I kicked off the day at Marienplatz, which is basically Munich’s answer to a movie set. Clock tower? Check. Dramatic neo-Gothic town hall? Check. Tourists craning their necks to film the Glockenspiel? Triple check. I missed the show, but the clock itself was gorgeous anyway!

I then wandered over to Mariensäule, the big golden Mary column that kind of screams “Instagram me.” Then I popped into St. Peter’s Church. Next came a slow stroll down Residenzstraße, where I admired window displays I couldn’t afford, followed by Maximilianstraße aka Munich’s luxury catwalk, and finally, I landed at Odeonsplatz, which looks like someone teleported a chunk of Florence into Bavaria.

Saturday morning, things got more serious (but still fascinating) at Feldherrnhalle, where Hitler’s failed coup took place in 1923. It’s surreal standing in a square that once helped shape world history. But the best moment? Finding Viscardigasse, the tiny, golden-cobblestoned alley behind it. Back in the day, locals used this alley to avoid walking past Nazi guards and having to give the salute. It’s literally called “Drückebergergasse”, or “Shirker’s Alley”.

Then I wandered into the peaceful Hofgarten, where flowers bloom, musicians play, and tucked inside is the White Rose Memorial, honoring the student resistance group that defied the Nazi regime. It’s small, subtle, and deeply moving. The nearby Kriegerdenkmal, a memorial to WWI soldiers, added to the reflective mood.

Next, I made the weirdly casual walk past Prinzregentenplatz 16, the actual site of Hitler’s Munich apartment. It’s just… there. No plaque, no fanfare. Just another apartment building with a disturbing backstory. To shake that off, I headed to Karolinenplatz, home to the massive Obelisk, then over to Königsplatz, where neoclassical buildings like the Propyläen, the Glyptothek, and the Staatliche Antikensammlungen (say that three times fast) make you feel like you’ve time-traveled to ancient Greece via Bavaria.

Just when I thought I couldn’t fit in more walking, I saw the Angel of Peace monument, which perches above Munich like its own little guardian. The view? Glorious. The vibe? Reflective but in a “I’ve-earned-this” kind of way.

Sunday night, I caught an overnight train back to Berlin and headed home with a camera full of photos and a bag full of souvenirs.