Munich

The best-dressed, richest and thirstiest city in Germany - taking one of our short breaks to Munich will reveal all.

Powered by modern economic giants such as BMW and Siemens, yet retaining its fairy tale gothic architecture, the story of the Bavarian capital is a tale of two cities.

On one hand Munich couldn't be more refined. Must-see sights on city breaks to Munich are plentiful. In the Altstadt (Old Town) plump onion domes crown the city's gothic centrepiece - Frauenkirche Cathedral, manicured gardens surround the lavishly baroque Schloss Nymphenburg, and as if this wasn't enough, the city even developed its own architectural style - art nouveau inspired jugendstil.

Add in a constellation of Michelin-starred restaurants, a passion for café culture and more than 40 museums, our short breaks to Munich showcase an undeniably chic destination.

But that's only half the story, after all Munich is the home of the Oktoberfest which sees the city's population swelling to seven million as its famed beer gardens overflow with beer, sausages and sauerkraut.

Oompah music fills the air and you begin to wonder just how these two very different cities live together so comfortably.

As all travellers that opt for one of our city breaks to Munich will know, visiting the heart of the old town is a must; the Marienplatz is the city at its most colourful. Zip up by lift to the roof of the neo-gothic Neues Rathaus and the city spreads itself out majestically beneath a backdrop of jagged Alpine peaks.

Below stretches Maximilianstrasse, crammed with upmarket boutiques and pavement cafes, while to the west Munich's museum district boasts the country's richest cultural offerings, including the Pinakothek galleries (home to a vast collection of Rubens as well as Van Gogh's Sunflowers) and the technology-driven Deutsches Museum.

For a change of pace on your short break to Munich, relaxed afternoons can be whiled-away in Europe's largest city park - the Englischer Garten, or wandering among the chestnut trees and deer in Hirschgarten.