Get the inside scoop on where to go in the Bavarian capital from a local expert: our Chauffeur of the Month for February, Murtaza.
Murtaza knows Munich like the back of his hand. He should; he was born and raised in the southern German city and has been driving visitors around his hometown for the past five years. Starting as a taxi driver in 2014, he now chauffeurs guests for Blacklane and loves to offer his guests an insider’s guide to the city.
“A big important thing is the knowledge about the city, because during the ride many of our customers ask ‘What is this on the right?’, ‘What is on the left?’, ‘Could you tell me a little about Munich during the ride?’,” said Murtaza.
“Munich is very big, it has a population of 1.3 million, and everybody, everybody, can find something in Munich.”
There’s nothing like seeing a city through the eyes of a local, so here are some of Murtaza’s recommendations for hotels, food, activities, and more.
Where to stay
“If the passenger asks me which hotel I can recommend, I would say a hotel in the Altstadt (the Old Town) because there you find all kinds of possibilities, it’s a very good location. You have a lot of good restaurants nearby, you find traditional food, you find historical things…”
Just a few of the many great hotels in the Altstadt include Hotel Torbräu, a historic hotel first opened in 1490 (but fully renovated since then, of course), Cortiina Hotel, a beautiful and modern design hotel, and Mandarin Oriental Munich, a luxury hotel with eastern influences.
What to eat
“We have, I think, the best beer worldwide. I would suggest
Schweinshaxe is roasted ham hock, also called pork knuckle. For a truly Bavarian meal, order it with some sauerkraut and either fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) or Knödel, German potato dumplings.
Munich’s Hofbräuhaus was so successful, there are now 24 Hofbräuhauses scattered across the globe from Seoul, South Korea to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Of course, the ultimate experience has to be at the original in Munich, which was built nearly 500 years ago.
Where to go
“I would most recommend Schloss Nymphenburg, you can spend a whole day there. It’s a very big castle with really beautiful gardens.”
Built in 1679, Nymphenburg Palace was the summer house of the House of Wittelsbach, the Bavarian royal family. There are 20 stunning rooms in the main palace, and even the hunting lodge is decorated in fabulous Rococo style. The sizable grounds also include two small lakes.
“If you love cars (we have a lot of American guests who love cars) then I would suggest visiting the BMW museum, their headquarters are in Munich, and you can see there all the historical cars and opposite of the BMW museum is BMW Welt with all the new models.”
The massive museum has seven exhibition houses just for its permanent installments, and that’s not even counting special exhibitions, all of which offer an impressive view of more than 100 years of vehicle manufacturing. At BMW Welt, you can see all the company’s latest innovations and even futuristic concept cars.
“On the way from the airport to the city center, you go past the Allianz soccer stadium, and if you pass it at night, it’s lit up very nice. You can also book tours to see everything of the stadium.”
The cloud-like exterior of Allianz Arena is made up of puffy plastic panels that are usually lit up in red or blue.If there’s a particularly important match going on, you might see the entire structure lit in the colors and patterns of the competing teams.
Seasonal attractions
“Depending on the time you’re planning to visit, for example if you are here during Oktoberfest which is once a year for two weeks, and during Christmas, we have a lot of nice Christmas markets.”
A Bavarian tradition since 1810, Oktoberfest is a two-week festival with fairs, markets, traditional dress, and the main event, lots of Bavarian beer. If you’re visiting in the winter, sipping some Glühwein (mulled wine) and perusing the Christmas market stalls is sure to get you in the holiday spirit.
“In the south of Germany we have lots of green, we have a lot of mountains, and within 45 minutes you can reach some beautiful areas where you can walk a little bit, have some good beers, eat traditional food.”
Ammersee is a beautiful lake that’s a hidden treasure, as most visitors tend to go to Starnberger See instead. Book a Blacklane chauffeur service in Munich and you will be just a simple drive away from the beautiful mountains along the Austrian border, where you can enjoy a picnic amongst the area’s gorgeous nature. If you have the time you can even drive to Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for the iconic Disney logo, in around three hours.
Blacklane's Chauffeur of the Month
Murtaza has been a Blacklane chauffeur for more than a year and enjoys showing guests around his hometown of Munich.
