Things to Do in Bavaria

Home to the Summer Olympic Games in 1972, Munich's vast Olympiapark is now an international events center, sports venue, and recreational park. In addition to the facilities used for the games, Olympiapark was updated in 2003 to included the Olympic Walk of Stars, modeled after the Hollywood version. A popular concert venue, the park also hosts the Super-Cross Cup, Holiday on Ice, and other seasonal events and festivals.

Outdoor adventurists will love climbing the roof of the Olympic stadium, abseiling on a zipline from the tent roof of the stadium to the lawn 40 meters (130 feet) below, and the newest adrenaline rush: the Flying Fox. The Olympic Tower is also the highest rock museum in the world, with tmons of meorabilia. The Sea Life aquarium gives visitors an educational and entertaining experience about water cycle and sea creatures.

The Neue Pinakothek forms part of an extraordinary concentration of art museums just outside Munich’s old town. Its exterior – a gloomy postmodern mish-mash which has aged poorly – is the least impressive of the three museums bearing the “Pinakothek” tag, but once inside all is forgiven.

The collection is largely 19th century art, with a bit of scope creep into the adjoining centuries, and it was first established by King Ludwig I whose philhellenism made Munich a showcase of neo-classicism. There is an impressive showing of English works – Gainsborough, Turner, Constable – as well as masterpieces of German and French Romanticism. Look out for Carl Spitzweg’s The Poor Poet, an affectionate dig at the Romantic cult of the impoverished, garret-dwelling writer. Many visitors will be delighted by the Impressionist collection, which boasts works by almost all of the movement’s leading lights as well as those who came immediately before or after: Monet, Manet, Cezanne and Gauguin, to name a few.

Located at the western entrance to the exquisite Hofgarten gardens, the Odeonsplatz is one of central Munich’s largest public squares, notable for its distinct Italian-style architecture. Taking its name from the 19th century Odeon Concert Hall that once stood at the head of the square (the remains of the building now form part of a government office block), the space still retains its creative streak, hosting a number of annual concerts, parades and city celebrations. At the top of the list is the Odeonsplatz Classical Evening, a grand open-air event held each July and drawing crowds of over 16,000 to watch performances by the prestigious Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and other world renowned classical acts.

Even if you don’t catch the square at its most atmospheric, the Odeonsplatz still offers a dramatic starting point to city walking tours, with the resplendent Residenz Palace to the east and the monumental Ludwigstrasse running north to the triumphal arch of Siegestor. Also on the square is the Feldherrnhalle, or Field Marshal's hall, an arched fronted hall designed in 1841 by Friedrich von Gärtner, and the 17th century Theatinerkirche, an Italian-baroque style church, topped with a 71-meter copper dome.

An art museum in the Kunstareal district, the Old Pinakothek, or Alte Pinakothek, is one of the oldest galleries in the world. It houses famous collections of the old master paintings from the 14th through 18th centuries. More then 800 works from the premier European painters, German, Italian, and Dutch alike, are all on display in the galleries. One gallery was specifically designed to showcase Rubens's masterpiece, Last Judgment - one of the largest canvases ever painted.

Explore the development of painting from the Middle Ages to the Rococo era, compare artistic styles, or simply admire the masterpieces at the Alte Pinakothek. This museum boasts quite an impressive list of artists under its roof, from Dürer to Raphael, Botticelli to Titian, and Rembrandt to Velasquez, the Alte Pinakothek could have an art history book devoted entirely to its vast collection.

Towering a dizzying 291 meters over the surrounding Olympic Park, Munich’s Olympic Tower is one of the city’s tallest buildings and boasts its highest observation deck at 190 meters. Take the high-speed elevator to the top floor, from where the views span the city center and spread across the Alps from Salzkammergut to the Allgäu. It’s also possible to dine with a view at the 182-meter Restaurant 81, which offers 360-degree panoramic views from its revolving restaurant floor. Also at the top is one of Europe’s highest museums - a small rock ‘n’ roll museum, housing a variety of music memorabilia and occasionally hosting music concerts.

Built in 1968 to designs by Sebastian Rosenthal, the Olympic Tower is more than just a lookout point – constructed in time for the 1972 Olympic Games, the sky-high antenna rising from the top of the tower provides TV broadcasting for 6 million viewers, as well as providing digital TV for the entire southern region of Bavaria.

With its snow-white limestone facade and fanciful turrets peeking out from the forested mountain tops of the Hohenschwangau valley, Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) could easily have been lifted from the pages of a fairy tale. In a way, it has—the German castle famously inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle.