I'm back from a long trip to Europe, visiting Germany and Poland, mainly for the Christmas markets, but also for some WWII history, and another volleyball match! Our itinerary was to fly from Singapore to Munich where we spent 3 nights, then travel to Berlin via train where we spent another 3 nights. From Germany to Poland, we took a flight from Berlin to Krakow with a layover in Warsaw because there strangely weren't direct flights, spending 3 nights in Krakow before taking a train to Lodz for the vball match, then taking an Uber car ride to Warsaw where we spent 2 nights, and flew back to Singapore. Our open jaw flight from Sg to Munich and Warsaw to Sg on Qatar airlines cost around $1.5k sgd per person, and our flight from Berlin to Krakow on LOT airlines cost slightly more than $200 sgd per person.
Part 1 will be on Germany, where we visited Munich with a day trip to Neuschwanstein, a short stopover at Nuremberg, as well as Berlin.
Day 1. Travelling to Munich.
We took Qatar airlines for the first time, and they kept feeding us! The first leg from Sg to Doha was about 7h and we had a small packet of pretzels, dinner, and then another snack. Stopover in Doha for about 2h, then had to take a bus from the boarding gate to the plane. The second leg of the flight started with the snack, then breakfast.
Finally we landed in Munich at close to 7am. The customs officer asked so many questions, but luckily I had all the docs prepared. Did some changing from flight wear to winter wear and we were on our way to our hotel, Mercure Munich City Center, which is near the central train station. I originally intended to just leave our luggage and go out, but somehow the room would be ready in 15min so we could check in early!
Since it was a Sunday, certain things like Viktualienmarkt are closed, so I could only do the things which were open. Started with a traditional Bavarian breakfast with white sausages and pretzel at Schneider Brauhaus. It's a typical beer hall with abysmal service (you really have to flag them down), but that's just the way it is. The white sausages were very interesting, tasted a little like fishcake to us.
Headed over to Asamkirche after, which is tiny (and the exterior was renovating), but the interior was super fancy.
Just a short walk away is Sendlinger Tor which is a city gate.
From there, we took the tram to Nymphenburg Palace. It was a snowy day but it was still pretty.
Visited the palace to learn about Bavarian history, and the most memorable part was the second wife of Karl Theodore who did not obey his orders and did not bear him a son, but instead became a property agent and stock trader after his death LOL. We bought the combined ticket which also gives entry to the Marstallmuseums displaying the carriages used by the royals. In the summer, there are more places in the gardens to visit but everything's closed in winter.
Next few stops in the itinerary were all around Marvoxstadt. Stopped by Man vs Machine coffee, a very popular cafe for specialty coffee with hardly any seating. We tried the flat white which had good reviews from my fam. I'm a flavoured latte person which doesn't seem to be a thing in Germany, so I got the hot choc which was pretty good too.
Then headed to Alte Pinakothek which is the old art museum, and it's only 1 eur on Sundays! Saw lots and lots of art. Also saw Van Gogh's Sunflowers which I could have sworn I've seen in another museum.
By now it was about 5pm and the sun had set since it's winter. Final stop of the day was NZ Dokumentation Center to learn about the history of the Nazi party. Free admission! I have huge interest in WWII history so it was a super interesting history lesson for me. Managed to finish just before 7 when the museum closes.
For dinner, we went to Augustiner Braustuben for a traditional Bavarian dinner. Ordered a mixed meat platter and this spinach ravioli, as well as kaiserschmarrn for dessert which is like small shredded pancakes.
Day 2. Monday, the day which the Christmas markets open!
Started the day at Viktualienmarket, but many stores were not opened yet.
So headed to Sweet Spot Kaffee for specialty coffee and a cinnamon roll.
Then headed to Cafe Frischhut for their famous donuts. I asked for an english menu and the waitress was like I don't have an english menu, I'll just bring 3 different pastries for you to try. One was the traditional donut which was SUPER nice (like a mega upgraded youtiao), then the modern donut which is like a bombolini, and then finally some raspberry filled bread thing. Definitely worth trying!
Walked over to St Peter's church where I paid 5 eur to climb the tower (approximately 12 floors) for pretty views while my parents sat and chilled in the church.
Next, headed the main square, Marienplatz, to watch the glockenspiel show at 11am.
And went up the Old Town Hall for views again. but this time it was by elevator so no exercise haha.
Headed back to Viktualienmarkt to get the recommended Luigino's panini and it was truly so good.
Next stop was the Frauenkirche, which is very pretty from outside and not so impressive inside.
And then finally it was time to eat and shop at the Christmas market. Tried gluhwein which is hot mulled wine and it was surprisingly nice! More importantly, I was eyeing this adorable boot cup that I saw people carrying. You pay a deposit when you buy the wine and you get it back if you return the mug, but if you want to keep the mug then you just forfeit the deposit. Also tried currywurst and this chocolate coated fruit which seem to be a quintessential Christmas market food item.
