THE good thing about having a local airport that is expanding, rather than contracting, is the regular launching of new routes. BMI Regional recently started flying from Bristol to Munich, meaning you can now be in the capital of Bavaria in two hours.
Everyone knows this German powerhouse of a city for its world-famous Oktoberfest, but there’s so much more to Munich.
It’s the third largest city in Germany, and has a lot of culture besides that which can be found in giant tankards.
It’s a haven for opera, can boast some stunning architecture and has a wide range of galleries and museums.
For example, the Deutsches Museum, built on an island in the Rivr Isar, is the largest and one of the oldest science museums in the world.
It’s also the gateway to the Alps, which lie just a short distance to the south of the city.
In the mountains, should you go in the winter, are several ski resorts, mountain lakes and the famous fairytale castles of Bavaria.
Bayern Munich, the most successful of the city’s two football teams, took Europe by storm last season by winning the Champions League at Wembley.
If you’re a sports fan, take a tour of the club’s famous Allianz Arena, built with a cutting-edge design for the 2006 World Cup. It is home to Bayern and 1860 Munich, their rivals, and has an exterior that glows and changes colour.
You can take a standard arena tour, or go for the VIP option which involves sitting in the dugout and taking in the view from one of the executive boxes.
If that sounds like a bit of an effort, you can just stroll past the colourful food stalls of the Viktualienmarkt, washing down anything that takes your fancy in one of the city’s many beer halls.
Because having said it’s not all about beer, sampling the local brews is still a “must” when visiting Munich.
● BMI regional operates daily flights from Bristol Airport to Munich excluding Saturdays with rates starting from £148 return including taxes.
Two train lines take passengers from Munich Airport into the city. The Flughafen (Airport) stop is just steps from Terminal 1 and 2.
By bus, there are numerous routes connecting the airport with Munich, and other cities nearby. See the airport website (www.munich-airport.de/) for details.