Located at the foot of the Alps and taking its name from ‘Monks place,’ Munich is Germany’s most prosperous city remaining at the forefront of innovation while maintaining its unique cultural heritage. Home to the world’s biggest beer festival, and luxury car manufacturer BMW, Munich is most famous for its magnificent architecture, fine culture and annual Oktoberfest. A 5 star hotel in Munich is the perfect place to indulge in extravagant luxury while uncovering the fascinating history of this sophisticated city.

Elegant Munich: The best 5 star stays in the Bavarian capital

City Centre - Altstadt: Cultural treasure trove & Luxury shopping

© Sofitel Munich Bayerpost

One of the most affluent cities on the planet, Munich’s economy is larger than most small countries. The royal palaces and traces of the 700 rule of the Wittelsbach family can still be explored in the Bavarian capital, alongside world-class museums, luxury shopping boulevards and first-class restaurants. There are countless reasons why visiting a museum in Munich should be at the top of your list while staying at a 5 star hotel in the city. Munich boasts a wealth of Germany’s most impressive museums, even rivalling Berlin. Most of Munich’s main tourist attractions, like the opera house (Nationaltheater), former residence of the Bavarian kings and the new city hall with its world famous Glockenspiel, alongside several historic churches, can be found in the Altstadt or Old Town. History buffs will be thrilled to visit three of the historic city gates still in existence, all of which are located at subway or train stations. Munich has a lot of ideal shopping opportunities for elite travelers. Luxury boutiques on Maximilianstreet, one of the world’s grandest boulevards, including Dior and Escada will have fashionista’s hearts beating faster. In this elegant part of the city, visitors can enjoy the array of nearby galleries, theatres, boutique stores and the State Opera House, which has is one of the oldest opera houses in the world. Oberpollinger is another luxury shopping centre right in the heart of the city.

Maxvorstadt: Arts & Innovation in the ’Brain of Munich’

This district is known as the Brain of Munich because of the extraordinarily high number of artistic and educational institutions housed here. It’s comparable in Germany only to Berlin’s Museuminsel. Maxvorstadt has been a hotbed of arts and culture since the early 20 th century, when Wassily Kandinsky had a studio here and Thomas Mann used to discuss literature with colleagues in coffeehouses. The Kunstareal is Munich’s art quarter with four major venues displaying everything from the Old Masters to 1960s design, and the best place to start a tour of the local art scene. The trio of municipal galleries – the Alte and Neue Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne – are unmissable, not only for cultural hounds. One of King Ludwig’s vast collections is housed in the Glyptothek, which boasts one of the greatest Greek and Roman sculpture collections in all of Germany. If you would like to be the proud owner of some fine art yourself, head to the Quittenbaum Art Auctions.

Schwabing & English Garden: Literary leisure & Beer tradition

It’s almost impossible to think of Munich without thinking of beer. The brewing tradition in Munich is unlike anywhere else in Europe. Here six mega breweries pump out 600 million litres of world-class ale to hundreds of beer gardens and beer halls every day, finally culminating in the annual Oktoberfest attended by over six million people. Visitors from all over the world descend onto the Theresienwiese every year in September with famous guests including Paris Hilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Home to many artists, painters and revolutionaries throughout history, the charming neighbourhood of Schwabing is filled with speciality bookstores, cafés, art galleries and stylish restaurants serving food from around the world. Paul Klee, Thomas Mann and Wassily Kandinsky lived here and looking at the shady, tree-lined boulevards and surrounding greenery it’s not difficult to understand where they drew their inspiration from. The nearby English Garden is a must see for any visitor to Munich. This vast urban park with creeks, lakes and beer gardens is where the residents of the Bavarian capital go to relax and unwind. If you would prefer magnificent views of the city and the Bavarian Alps, then a cable ride to the top of the Olympic Tower is a must.

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