After much eating, headed over to Munich Residenz with some difficulty because the entrance to the Residenz Museum is different from the actual Residenz on Google Maps. Got tickets to the treasury and the Residenz. The treasury was quite a short tour but the Residenz was suuuper long. We were like the last guests in and they were closing the doors after we finished each room lol. But damn, some of the halls (esp the older ones) were truly impressive.
We were chased out around 455pm as they close at 5pm, so next order of affairs was the Residenz Christmas market! Very very pretty lit up. Tried a pork skewer, garlic baguette and some tomato mozarella on some bread/pastry thing which was very yums.
And to complete the Christmas market hopping, headed over to Wittelsbachersplatz which is more medieval with people dressing up. Tried the crepe and some nuts here.
By now it started snowing so we decided to head back to the hotel and drop by Lidl because every holiday needs a visit to the supermarket.
Day 3. Day trip to Neuschwanstein.
When planning the trip, there was only one slot with tickets available in the 3 days we're in Munich so I just decided to buy it, and it was for 2.55pm. And wow, it was an ordeal.
We started the day by heading to the train station to buy the Bavaria regional ticket first, paying 45 euros for three of us to travel on all regional and local lines from 9am that day to 3am the next day.
Quickly walked over to Julius Brantner to buy some bread cos its a famous bakery that apparently supplies to michelin restaurants.
Then headed to Cotidiano Promenadeplatz for a heavy breakfast. We got the hummus toast with grilled veg, and a pretzel croissant with eggs and smoked salmon, and wow the portions were HUGE. So good and satisfying. And it wasn't very pricey even with two drinks.
Quickly headed back to the Bahnof to catch the 9.41am train to Fuessen. All the tourists are taking the same train so it's hard to miss. It's a 2h journey so we arrived at 11.41.
From there, there is another bus to take to Schwangau, and then either horse carriage or walk up to the Neuschwanstein castle. Unfortunately, it happened to be a day with very heavy snow, so the shuttle buses weren't running, and the Marienbucke viewpoint was also closed.
Since our tickets were only at 2.55pm, I thought there was plenty of time, and I didn't want to spend too much time waiting around in the heavy snow outside the castle. So we went to the pretty Fuessen town, took many pretty pictures, shopped around, bought way too many schneeballs, then stopped by a bakery for a light bite, before going back to the train station.
Then I realised the buses depart EVERY HOUR, and the next bus was only at 2.05pm. By the time we reached Schwangau, it was already around 2.15pm, and was initially a little lost as I didn't see any horses and everyone just seemed to walk up which would take over 40 minutes, probably longer in the thick snow. Finally found the line waiting for horse carriages after asking the info counter. Each horse carriage can fit maybe 14 people, so we had to wait for a third carriage before it was our turn. By now it was already 2.40pm.
The ride took around 10min (8 eur/person), and from the drop off point, there's another 5-10min uphill climb to reach the entrance. I started exercising this year so I managed to run up and reached the entrance at 2.54pm. Unfortunately, my parents are older and not as fit, plus the snow was CRAZY. They arrived around 2.58pm, and we were directed to go in but didn't realise that we had to scan the QR code on the ticket at the turnstiles, and we missed our tour. Luckily, they allowed us to change our tickets and join a later tour at 3.15pm, so the tickets didn't go to waste.
The tour itself was via an audio guide and pretty short, probably less than 30 minutes. And the tour guide was more concerned with keeping the rules lol. After the guided tour, there were some additional small exhibits, and souvenir shopping.
So..next ordeal, getting down. By now it was about 4.30pm, and the horse carriages weren't running anymore, so we had to walk 30min downhill in the thick snow. The bus was going to take a long time to come, it was getting dark and there weren't any taxis in sight so we were kind of stranded. Luckily, there's a hotel right at the foot of the hill, and the receptionist was super kind to help us call a taxi, so managed to go back to Fuessen town.
Headed to a restaurant called Gasthaus zum Schwanen, and enjoyed a really nice dinner.
From there, it was a short walk back to the train station for the 7.20pm train back to Munich. At 7pm, there was already a train parked there but the destination was another place (not Munich) and I was so confused! Luckily we asked and realised that the back carriages stop midway and get left behind, while only the front carriages (which was actually further away from the waiting area) go on to Munich. And then the train was delayed -_- Finallyyy got back to Munich at 9.50pm and luckily our hotel is just a 3min walk away. But wow what an adventure! Never experienced such heavy snow before.
Day 4. Leaving Munich to travel to Berlin with a stop at Nuremberg.
We were supposed to take the 7.18am train and arrive in Nuremberg at 8.30am. Enjoyed our Julius Brantner goods which we bought the previous day for breakfast.
Unfortunately, the train was delayed (noticing a pattern now) and our 1h journey turned into 2.5h, so we only arrived at 10am!! I was extremely annoyed because we already had limited time in Nuremberg.
