Winter Munich usually greets tourists with heavy lilac clouds and morning fogs. However, this ostentatious severity is replaced by the cozy embrace of the old streets, and even the sharp ledges of the Town Hall building (which, it would seem, are about to pierce the sky) cannot spoil the impression. "Welcome to the fairy tale!" - whispers the city, which has not yet had time to throw off the Christmas decorations. And this feeling of some magic will accompany you from the first minutes until the end of the journey.
Aeroflot, Lufthansa, S7, AirBerlin, Germania Express and others fly from Moscow to Munich. The average cost of a round-trip ticket varies from 11,000 rubles. Ural Airlines also fly from Yekaterinburg.
Accommodation includes hotels of different levels of comfort (prices from 70 euros per day at the Gastehaus am RPTC to 250 euros at the Hotel an der Oper in the Old Town), inexpensive hostels on the outskirts of the city and campgrounds.
Winter temperatures in Munich often remain above zero and range from +1 to +14 C, the humid air resembles late autumn in St. Petersburg. In principle, winter in Munich is quite comfortable, but do not forget to warm your throat from colds.
You can imagine the royal scale of the festivities by visiting the central square of Marienplatz. Since the Middle Ages, knightly tournaments, folk festivals and fairs have been organized here.
The famous Glockenspiel clock is located on the building of the new Town Hall. At 11 o'clock in the afternoon, under the bell ringing, you can see a fifteen-minute performance: the windows in the dial open, and the sculptures of the king, queen and court squires come to life. Like a huge music box, the spectacle bewitches and draws crowds of admiring spectators.
From the central square, walk along the pedestrian shopping street Kaufingerstrasse to Karlsplatz. The shops feature such brands as C&A, Zara, S. Oliver, H&M, New Yorker, Esprit, Benetton and others. On the way, you can do some shopping, as well as see the churches of St. Michael and Augustine, the majestic Burgersal Cathedral and the symbol of the city - the Cathedral of Our Lady. If you make it to Munich for Catholic Christmas (December 25), you will hear the street choral singing of children dressed as angels.
Near the church of St. Augustine there is a sculpture of a wild boar. There is a tradition: if you rub the golden patch of this sculpture, happiness and good luck will await you for the coming year. And on the square itself in the shopping area, in winter you can go ice skating on the huge open-air ice rink Muenchner Eizsauber. For warming up, booths are installed around the skating rink, where you can change your shoes and drink hot mulled wine (price 3-7 euros).
Tram number 17 from Karlsplatz (tram stop is located next to the metro station) to the west of Munich, to the residence of the Dukes of Wittelsbach - Nymphenburg. In terms of its splendor, this palace and park ensemble is not inferior to the French Versailles. Slightly snow-covered luxurious architecture of palaces, reflected in the mirror surface of the lake, which graceful swans do not leave even in winter - all this is worth a look. Entrance to the territory of the residence will cost 11-13 euros plus 4 euros for an audio guide in Russian.
For cultural enthusiasts, Munich has the Kunstareal (Areal of Art) in the Maxvorstadt quarter, where you will find 10 museums for painting, sculpture and photography. For only 12 euros, you can buy a pass to three museums at once: Alte, Neue and Moderne, where the originals of works by da Vinci, Rembrandt, Raphael, Rubens, etc. are presented.
Well, you can warm up and taste the most delicious beer in the world in any pub, since they are located almost on every corner. Keep in mind that winter beer (with the ending Bock in the name) in Munich is dark, unfiltered and strong enough (about 12 degrees). If you don't want to get drunk out of habit, choose light varieties like Weizen or Helles. Girls might like the slightly sweet dark Dunkel beer with a chocolate flavor.
In some pubs, wicker baskets with fragrant pretzels and cookies are on the tables - don't flatter yourself, the treat is not free. In general, German cuisine is quite high in calories, but tasty. Do not forget to taste the traditional Munich sausages, but they are usually served at the lunchroom until 12-00 (after all, the Germans make sure not to overeat at night).
