or three issues. 

One was lighting. The outdoor lights above the door did not work; in the main living/kitchen area there was very little light to be had (unlike the bedroom and bathroom which were both very well lit). In fact, the only lighting over the stove barely worked at all (we had to use our phone flashlights to see the range controls). When at highest power the lights blinked repeatedly and could be dimmed but would not turn off. When this issue was pointed out to the agent we were told we could remove a picture from the wall and turn the electricity off to those lights inside the switch box. Really?? 

The switch to another light above the dining room table worked but erratically; there was a floor lamp in the corner which functioned normally.

Another issue and one which might bother some more than others concerned the Nespresso machine. When we arrived and were settling in I noticed there was standing water in the machine's reservoir. When emptied out the tank was literally coated with scale. I knew that scale can build up inside the machine itself but I had never seen anything quite like this.  

Lastly, the wifi connection in the apartment was quite slow but sufficient. 

Food.

The selection and variety of restaurants available in the city is amazing. Our neighborhood boasted three Vietnamese restaurants alone as well as numerous casual food venues all within three minutes of our door. Whatever kind of food you're looking for you can probably find it within the historic city center.

Reservations, at even the most casual of places, is strongly recommended, at least in our neighborhood where it seemed everyone under 30 (or 40) ate out every night. And when you add in the small size of most restaurants/cafes, space can only be had by planning ahead.

Payment is usually by cash or credit, although not always. At Jack Glockenbach payment was by cash or PayPal only, while at Botanista it was no cash and card only.

As for grocery stores we used a nearby branch of the Edeka chain. Plenty of choices and payment was made with our Mastercard. 

Transportation.

Getting around on foot is pretty easy and straightforward in the city center. However, if you want to go a bit further afield or hop around from one place to another in the historic center you'll want to tap into the extensive public transportation network. 

Note that the ticketing system is rather complex (and we thought a bit complicated) so you might want to stop by a nearby Tourist Info office for help in figuring out how to get from A to B. We didn't find much in the way of ticket booths staffed by humans; pretty much all the ticketing is done via kiosks. It's worth pointing out that some kiosks accept only credit cards that use a PIN (a European thing) while others make using a card easy so be prepared to pay with cash.

We took a cab from the train station to the apartment and Uber back to the train station.  Both worked flawlessly but we definitely leaned toward using Uber.

Attractions.

There is a wide variety of things to see and do in Munich. In our week in the city we tapped into just a handful of them. We tend to focus on just being in a place and experiencing its vibe, so we're not the best judge of how to structure your time.  If you're in the city for just a few days making your decision as to where to go and what to see can be challenging to be sure. 

While actually a suburban site, Dachau should definitely be on the list; German schoolchildren are required to visit a concentration camp and it should be required for all tourists as well.

The English Gardens are truly amazing and a great place to stretch your legs and relax.

Naturally a day spent strolling the old town would be worth your time, to get a feel for the Munich appreciated by locals and tourists alike: visiting the Hofbrauhaus and Viktualienmarkt alone is worth even just an afternoon in Munich.

For museum junkies we enjoyed the Alte Pinakotheke, but be forewarned the museum's collections are enormous -- so much to see. The Deutsches Museum is fun for everybody with lots of displays covering everything from mining to astronomy and just about everything in between. The holdings are scattered over six floors and some exhibits are a bit dated and many have signage in German only. Still, we thought the views  of Munich from the roof top and the first German U-boat were pretty cool.

Masking and Vaccination.

While we wore masks required on all public transport and in some museums, restrictions had otherwise been lifted. Otherwise, some continued to mask indoors and many did not.

We were asked for our vaccination cards only once and that was as we got off the train in Salzburg, Austria, otherwise no one seemed concerned about our vaccination status.