We arrived in Munich and made our way to our hotel, near Marienplatz. The building here is the old town hall.
We settled in for a “lunch” of pretzels and brats.
During our time in Munich, we had our fill of pretzels, brats, and German beer.
After lunch, we set out to explore the city.
We made our way to the English Garden, a large park in the city. There is a river that runs through the park where locals surf on a wave.
After exploring the area around the park, we made our way back to old town.
We were excited to visit the famous Hofbrauhaus.
Inside Hofbrauhaus
We found a really good German restaurant in old town for dinner that we ended up revisiting later in our trip.
American portions are large. German portions are huge.
After dinner, we walked around the pedestrian area before heading back to the hotel for the night.
The next day, we planned a trip out to Neuschwanstein. We caught a train that ran through the Bavarian countryside. It was very picturesque.
Our tour included guided tours of both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, both located within a short walk of each other.
To go inside, you have to book a guided tour, and photography is not allowed.
After the tour inside, we had time to walk around the area before our Neuschwanstein tour.
We were thankful we had booked our tour in advance. The ticket line was not appealing.
We made our way to Neuschwanstein, the iconic castle that the Disney castle was modeled after.
Outside Neuschwanstein
There are trails that run around the castle that provide sweeping views of the area.
After our tour, we found a small restaurant and had a King Ludwig beer, which was fitting since he was responsible for the castles.
Waiting on our train back to Munich. The map was a little confusing and we weren’t 100% sure we were waiting on the correct train at this point. Lisa was studying for NP school the whole time. Such discipline!
Back in Munich
We had one more full day to explore Munich before heading back to Venice. We were excited to check out one of the oldest markets in Munich – Victuals Market.
The market has been held daily since 1807.
Karlsplatz, a large square in Munich.
There are a couple of towers you can visit in Munich to get an overhead view. We decided to tour the Old Town Hall.
The view from the tower in Old Town Hall.
Frauenkirche, from the tower at Old Town Hall.
After a day of walking around Munich and visiting various churches and squares, we ended our last evening back at Hofbräuhaus.
Hofbräuhaus does not disappoint. There is a festive vibe here all the time.
Walking back to our hotel for one more night in Munich.
Our last meal in Munich before heading back to the airport was delightful. We picked Ayinger for a quintessential German meal.
The subway stations in Munich were very clean.
Waiting on the metro for the airport. It was sad to leave Munich, but we were excited to have another day in Venice.
One last flight over the Austrian/German/Italian Alps
It was cloudy and overcast flying into Venice, but the city was still viewable from the plane as we were landing.
We were surprised with a bottle of prosecco on our return to Venice. We returned to the same hotel, which we would highly recommend – Duodo Palace Hotel.
Italian/Venetian food was very different than the German food we had been eating the previous few days.
It was nice to be back in Venice.
During our last day in Venice, we booked a tour of the Museum at St. Mark’s and the Cathedral Tower, Campanile di San Marco.
The view from the top of the tower.
St. Mark’s Square from above.
Looking southeast, towards Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
A view from St. Mark’s square from the Basillica
The famous bronze horses of St. Mark’s Basilica. There are replicas outside now… the originals are kept safely inside.
After our scheduled tours, we decided to “get lost” one last time. We tried to make our way further from the central tourist district, away from the crowds.
We stumbled upon a ceramics shop, where the owner was quite fond of persian cats.
Lisa was really interested in what was in this abandoned building.
It was nice to find a “real” square in Venice, away from the cruise boat crowds.
There is a small portion of the city where cars and buses are present. This is just past the bridge to the city from the mainland.
Across from the train station in Venice.
Back at our hotel before one last dinner in Venice.
One last gelato from Fantasy
Back on the ferry to the airport for an early morning flight back home.
Wonderful photos! Munich looks so different without the snow but is another type of beautiful! These photos brought back great memories.
And I saw my cup in the photos from Italy!!!
Really enjoyed these!