Hallo!
The first thing that most people think of when they hear ‘Munich‘ is Oktoberfest. But although the world’s biggest beer festival is certainly a draw, it’s the worst time to visit Munich if you actually want to see something of the city beyond its heaving beer halls. Thankfully, this is a destination which really thrives in the colder months, so I have wrapped up warmly and come to explore the Bavarian capital and Germany’s third-largest city.
On this trip I reckon I deserve to be treated like royalty, so I have checked into Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski. The hotel’s name means “Four Seasons” because you have always been able to stay here year-round. Rumour has it that the Canadian hotelier Isadore Sharp once stayed here and was so impressed that he then gave the same name to his Four Seasons chain.
This has never been just a hotel, though. It was created in the mid-19th century by Bavaria’s King Maximilian II so that his courtiers, guests, and entertainers could stay close to his palace, Residenz Munchen. Everyone would arrive by horse-drawn carriage, and the horses would deliver trunks and other luggage directly to the guest rooms: the hotel’s stairs are shallow so that the horses could easily climb them!
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski has retained many of its palatial interiors. Some of the rooms actually have the status of historical monuments, and there are chandeliers, furniture, and works of art on loan from various Bavarian castles. Descendants of the royal family still often choose to stay here when they are in town, and guests from Harry Styles to the Clintons have also checked-in to the sumptuous suites. Wandering along the corridors, there are larger-than-life reproductions of Old Masters paintings on the walls, and whether you are sipping cocktails in the bar or indulging in afternoon tea beneath the glorious glass rotunda in the central lobby, there is no finer, more stylish place in Munich to be seen.
It is just a five-minute walk to Residenz Munchen, which with some 130 rooms must be one of Europe’s largest and most impressive city palaces. Much of the building was damaged during the Allied bombing raids of WW2, but the city has reconstructed and restored it with painstaking attention to detail. There are some fabulously over-the-top Baroque interiors dazzling with red velvet and gold leaf, exactly the kind of places you can imagine the kings and courtiers discussing matters of state or just partying the night away.
The opulence of the palace points to Munich’s historic wealth. The major thoroughfares are all lined with grand stone buildings, including a fine collection of museums, theaters, and an opera house. Coming to Europe to shop? Then Munich has you covered: within a stone’s throw from the hotel you will find boutiques by Cartier, Dior, Moncler, and Gucci. The people watching here is second to none, but you’ll have to dress up if you want to fit in!
One of the things I like about Munich, though, is that it is unpretentious. Even amongst the glitz and glamour in the heart of the city there are still low-key places where you can kick back your heels and relax. I include the world-famous beer halls in this category, and we have already drunk a fair few steins of beer this weekend.
Hofbrauhaus is a Munich institution, a three-storey beer hall dating back to the 16th century. During Oktoberfest you wouldn’t be able to get near the place; even now, it’s worth booking a table if you want to join the 3,000 other revellers inside. The beer on tap is all brewed by the Hofbrau brewery that gives the bar its name. Order your tipple of choice by the liter or half liter, and it’ll be brought to the table by a waiter or waitress in traditional Bavarian dress, exactly as you would imagine.
Sightseeing and beer drinking is hungry work. The beer halls all serve authentic Bavarian cuisine, but this can be a little heavy for international stomachs unaccustomed to dumplings and a lot of meat. My tip for you, therefore, is to drink beer in the late afternoon and early evening, then return to the hotel for dinner in the Schwarzreiter Tagesbar restaurant. It has got a casual atmosphere and a menu inspired by Bavarian gastronomy, but the dishes all have a contemporary twist. The steak tartare was so beautifully red I almost thought it was colored with beetroot; and the Wiener Schitznel was so light in texture that it bore little in common, beyond its name, with the beer hall fare. The sommelier can recommend German wine pairings, a nice way to round off the meal.
Tschüss!
www.kempinski.com/en/hotel-vier-jahreszeiten
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