10 Non Touristy Things To Do in Munich

You’ve seen everything Munich has to offer once you’ve been to Marienplatz and the English Garden, right? You’re just getting started, in fact. Germany’s third city has a lot to see and do. From German ceilidhs to cool BBQs, here’s how to get off the beaten path, do as the locals do, and get a better feel for the beautiful capital of Bavaria.

Go to Tanzboden

If you take a Gaelic ceilidh and add lederhosen to it, you have Tanzboden. It has traditional Bavarian dancing with a live band and a dance master who calls out the steps during the songs. Only four times a year, Tanzboden takes place in a room on the second floor of the well-known Hofbrauhaus.

Raft from Wolfratshausen

Mix with locals as you sip a beer and float down the Isar river on a big raft to the sound of traditional Bavarian music. This may sound slow, but these rafts can move pretty fast. From April to November is float season, and like all German beer drinking sessions, it comes with traditional food, like a BBQ if the weather is good. Gather a big group, or just show up on your own and meet new people.

Swim at Müller’sches Volksbad

This beautiful Art Nouveau building on the banks of the Isar should not be missed just because it has a swimming pool. Since it opened in 1901, Müller’sches Volksbad has been a public pool, and it still only costs €4.40 (£3.75/$4.70) to swim there today. There is also a Roman steam bath and a Finnish sauna with bright lights inside. But, like a Municher, you’ll have to leave your swimsuit at the door. Saunas are a big part of German culture, and in most of them, bathing suits are not allowed.

At The Rocky Horror Picture Show, you can show your weird side.

One part of Munich has been going back in time for a long time: the Museum Lichtspiele cinema has been showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Friday and Saturday night at 11pm for more than 30 years. Since 1910, the theater has been open, and the famous movie has been shown there since 1977. (40 years this summer). As always, costumes are welcome at Rocky Horror shows.

Find out what Bratwurst Glockl am Dom is really like

Want to find the city’s cheapest draft beer? Even though Bratwurst Glockl am Dom is right next to one of Munich’s most popular tourist attractions, it’s not easy to find. Ignore the main restaurant and walk around the left side of the building into an alley to a nondescript door. Inside is a vestibule that can fit about eight people. Crouch down to a window with frosted glass and a rope next to it. Pull the rope and you’ll hear a bell and a rough “Yaw wos?” “This is a rough Bavarian way of saying “Good evening, how can I help?” Order a beer from the list on the board and talk to the regulars in the entrance area.

Sunbathe without clothes on

Germans don’t mind showing everything. In fact, six “designated urban naked zones” exist in Munich. You shouldn’t think that these are hidden or blocked off. If you take the wrong turn in the English Garden or along the Isar, you’ll see a lot more of Germany. There aren’t a lot of places in the world where you can be naked.

Relax in a beer garden

Don’t bother with Hofbrauhaus and Hirschgarten. If you want to see Munich at its most laid-back, go to a beer garden that’s out of the way. In the south Munich suburbs, at Waldwirtschaft, you can get a beer and some snacks from the traditional food stalls, then sit back and listen to live jazz bands on the weekends. If the weather is bad, go to Augustiner Braustuben for cheap food and drinks in the style of a traditional beer hall.

Escape to a lake

If you don’t have to be in Munich right away, spend the afternoon relaxing by a lake. From Marienplatz, you can take the S-Bahn to Lake Starnberg, which is Germany’s fifth largest freshwater lake and only 36 minutes away. It feels like another world when you are 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from the center. Starnberg is even talked about in T.S. Elliot’s poem The Waste Land, which was written in 1922. Not moved to write a poem? Just walk around the lake, lay out in the sun, and look at the view.

Listen to live music

In the Universitat district, go to Lost Weekend, a bookstore and vegan coffee shop by day that comes alive at night with poetry slams, open mic comedy, and Munich Sessions, a live music event that introduces people to both signed and unsigned artists. The lineups are both local and international, which is helpful for people who are just starting to learn German. They range from calm acoustic guitarists to a fast-paced funk band. Munich Sessions happens every two weeks.

Grill out in West Park

People in Munich love to be outside, especially when they eat. As soon as the first few rays of sun hit the city, people clean off their grills and head to the Isar. If you want to avoid the crowds, go to a park with a designated BBQ area, like West Park, which is about 10 minutes away from Marienplatz by U-Bahn. There is also a Japanese garden, a Thai temple, and in the summer, an outdoor movie theater in West Park.

Topic: 10 Non Touristy Things To Do in Munich

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By: Travel Pixy