Two-Hour Munich Monuments Walk, Munich, Germany

Munich can be a tough-go. A lot of travelers use it as a home base for getting to Salzburg, Neuschwanstein, Dachau, Nuremberg, and other World War II sites. Munich itself gets bogged down by tourists at the end of September for the annual Oktoberfest, but this expat does not really recommend you waste your time, money, or energy on the Munich version unless you want to be rampaged by millions of other drunk tourists. The better - and much more authentic, populated by jolly Germans - "Oktoberfest" parties are found elsewhere, but that's for another post on another day.

München. It's not one of my favorite European cities, but it does grow on me each chance I get to spend the day there. I am happy to say I finally have a reasonable and interesting two-hour loop to get acquainted with Munich's history and identity that I know I will continue to enjoy taking my friends and family on for many years to come.

No matter the season, just dress for the weather - especially your shoes - and join the Germans and tourists milling about the streets of Munich. Most European cities are best met on foot, and Munich is no exception!

The most efficient plan if you're coming from out of town is to begin at the Munich Hauptbahnhof no later than 10:30 in the morning. If you're already in town somewhere, grab a quick pastry or pretzel breakfast in one of the lovely Deutsch bakeries, and make your way by foot or via subway to Marienplatz. Our day begins here, in the heart of Munich, at 11:00. Wait for the huge Neues Rathaus clocktower to strike 11:00, and the dancing and jousting figurines to come to life in the giant version of a traditional German cuckoo clock. The whole "show" takes about ten minutes. I recommend turning off your phone and just watching the figures with your own two eyeballs and use your memory to experience it. Then you can laugh off the rest of the tourists who are glued to their phones, creating a video they will probably never watch again! ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).