Our First 2 Days in Munich: Alte Pinakothek, BMW Welt & the Devil’s Footprint

After an uneventful journey from Canada, we were in Munich! It was time to explore: bring on the art, history, and quirky attractions (top of my list were the Alte Pinakothek to see some van Gogh works, looking at fancy cars in the BMW Welt, and finding the Devil’s Footprint at Frauenkirche).

But before we could start adventuring… we needed to navigate to our accommodations. John and I both forgot we had turned off “bus” in Google Maps, so we schlepped all our suitcases, backpacks, and other paraphernalia almost 2 km. I was a sweaty, exhausted mess by the time we arrived; of course, when we checked into the hotel, they let us know about a bus stop very close by.

We changed clothes, and did some basic unpacking before navigating public transport to meet up with one of John’s colleagues. She’s from Croatia but lives in Munich. She took us to an incredible burger place (Hans im Glück, which roughly translates to Hans in Luck). It’s based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm: a servant (Hans) is paid with a giant lump of gold. On his way home, Hans trades the gold for a horse, then for a cow, a few more items and eventually… two rocks, confident that each trade is better than the last. He throws the rocks in a well and gets home with nothing, but believes he’s the luckiest man in the world!

That little tangent aside, the interior was whimsical and it really did feel like something out of a fairy tale! And after not eating much for 24 hours, it definitely hit the spot.

It was wonderful to have a guide who knew the city and had insider tips. Also, having someone who speaks fluent German was pretty great, too!

She walked us to our next stop: Alte Pinakothek, one of the oldest art galleries in the world. It’s currently home to Munich’s collection of paintings by van Gogh. It also happens to be €1 on Sundays for adults (it’s normally €9 for adults; it’s always free for kids). Guess what day I wanted to go!

When we walked up to the main door, there was a sign announcing the museum would be closed the rest of the week for renovations, so I’m glad we visited when we did!

The kids aren’t particularly thrilled to visit art galleries and we did plenty of that in Barcelona and Paris, so I didn’t want to stretch their patience too thin this early in the trip. We mostly went to see the van Gogh’s, which were wonderful. The other highlight was seeing the staircase which is stunning, especially with the late afternoon sun casting shadows.

We saw some Renoir, Monet, Manet, and Picasso… and then we headed out. I’d say we were at the art gallery for less than an hour, but it felt like we saw what we needed and I left satisfied.

While we were close to Olympic Park (and my original plan had been to walk around the grounds and explore the village), everyone was feeling the effects of jet lag, so we opted to wind down. One final non-negotiable stop was the BMW Welt. It’s a free showroom, not to be confused with the BMW Museum (which has an entry fee). There’s also an option to do factory tours which I think both John and Indy would have enjoyed, but we stuck with the free option this time.

By 6:00 we were back at our hotel.

Exhausted.

Everyone hopped in for showers to clean off the grime that comes from being awake for 24+ hours and headed to bed. It ended up being a disjointed night with every single one of us apparently talking in our sleep and one person going for a little walk in their sleep. Ah the joys of jet lag.

DAY TWO

John was supposed to be gone for work the whole day (including 4 hours of commute time), but his meeting ended up getting cancelled and he was able to head to the local Munich office instead. We met up with two of his colleagues for an early lunch to start the day.

First, a quick wander through a local mall. Belle was in heaven. I was quite taken with the free reading nook! Note the Ken Follett book (in English) in the foreground.

We went to a Vietnamese restaurant and it was delicious.

John headed into an afternoon of meetings, so the kids and I hopped on public transit and headed to the “Old Town” part of Munich.

The kids immediately found a spot to recreate their beloved poses. It’s become a tradition on our trips (started in Barcelona).

Here’s the same(ish) pose last year in Paris.

We popped into the iconic Theatinerkirche. It’s tricky to take pictures because it’s kinda squished into Odeonsplatz. It was built in the 1600s to commemorate the birth of… a prince, I think? (To my knowledge, no giant church was commissioned to honour my birth. How rude!)

We wandered around Marienplatz and into various churches we spotted along the way. Indy, in particular, was very taken with the architecture.

