Munich will host six matches at the 2024 European Championships, including the opening game and one of the two semi-finals. The party-loving Bavarian metropolis will therefore host fans from numerous nations from the first to almost the last day of the European Championships. Scots, Serbs, Slovenians and even the Danish Vikings with their funny helmets will be there. You can already look forward to the colorful street scene between Stachus and Münchener Freiheit. But what can the fans do when they are in town for two days?
10 am. Soccer fans as such are not known to be early risers. That's why the day hardly starts before 10 a.m., but it does start with a hearty Bavarian-style breakfast. A veal sausage, a pretzel, sweet mustard from Händlmaier and a wheat beer - that's the classic Bavarian breakfast. The number of wheat beers varies according to personal passion, but as far as the sausages are concerned, a tip from experienced Zuzlers: Two are too few, four are too many. The best Weißwürste are, if you can believe the initiated meat connoisseurs, "at the Wallner". That's the name of the landlord in the Restaurant Großmarkthalle at Kochelseestraße 13, which has always been an institution when it comes to veal sausage. If you prefer something more folkloric, you are of course also welcome at the Hofbräuhaus. It's louder, fuller and coarser there - you really have to want to be there early in the morning. And, of course, there is a risk that you will end up staying in this traditional pub for a very long time instead of looking around Munich.
12 o'clock. Not much time, but still interested in where you actually are? In this case, a trip on the Double-decker bus according to the hop-on, hop-off principle. In Munich, you can book the fun for one or two days and hop on and off at 13 highlight stops throughout the city. If the weather is good, you can spend a relaxed day on the sun deck of the bus for around 25 euros per person and enjoy the beauty of Munich. If you've had more than two beers at the veal sausage breakfast, the city tour also serves wellness purposes ...
3 p.m. Anyone who spares no expense and effort for a soccer match and travels to Bavaria from their home country is usually interested in everything to do with soccer in a foreign country. In this case, we recommend a visit to the Olympic Parks including the stadium where Germany became world champions in 1974. Nobody plays there anymore, neither FC Bayern nor the German national team. They have moved to the Allianz Arena, a pure soccer stadium that looks like an inflated rubber boat from the outside. The legendary Olympic Stadium, which was opened for the 1972 Olympics in Munich, is completely different. With its curved transparent roof arches, it radiates an elegance that is often missing in today's modern stadiums. It is possible to visit the Olympic Stadium from Tuesday to Thursday between 9 am and 6 pm. The walk in the extensive Olympic Park is free of charge and a delight. There is also a fine dining restaurant, the revolving restaurant 181. Okay, for soccer fans, the rooftop bar Deck 21 might be more interesting.
6 pm. Beer garden time. One of the most beautiful achievements of Munich's leisure culture is the beer garden. Most of these places have rustling chestnut trees, lots of seating with benches and tables and often only mediocre food. But beer, beer, beer. In selected beer gardens, brass band music is sometimes played, for example in the Cinema toweras the huge beer garden in the English Garden is not called, but is called. If it's too crowded there (700 seats!), go about a kilometer out of town as the crow flies to a small lake, which is accordingly surrounded by a beer garden called Lake house is surrounded by trees. Very idyllic, but a little too chic for many locals. FC Bayern used to hold its internal championship celebrations indoors in the restaurant here for a few years.
8 pm. But now in a cozy pub with a roof over your head. The Soccer stadium on Schleißheimer Straße may sound like just another soccer stadium, but it's not. It's a renowned soccer pub that is well-known among fans throughout Germany. All the important and not-so-important soccer matches are shown here on numerous screens, just like in a sports bar. The difference to many other mangy pubs with Sky subscriptions is that the stadium on Schleißheimer Straße also serves decent food. And, of course, that it is as neutral as Switzerland. No matter whether you're a Bayern or 1860 fan - everyone is welcome here who doesn't make stupid comments in the wrong places.
10 am. Yesterday was a little too soccer-heavy, and a little hangover is calling for oxygen? How about a trip to one of the wonderful lakes that can be reached quickly from Munich by S-Bahn. Ammersee or Starnberger See would be a good choice, and the best place to start the tour is Munich Central Station. Lake Starnberg is located southwest of Munich. The former national goalkeeper Jens Lehmann lives directly on the lake. It won't be enough to circle the entire length of the lake, as the shoreline is almost 50 kilometers long. However, we can recommend a nice walk to catch your breath to any fan who wants to take some original impressions of the Bavarian way of life back home with them. And maybe you'll spot Jens Lehmann with a chainsaw in the garden.
1 p.m. Close to the shores of Lake Starnberg in beautiful Ambach, the German actor Josef Bierbichler bought an inn centuries ago that has long been a place of pilgrimage for Munich's chic crowd. This is not the fault of the often gruff Bierbichler, Sepp, because his food is neither chic nor the cultivated tone of the service particularly arrogant. The Fish master is one of the excursion restaurants that you can visit without remorse, serving everything from honest roast pork to boiled beef that tastes good. Sometimes the host himself grumbles at the next table, but that's folklore.
3 p.m. Schwabing! A word like the crack of a whip, at least for those who have heard that this district between Münchner Freiheit, Leopoldstrasse and Ludwigstrasse was once the city's wild entertainment district. In fact, there are still many pubs, restaurants and cafés in Schwabing, but wild? Not really. Nevertheless, it might be interesting for visitors to set off from Siegestor to explore Munich's legendary Leopoldstrasse. For advanced spirits connoisseurs, Schwabing is particularly suitable for the Call Soul Baralso the Wallace Bar is a correct address in all its dim red tint.
6 pm. Want to take a quick photo that will amaze those back home in Scotland, Serbia or Denmark? Then quickly head to the Haus der Kunst on the southern edge of the English Garden, where (only really good!) surfers can be found at the Eisbach wave try. This is the world's most constant, biggest and best river wave in a major city. Second Instagram opportunity, no less spectacular: the Old Utting used to be an Ammersee steamer before it was placed across a discarded railroad line in Munich's Schlachthof district and given a new lease of life in 2018 as a quirky mix of café and bar. The two alternative sights are not that far apart, you can manage that.
8 pm. A day without soccer? Can't be. Let's go to the fan zone in the Olympic Parkwhere all 51 European Championship matches will be broadcast live. The motto of the party is "Munich celebrates Europe". And maybe one or two people will even dare to try out the Flying Fox, which has been set up especially for the Fan Zone. With this device, you can surf from the top of the Olympiaberg on a zip line to the Olympic swimming pool. 400 meters long, 50 kilometers per hour fast. Wow!
Cover picture: Perfect for a walk in between - the Olympic Park in Munich © scaliger - stock.adobe.com
