Munich

the world's greatest folk festival — a decorated brewery tent, the litre steins, the oompah and the parade

one of the world's great opera houses + companies, on Max-Joseph-Platz — a black-tie evening, or the July Munich Opera Festival

the old town under lights, Glühwein and the giant tree below the Rathaus — the classic Munich Advent

Germany's largest city palace — 130 rooms of Wittelsbach opulence, the Antiquarium hall and the crown-jewel Treasury — the royal heart of Munich

Old Masters, 19th-c, and modern/contemporary in one walkable art quarter

the Wittelsbachs' vast Baroque summer palace, the Hall of Beauties and the sweeping park + pavilions — a serene half-day from the centre

the first Nazi concentration camp, now a memorial + documentation site — a place of remembrance and education visited with gravity, not as sightseeing

a litre under the chestnuts and the gourmet stalls of the Viktualienmarkt — the everyday Munich table

the city's dense fine-dining top end — Atelier, Tantris, Alois-Dallmayr, THE CLOUD by Käfer at BMW Welt — a genuine gastronomic evening

the world's biggest science-and-tech museum then the English Garden's lawns, Chinese Tower and the Eisbach surfers — a big, easy family day

the free-entry BMW delivery cathedral, the museum, and the 1972 Olympic park next door — a hit with all ages

~35 minutes northeast of Munich, a vast thermal-bath + sauna + palm-dome + slide world — a full restorative day

the Bayerischer Hof Blue Spa or the Kempinski The Spa top-floor — a quiet luxury reset above the old town

the converted-industrial quarter behind the Ostbahnhof — the city's grittier, younger night scene beyond the beer halls

the luxury-boulevard promenade, a cocktail at a hotel rooftop, and the polished side of Munich nights

the fairy-tale castle and the Bavarian Alps in a single guided day from the city — the classic Munich excursion

a suite at the Bayerischer Hof or Mandarin Oriental, a rooftop-spa soak, and a golden-hour walk to the Chinese Tower