After lots of walking and exploring it was time to satisfy our sweet tooth. The kids each got a chocolate torte (as rich and decadent as it looks), and I picked a raspberry dessert which was delicious. The kiddos also each got a hot chocolate. We sat by a fountain in view of the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, snacked, and watched the world go by. (We also made good use of the free bathroom facilities at the Ludwig Beck department store. Very conveniently located!)

This is the interior of Peterkirche (St. Peter’s church). We came back a few days later with John and climbed the tower (Alter Peter) to get panoramic views of Munich.

I love wandering in city centres.

Next up, we headed to the iconic double-domed Frauenkirche, home to the “Devil’s Footprint” (Teufelstritt). According to lore, the devil was told the church would be built with no windows; when he discovered he’d been lied to, he stamped his foot in rage, leaving behind a permanent imprint.

I asked the kids to go stand in front of the church so I could take their picture and they chose this pose… HEART MELTED.

From there we headed to Viscardigasse which is a tiny street with a fascinating and storied past. (Basically, my catnip when exploring a new city.)

During Hitler’s rise to power he required all pedestrians passing Feldherrnhalle (a building opposite the yellow Theatinerkirche) to salute a war memorial (there were officers stationed outside to impose this legislation). A nearby alley (Viscardigasse) provided an alternate route so people refusing to support his regime could avoid saluting. It became known locally as “Shirker’s Alley” and in commemoration of their refusal to capitulate, there’s a bronze path of cobblestones winding through the street.

John’s work colleague told us about the Mercedes-Benz cafe and showroom, so we headed there next. Our visit wasn’t without drama. A few minutes after getting inside, a toddler—unsteady on his feet—took a tumble and fell into a heavy metal door. There was blood everywhere, the toddler was screaming, the mother was in hysterics (obviously). I tried to help by getting wet towels. The little boy rallied quickly, but in quick order there was an ambulance and paramedics at the door. I was very impressed by their response time and thankfully all seemed to be well (head injuries produce so much blood!!).

We wandered upstairs and discovered some psychedelic bathrooms. The kids LOVED the changing LEDs and I have to admit they were pretty cool. Finding clean, free public bathrooms is something that always brings me delight on any trip, with or without eye-catching lighting.

Indy had seen a little square where he wanted to watch cars (his favourite activity while abroad), and en route we spotted the coolest clock shop. They were incredibly pricey (~€600 for the tiniest ones; not pictured below!) but I found them so compelling! They came in all sorts of different languages, too.

I have zero pictures of our time spent watching cars (in front of the eternal flame; Platz der Opfer des Nationalsozialismus). Belle and I sat and chatted and edited pictures on our phones. If I had let him, Indy would have stayed all day. Every “fancy” car he spotted was great cause for celebration.

Eventually, I had to pull the kids away—Belle from her phone, Indy from his cars—and we headed off to our final two stops for the day, both quirky art installations.

The first was Sweet Brown Snail. WHAT A HIT. I assumed the kids would find it cute, but we ended up spending a long time playing on/around this sculpture. More specifically, Indy spent most of that time trying to get on top of the sculpture for a photo op. He had so much fun! It’s right outside the Deutsches (Science) Museum and was in a courtyard full of kids riding bikes, scootering, and climbing.

Finally, success! He made it up on the snail!!

Our last stop was the Umschreibung, better known as the infinite staircase. It was rather disappointing because it’s currently an active construction site and the only way to view it was from a distance, but it was still interesting. It’s in the courtyard of an apartment complex; what a cool view those tenants have out their windows each day!

For reasons I can no longer remember, we got off a few bus stops away from our hotel. We came across a fun park (just off of Westhamer Str.) that the kids quickly labeled as “dangerous.” That certainly didn’t stop them from trying out all the different installations!

John had left the office and was back at the hotel, so we ended up rendezvousing with him at the bus station and heading to a nearby grocery store to grab some food for supper. Fruit, packaged salads (surprisingly fresh and delicious), and some finger foods to snack on.

And that was a wrap on our first two days in Munich!

Your turn.

• What’s your go-to strategy for surviving that first jet-lagged day?
• Are you afraid of heights?