Bavaria’s capital has what is recognized as one of the most beautiful town squares. The largest state, by land, in Germany, also has internationally acclaimed museums, historic cathedrals and, of course, Oktoberfest. And, here at GetAway, we can certainly tell you that you don’t have to go to Oktoberfest to enjoy the beer. So while you are wrapping your head around that, and the fact that Oktoberfest is barely in October, we invite you to let GetAway help you getaway to Munich.

Let’s get Oktoberfest, beer and food out of the way…

 Oktoberfest actually runs from mid to late September until the first Sunday in October. It was originally a giant wedding reception when Bavarian Crown Prince Louis decided to invite all of Munich to celebrate his marriage to Theresa von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The fields where the celebration was held were named Theresienwiese.

So each year the giant beer fest, with 14 beer tents, as well as food tents, carnival games and rides, occupies 420,000 square feet of the fields. Six local breweries provide the beer and there’s a whole set of rules and reservation requirements to get into some of the beer tents. Read up before you go. Also, remember these two words: alcohol content. The average beer in the US is about 5% alcohol. The average alcohol content in the beer in those giant tankards you’ll be guzzling at Oktoberfest is between 5.9 and 6.2%. Drink responsibly.

Pork, potatoes, sausage, bread, while that seems to be a weighty list, it’s all in the preparation and moderate servings. Weisswurst is a traditional Bavarian sausage that is usually eaten with between breakfast and lunch with mustard. Typically the sausage is removed from the casing before eating – tradition says to suck it out , but you can be more discreet and cut it lengthwise and roll the meat out of the skin with a fork.. Open and consume.

Griessknockerlsuppe, a long name, but it is chicken soup with lovely semolina dumplings instead of noodles. Bavarian goulash and semmelknoedel is a fabulous smoky-flavored concoction which includes semmelknoedel, a bread dumpling which is almost like a stuffing ball.

Knoedel is a giant potato dumpling or two served with a roasted ham hock (schweinehaxe) or roulade (filled, rolled meat). Käsespätele (think Bavarian macaroni and cheese) is noodles or mini-dumplings with lots and lots of cheese topped with carmelized onions baked until a crispy crust forms on top. In the spring, there’s plenty of dishes with delicate white asparagus.

Sweets? Oh, yes. Kuchen is cake and it’s an art form in Munich. Kuchens are piled up in cases at bakeries and you can choose among the awesome selections.

Krapfens are huge jelly-filled powdered doughnuts. Windbeutels are cream puffs for giants, split and filled with plain cream or strawberry or raspberry cream dipped in chocolate.

To drink, there’s beer. You can try beer with carbonated lemonade or grapefruit called radler. It is an easy to acquire taste. Apfelsehorle is apple juice and carbonated water. You can find this in vending machines around the city as well as carbonated water with other fruit flavors.

Palaces, parks and gardens

 Munich is laid out like most European cities with a central town hall and a nearby plaza. Marienplatz is a beautiful town square ringed by some the most architecturally fabulous buildings in the city. Don’t miss the glockenspiel on the front of New Town Hall, a very imposing neo-Gothic building. At 11 a.m. and noon, 32 life-side figures with tunes playing, perform a royal wedding, jousting tournament and ritualistic dance. The show lasts about 15 minutes and concludes with the golden bird up the top emerging and chirping three times. Tunes are played on the clock’s 43 bells.

The Munich Residenz is a palace/museum. Divided into multiple areas, one consists of 150 “living” rooms — bedrooms, banquet halls, common rooms, living areas, they are well preserved and show the living style of the former occupants. The Treasury is a collection of precious items, one of the best collections in the world. There are crowns, collections of jewels amassed by rulers of Bavaria, goldsmith items, enamels, crystals and ivories.

Nymphenburg Palace was the summer residence of the Bavarian rulers. It is considered Munich’s most beautiful palace. It is surrounded by a gorgeous landscaper park complete with water canals, smaller hidden castles and romantic walkways.

The English Garden is one of the largest city parks in the world. On the grounds is Monopteros, a Greek-style temple. The Chinese Tower is also an interesting attraction and it’s next door to the second largest beer garden in the city. There are a total of four beer gardens in the park.

At the southern end of the park is Eisbach Wave, where you can go surfing (yes, surfing) year round.

Augustiner-Keller is Munich’s largest independent brewery with a huge beer garden.

Olympic Park is where the Olympic Games were held in 1972.

Museums and cathedrals

 There are more than 80 museums in Munich. It’s a city that takes its culture and its preservation seriously. The German Museum is the world’s largest science and technology museum. The 20 exhibits feature science and technology from aviation to chemistry, robotics and health. There are interactive exhibits and experiments.

Three separate art museums, Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and Future showcase art from different time periods. The Brandhorst Museum is dedicated to contemporary art.

The BMW Museum showcases the company’s 100-year-old history through cars, motorbikes and engines. Next door is Welt which houses BMW’s exotic models that were never imported to the United States as well as models from its other companies, Rolls Royce and the Mini.

The Church of Our Dear Lady, referred to as Frauenkirche, with its two towers topped with domes dominates the city skyline. Built of bricks, it is considered a landmark symbol of Bavaria.

Asam Church, also known as St. Johann-Nepomuk-Kirche, is a masterpiece. The unique exterior has intricate detailing and the interior ceiling and walls are covered with frescoes and statues.

St. Peter’s Church is the city’s oldest place of worship. The interior is done in white and gold and the nearly 200-foot high tower has a viewing platforms that offers amazing views of the city. There are eight bells and eight clocks in the tower.

Intrigued by the idea of visiting Munich? GetAway Travel can craft and adventure including Munich and beyond! We can be reached at: (262) 538-2140, e-mail: sue@getaway.travel or paul@getaway.travel