7 Best things to see & do in Munich

Built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig with the aid of a stage designer, Neuschwanstein is the prototype fairytale castle with Gothic turrets, drawbridges and ridiculously extravagant interiors. Useless for defence, the main fortress was completed in 1886 after Bavaria ceased to be an independent state.

It’s fantastically situated on a crag looking over the shimmering Alpsee, and the furnishings set new standards of royal excess. Ludwig’s bedroom alone gave 14 woodcarvers five years’ steady work.

Neuschwanstein Castle was evil Baron Bomburst’s castle in the 1968 classic British children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. If you haven’t seen it, watch it before you go.

Munich’s Kunstareal (art district) is one of the world’s great cultural hubs. It’s home (at last count) to over 40 art galleries and 18 museums – three of which rank among the world’s greatest art museums.

The Old (Alte) Pinakothek shows masterworks from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, its forte being old Dutch and German masters such as Rembrandt and Dure. It also has one of the world’s best collections of Rubens.

The New (Neue) Pinakothek has iconic canvases by Romantic and French Impressionist painters – with works by Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne and Vincent Van Gogh.

The Modern Pinakothek (der Moderne) takes over from the mid-20th century with paintings by artistic giants such as Dali, Picasso and Warhol.

Munich’s world-class art horde is largely thanks to Bavaria’s art-loving monarch King Ludwig I (1786-1868), who passionately collected priceless objets d’art from across the world.

The world’s biggest collective drink-up started in 1810 as a royal wedding celebration cum horse race. Müncheners soon invited the world to join in – and roughly seven million visitors do so annually. They get through 7.5 million litres of beer, half a million chickens and 118 oxen, mostly in enormous beer tents with oompah bands.

Guests who’ve had their fill of the suds lurch to the amusement rides, old-fashioned games of skill and stands selling traditional sweets.

The Neue Pinakothek holds iconic canvases by Romantic and French Impressionist painters – with works by Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne and Vincent Van Gogh. Look for one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888).

The Alte Pinakothek showcases masterworks from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, its forte being old Dutch and German masters such as Rembrandt and Dure. It also has one of the world’s best collections of Rubens.

Der Moderne Pinakothek specialises in mid-20th century art, and is one of the world’s leading modern art institutions. The collection includes more than 20,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs and new media, with paintings by artistic giants such as Dali, Picasso and Warhol.

A more recent addition to the Munich art scene (2009), the Brandhorst specialises in artworks from 1960 onwards, and notably the biggest Andy Warhol collection in Europe. Other featured artists include Damien Hirst and Cy Twombly. Closed Mondays.