Wombat's Hostel Berlin Review and Recommendation

Related posts:
- Historical Berlin plus a whole lot more -

- What You'll See in Munich Residenz -

- What to Expect in a Munich Beerhall Experience -

This is certainly a hostel worth raving and coming back for. The design was cool and friendly. The rooms and toilets were clean and maintained. The location was near a train station. There's free wifi in the lobby, a bar upstairs, coin laundries at the basement, and a restaurant which serves great food at the ground floor. I've been to many hostels and this is certainly one of the best! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The Facade

The Lobby

The Bar

The Room and Hallways

The Restaurant... gotta try the Schnitzel!

 

The Coin Laundries (my first time!)

And of course... The Rule! 

(Click to enlarge)

What to Expect in a Munich Beerhall Experience

Related posts:

- Historical Berlin plus a whole lot more -

- What You'll See in Munich Residenz -

- Wombat's Hostel Berlin Review and Recommendation -


I'm not a real fan of beer but I couldn't pass on a Munich Beerhall experience... after all this was the place that started Oktoberfest. Surprisingly, I liked the beer which was served that I was able to finish a stein by myself.


My experience was that of a "cultural" one because it was through an optional tour booked with Contiki. I paid EUR22 (Php1.4k) but I found it all worth it because it included a stein of beer, a meal (I chose Pork Knuckles a.k.a. Crispy Pata in the Philippines), and local cultural performances which made the tour all worth it for me. Here's a preview of what you can expect if you book such a tour or visit Münchner  Haupt by yourself (click photos to enlarge; click videos to watch):

Facade of the Münchner  Haupt - location of my beerhall experience

My Order: Pork Knuckles and a Stein of Beer (included in the tour cost)

Menu: 1 beer stein costs EUR7.8 (Php490); Sprite costs EUR4 (Php250)

Musical performance which was amusing to listen to. You have to play this!

Cultural dance which was fun to watch

Performers encourage everyone to Prost (German of Cheers) once in a while

The tune of Chicken Dance was played and brought everyone to a festive mood

Interiors of the Münchner Haupt

 

Münchner Haupt is located in: Zielstattstr. 6, 81379 München, Germany. You may contact them at +49 89/786940. 

Since Münchner Haupt is not in the city center, you may opt to visit Hofbräuhaus instead. This is a brewery owned by the state government and is located at Platzl 9, 80331 München, Germany. You may also call them at +49 89/290136 ext. 0.

Some trivia: the Hofbräuhaus in Munich was one of the beer halls used by the Nazi Party to declare policies and hold functions. On February 24, 1920, Adolf Hitler proclaimed the twenty-five theses of the National Socialist program at the Hofbräuhaus.

Facade of Hofbräuhaus

Interior of the Hofbräuhaus

This is just a glimpse of a beer hall experience that awaits you in Munich. You simply have to experience it for yourself!

What You'll See in Munich Residenz

Related posts:

- Historical Berlin plus a whole lot more -

- Wombat's Hostel Berlin Review and Recommendation -

- What to Expect in a Munich Beerhall Experience -


If there's two places you have to see in Munich because you only have a day or less, it would be a beerhall (no explanations needed and will be featured in a blog entry of its own) and the Munich Residenz. 

The Munich Residenz is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs in Munich's city center. It is the largest city palace in Germany and is open to visitors for its architecture and room decorations, and displays from the former royal collections.

Going to the Residenz is like going to Versailles in Paris without the crowd. You'll get to see similar room decorations and architecture. While you'll miss the grandeur of the gardens, the royalty of the fountain show, and the vastness of space, this will be compensated by an access to royal collections. To give a better idea of what I'm talking about, here are what you can expect to see (click the image to enlarge):

Antiquarium - Commissioned by Duke Albrecht V from 1568 to 1571 for his collection of antique sculptures

Treasury - Showcases the jewels, goldsmith's work, enamels, crystal objects and ivories collections of Bavarian rulers 

Bavarian royal insignia

Travelling set of Empress Marie Louise of France (silver-gilt,  gold, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and other materials; width of case 56 cm);  Martin Guillaume Biennais and workshop, Paris, 1812

Statuette of St George (gold, enamel, silver-gilt, diamonds, rubies,  emeralds, opals, agate, chalcedony, rock crystal and other precious stones, pearls; height 50 cm)

 

 

 

 

Baroque Ancestral Gallery - Over 100 portraits of members of the Wittelsbach family are let into the carved gilt panelling of the gallery.

Palace Rooms 

 

 

 

Court Church of All Saints - Inspired by King Ludwig I's visit to Palermo in 1823, when he was Crown Prince. After attending Midnight Mass in the palace chapel there, which is built in a mixture of Norman and Byzantine styles, he was allegedly so moved that he exclaimed: "That's the kind of court chapel I want!"

Courts

This was a very quick tour of the Munich Residenz because I only had half a day in Munich's city centre. The Residenz has a lot more to offer and I wished I had more time to savor the opulence of this palace. I promise to go back... can you blame me?

Most of the information here was taken from: http://www.residenz-muenchen.de