Anyway, managed to find the luggage storage (next to Lidl), and walked over to the Old Town. The Christmas market only starts on 1 Dec but all the decor was already up!
Bought tons of lebkuchen or gingerbread cookie which Nuremberg is famous for.
Then went to a cafe for a quick tea break.
Also tried the Nuremberg sausages!
Headed to take pics at the pretty Weissgerbergasse street, then walked up to see the castle, but skipped going in since we were short on time :(
My main interest in coming to Nuremberg was because of the Nuremberg trials (we learn about Nuremberg code for ethical research in medicine), so quickly headed over to the Memorium of the Nuremberg Trials. Visited courtroom 600, which is the court where the top Nazi criminals were tried. Super fascinating and important piece of history which I think everyone should know about.
Had to speed through in less than 2h because our train to Berlin was at 3pm, only to find out that of course, it was delayed again.
We arrived in Berlin, and I bought the 24h group ticket as I needed to take one more stop to get to our hotel, Hotel Eurostars Berlin, which is really near the Friedrichstrasse station.
After checking in, we headed out to Alexanderplatz for the Christmas market. It was snowing like crazy so we just quickly bought some food and went to Primark to hide and shop haha.
I wanted to try the kebab but doner is apparently beef + lamb (we don't eat beef), and I saw Ruyam being super recommended for their gemuse (chicken) kebab so travelled a few train stops to try it. It was humongous and super cheap and good. Worth it!
Day 5. Full day exploring Berlin.
Started the day super early with a timed visit to Reichstag, the German parliament building with a fancy dome. It's a 15min walk from our hotel so we just walked, and wow the views are very pretty, though it was COLD.
Also, because everywhere is under renovation, the
entrance was on the opposite side from where we were so we were slightly
late but it was fine. There's security check before entering, and then
we take an elevator up. There's an audio guide which explains which
building you're looking at as you go up the spiral ramp but
unfortunately, the snow was blocking everything. But the structure
itself is still pretty.
Brunch was at annelies, but we took a long time to get there because of (another!) train delay. After eventually making it there, we had to wait in line in the cold for like 15min before getting a seat. It was worth it cos the pancakes were amazing. Also tried their scrambled eggs on toast, this super unique salad, as well as coffee and hot choc and it was all super good.
Next stop was Checkpoint Charlie, which is just a photo-op.
Followed by Topography of Terror which is another very good museum on WWII history.
A short walk is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, where we also visited the information center.
Headed to Brandenburg Gate which is like the symbol of Berlin, except it was under reno lol.
Continuing with our packed itinerary, we took the train to Museum Island where I had booked a 3pm visit to the very pretty Berliner Dom (cathedral). I think you can usually climb it for nice panoramic views, but it was closed due to heavy snow. Oh wells.
The famous Pergamon Museum closed at the end of October for several years, so we headed to the replacement called Panorama, and it was actually really cool!
Final museum of the day was the Neues Museum to see some prehistoric and ancient Egypt collections, most significantly the Bust of Nefertiti, which was really quite impressive.
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| Bust of Nefertiti righttt in the center |
Just opposite Museum Island is Bebelplatz which holds the main Christmas Market in Berlin. Had to pay 2 eur per person just to enter! But it was so pretty and there were performances as well. Tried some roasted duck, garlic toast, pulled pork burger and a soup. I was surprised that these Christmas markets are pretty pricey, not the cheap night market food we usually see in South East Asian countries.
Day 6. Last day in Germany, with another full day exploring Berlin.
Started the day by hunting for food. Went to Zeit Fur Brot bakery near Hackersher Markt to takeaway their famous cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next day.
Then headed to Father Carpenter for usual cafe breakfast fare.
Took the train to the Berlin Wall to take a gazillion photos and learn about the history of the wall.
Next stop was Kadewe, the second largest department store in Europe after Harrods in London. Honestly I was only interested in the food hall. Managed to buy some chocolates and have a quick bite at one of the cafes.
Followed by a quick visit to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which is a very interesting church that is in ruins but preserved that way to remind people of the horrors of WWII. Oh and there was ANOTHER Christmas market around this area.
Then another 30min journey to Charlottenburg palace to visit yet another palace and learn about some history. That porcelain room is truly impressive.
But most importantly, to visit the Charlottenburg Christmas market which was sooo beautiful with the palace as the backdrop. But it was also crazy cold and started snowing again! We had some gluhwein to get the mug as a souvenir and bought some food.
We decided to head back to the hotel as it was only around 5 plus at that time and our dinner reservation was only at 8.30pm. Also stopped by the supermarket Edeka at the train station on the way back to buy tons of snacks.
Took the tram from our hotel to have dinner at Peter Paul which serves german food, tapas style. I really like trying different dishes and we're small eaters so tapas style is perfect for us and all the food was so good! Highly recommended.
And that's the end of our Germany leg! Next post on the Poland leg which was another whirlwind.