Kyle and I kicked off our summer Europe trip by going to Munich, Germany. My aunt and uncle live there, so we got a great mix of being a tourist and living like the locals. We saw some of the beautiful palaces and churches of the city, and also saw some of the charming small towns in the countryside. We even saw the Bavarian Alps.
Munich
Munich is the capital of the state of Bavaria and is home many historic buildings, including the former homes of the Bavarian royal family – a personal favorite.
Munich Residenz
The Residenz is the former palace of the royal family of Bavaria. It’s the largest palace in Germany and is open to visitors. In it are many of the royal jewels of the royal family. I’d never seen anything so glamorous! You can also walk around the palace and see the different rooms and halls. As expected, everything was quite enchanting.
Nymphenburg Palace
Nymphenburg Palace was the main summer home of the Bavarian royal family, and it’s gardens are quite lavish. There are two lakes and several fountains. We went on a beautiful sunny day and just walked around enjoying the scenery.
Marienplatz
The city square is a fun place to visit because you can look around and see so much. The new town hall is a huge neo-Gothic structure with a glockenspiel that chimes every day. The old town hall also has gothic charm and has a very Bavarian style.
Hofbräuhaus
We had lunch atHofbräuhaus, and I’m so glad we did! It is a traditional Bavarian restaurant and beer hall. The food was great, and we even saw a Bavarian Oompah band!
Oktoberfest
I can’t write a blog about Bavaria without mentioning Oktoberfest. We weren’t there in October, but Oktoberfest is a huge festival in Germany that brings more than 6 million people to Germany every year to drink beer and enjoy Bavarian culture.
Bavaria Countryside
Bad Tölz
We visited the town of Bad Tölz and were enchanted by the medieval town. Every building looks like it is out of a storybook. Bad Tölz also has a lovely stream that runs through it and is home to hot springs and spas.
Biking
We didn’t have time to go biking through the Bavarian countryside, but we plan on doing so on our next visit. Much of the countryside is very bicycle friendly, and we saw lots of people enjoying the nice weather on their bicycles.
Bavarian Alps
We drove down to see the Bavarian Alps and were just mesmerized by their beauty. The mountains are covered with lush forests and sprinkled with beautiful lakes. We actually crossed into Austria to have lunch in a little mountain town while we were there.
Watch my travel vlog of the trip here:
