Munich Bavaria, Germany Trip + Tips

Munich Bavaria is a beautiful wealthy first-world town. Everything is thought out and of course “in ordnung” (in order). The city is very flat so you are never challenged by hilly terrain. There are sidewalk bike lanes and cars do not congest the inner city. Walking around in fine weather could not be more pleasant. This is the second time I’ve been to Germany in the last two years. Here in Munich (and Berlin as well), I have never seen so many people using wheelchairs, just being out and about visibly living their lives than anywhere else in my travels. This includes the U.S.

The hotel I stayed at was Mercure Hotel Munich—City Center. This is part of an international chain. It was located near the central train station in an older, post-WW2 building. This is remarkable because the room was spacious, with large windows that open to the outside. This is a real treat for those used to seeing modern hermetically sealed hotels. The “accessible” bathroom was also ginormous with the standard accoutrements. (You will see it took four photographs to pan thru the main features of the bathroom.) Something you do not see in the US is a sink mirror, while placed high for standing folk, can wind down to an angle for seated persons.

It is a little difficult to fully evaluate public transportation. The S-Bahn and U-Bahn worked fine, and there are many accessible stations. Going by foot was always an easy option. My reservation for full praise is because there was a lot of renovation reconstruction going on. Thus with the printed maps I had, I sometimes got stymied because a station was out of commission. Alas, first-world problems. Going to and fro the airport on the U-ban was a breeze. There did seem to be some height inconsistency between the platform and the train. Be mindful of that. Overall on my scale, getting around was better than New York City and maybe a bit better than Chicago.

On my three-day stay, I saw the BMW Museum, and Deutsches Museum, and walked in the Englischer Garten. All are unremarkable for accessibility. The nature of getting around is commensurate with the nature of the facility. The redone BMW museum is two or three years old. The DM is the world’s largest, classic science and technology museum started over 100 years ago. The Englischer Garten is a mildly wild, generally flat, large urban park.

Shopping too is no different than in the United States. Navigating in stores is only awkward if the building is old. Accessible bathrooms are clearly labeled, with often a stand-alone “Family/ Disabled” option, in the same density as you will find in the States.

Let me tell you there are no barriers to getting authentic Bavarian Bier, Brot, und Bratwurst.