Not to miss

Alte Pinakothek

Munich's main repository of Old European Masters, the Alte Pinakothek is stuffed with all the major players that decorated canvases between the 14th and 18th centuries. It's in a neoclassical temple masterminded by Leo von Klenze and is a delicacy even if you can't tell your Rembrandt from your Rubens. Nearly all the paintings were collected or commissioned by Wittelsbach rulers and mirror their eclectic tastes over the centuries. It fell to Ludwig I to unite the bunch in a single museum.

The collection is world famous for its exceptional quality and depth, especially when it comes to German masters. The oldest works are altar paintings, of which the Four Church Fathers by Michael Pacher and Lucas Cranach the Elder's Crucifixion (1503), an emotional rendition of the suffering Jesus, stand out.

A key room is the Dürersaal upstairs. Here hangs Albrecht Dürer's famous Christlike Self-Portrait (1500), showing the gaze of an artist brimming with self-confidence. His final major work, The Four Apostles, depicts John, Peter, Paul and Mark as rather humble men in keeping with post-Reformation ideas. Compare this to Matthias Grünewald's Sts Erasmus and Maurice, which shows the saints dressed in rich robes like kings.

For a secular theme, inspect Albrecht Altdorfer's Battle of Alexander the Great (1529), which captures in dizzying detail a 6th-century war pitting Greeks against Persians.

There's a choice bunch of Dutch masters, including an altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden called The Adoration of the Magi, plus The Seven Joys of Mary by Hans Memling, Danae by Jan Gossaert and The Land of Cockayne by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Rubens fans also have reason to rejoice. At 6m in height, his epic Last Judgment is so big that Klenze custom-designed the hall for it. A memorable portrait is Hélène Fourment (1631), a youthful beauty who was the ageing Rubens' second wife.

The Italians are represented by Botticelli, Rafael, Titian and many others, while the French collection includes paintings by Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain and François Boucher. The Spaniards field such heavy hitters as El Greco, Murillo and Velázquez.

Budget at least two hours for a visit.

Marienplatz

The heart and soul of the Altstadt, Marienplatz, is a popular gathering spot and packs a lot of personality into its relatively small frame. It's anchored by the Mariensäule (Mary's Column), built in 1638 to celebrate victory over Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War; it's topped by a golden statue of the Virgin Mary balancing on a crescent moon.

At 11:00 and noon (also 17:00 March to October), the square jams up with tourists craning their necks to take in the animated Glockenspiel (carillon) in the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall), a neo-Gothic fantasy festooned with gargoyles, statues and a dragon scaling the turrets; the tourist office is on the ground floor. For pinpointing Munich's landmarks without losing your breath, catch the lift up the 85m-tall tower.

The carillon has 43 bells and 32 figures that perform two actual historic events. The top half tells the story of a knight's tournament held in 1568 to celebrate the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lothringen, while the bottom half portrays the Schäfflertanz. If you want to see the show at eye level, head to the top floor of the Hugendubel bookstore or snag a table at the Café Glockenspiel.

Nymphenburg Palace

If the Residenz hasn't satisfied your passion for palaces, visit the amazing Schloss (Palace) Nymphenburg. Begun in 1664 as a villa for Electress Adelaide of Savoy, the amazing palace and gardens were continually expanded and built upon over the next century to create the royal family's summer residence.

The main palace building consists of a main villa and two wings. The rooms are all sumptuous, but one of the most majestic is the Schönheitengalerie (Gallery of Beauties) in the south wing, formerly the apartments of Queen Caroline. It's now the home of 36 portraits of beautiful women chosen by an admiring King Ludwig I.

Also in the south wing are the coaches and riding gear of the royal families, suitably displayed in the Marstallmuseum (Royal Stables Museum). Ludwig II's over-the-top sleigh fitted with oil lamps for his nocturnal outings is not to be missed.

The north wing is occupied by the Museum Mensch und Natur (Museum of Humankind & Nature). This is a fun place to bring children for the interactive, if aged, displays on the animal kingdom, planet earth and the mysteries of the human body (German only).