'In Munich Stands a Hofbräuhaus'…or so, roughly translated, runs one well-known staple of Munich's beerhall sing-alongs. For many who've never visited this charming city (and perhaps, even for a few who have…) this, along with the even better-known Oktoberfest, an event which, to all intents and purposes, is little more than the Hofbräuhaus writ large, condensed into a month & transferred on to a circus ground, is pretty much all that Munich amounts to. Well, it isn't.

HISTORY: In the tenth century AD, a fraternity of monks settled the area where Munich stands today, naming their settlement 'Munichen', deriving from the German word for monk. Clearly enterprising types, they capitalised on their position at the banks of the River Isar, a vital trade route at the time, by levying a fee on everyone who crossed their bridge. This exercise proved lucrative, but the proverbial spanner was thrown when Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, established a new settlement nearby in 1158. He subsequently burnt down the Bishop's bridge and constructed one of his own to replace it, forcing a monopoly. Today, Henry is generally regarded as Munich's true founder, although the town's emblem still features a robed, Augustinian Monk, perhaps in homage to its original inhabitants. The cities rule was ultimately assumed by the royal Wittelsbach clan, a well-connected family with slightly embarrassing cultural pretensions, who held sway for over 400 years. The clan's final true head, the 'mad' and foppish King Ludwig II, perhaps best known for his various follies, drowned in suspicious circumstances in the Starnbergersee in 1886, aged just 41, but is still credited with commissioning some of Germany's most lavish and beautiful palaces. He also continued the cultural revolution begun by his ancestor, the first Ludwig, which had lead to Munich's becoming known, in the early 19th century, as an 'Athens on the Isar'. More recently, Munich is known for its regrettable association with the National-Socialist movement, and Hitler's failed 'Bier-Putsch' took place here in 1923. The city also hosted the ill-fated summer Olympics of 1972, which were marred by the actions of certain middle-eastern terrorists. Today, however, Munich is a vibrant, progressive, and cosmopolitan city, with one of Europe's best universities, and many of its finest artistic and architectural treasures. Bavarians are intensely proud of their heritage, proclaiming Bavaria a 'Free-State' at every opportunity, and frequently identifying themselves as Bavarians first, Germans second.

SHOPPING: Extending out from the Marienplatz in all directions is Munich's city centre, which hosts a fabulous assortment of specialty shops, boutiques, department stores and restaurants, as well as the ubiquitous bakeries and beer-halls. There are also a large number of antique dealers and antiquarian booksellers, as well as several excellent flea markets, mostly held on weekends. The 'Antikpalast', a little further afield near the Ostbahnhof, is Germany's largest Antique emporium, with hundreds of dealers and innumerable stalls. Munich, although having a reputation as an expensive city, is actually full of shopping bargains, especially when it comes to antiques. I bought a charming, late 17th Century fob watch from a little shop behind the Marienplatz a few years ago for 200DM, and it was subsequently valued at well-over £1,000. Being the careless poseur that I was in my twenties, I took to carrying it around with me, in place of my usual, battered old swatch, until one day I was foolish enough to stash it in the back pocket of my jeans, and then to sit on it. Perhaps I'd still get that 200DM back, or rather, its Euro equivalent, on Ebay.de, but it's certainly not a foregone conclusion…
Anyway, moving swiftly along, there are also a number of first-rate enclosed and open-air food markets in the city. The Viktualienmarkt, Munich's oldest and largest open-air market, is little short of a Foodie-Paradise, with no less than 22,000 square metres of cheese, fresh fruit, seafood, and countless local beers and sausages to sample, as well as flowers and handcrafts. A couple of other exceptional markets include the Dallmayr & the Elisabethmarkt, named after an Austrian Empress. Much levity surrounds the Elisabethmarkt's so-called 'Milch-huette', or 'Milk Hut', originally founded to provide an alternative to alcoholic beverages, and to keep public drunkenness in check, but since converted into a rather rowdy beer-garden…

The BMW museum, located beneath a distinctive, futuristic tower, is another popular tourist destination. Apparently it's very interesting, containing an example of practically every form the BMW brand has ever taken, be it on two, three or four wheels, as well as planes and other modes of transport. I can recall many a dreary Saturday afternoon spent here, listlessly wandering around amidst the exhibits, feigning interest when my father attempted to explain some fiendishly ingenious little piece of German engineering, impatiently awaiting an ice-cream from the stall near the exit… My brothers however, had a ball here, and enough people since have raved about the new, interactive exhibits that I feel compelled to mention it.

SURROUNDINGS: The Alps are actually visible from Munich's towers, especially on clear days, and in winter, the city is obviously very handy for the slopes. Garmisch is the nearest German ski resort, about 100km south, but there are far better options across the border in Austria, which are equally accessible. In summer, King Ludwig's
Castle at Neuschwannstein is a practically un-missable day-trip, if you can spare the time.

WHERE TO STAY: Like most cities of this size, Munich has a comprehensive array of accommodation on offer. The huge and grand Bayerischer Hof, founded in 1841, is located in the centre of the city, and is arguably one of the loveliest hotels in the world. Doubles start from 240 Euro, but rise fairly exponentially thereafter. At the other end of the scale, the Euro hostel, just spitting distance from Munich's main train station, has won numerous accolades both for its numerous freebies and facilities, as well as its location in a beautifully restored, listed building. Private doubles start from 25Euro. Further afield, the historic Schlosshotel Grünwald, is located not far from where I used to live, in a delightful, almost woodland setting overlooking the River Isar. It is only 25 mins from the city centre on the S7 train. I've stayed at this hotel before, and can't recommend it highly enough; it is also exceptionally good value for a hotel of this standard. Doubles start from 130Euro, and include a sumptuous Bavarian Breakfast. As a matter of interest, this is also the hotel where the children from the original version of 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory' stayed during filming in the early seventies.

FINALLY: People may tell you that the Victorians invented childhood, and perhaps they did, but I've never encountered a race so devoted to the notion as the Bavarians. The earliest examples of German mechanics, as displayed in museums, are frequently little toys, whether tweeting tin birds or painstakingly detailed little marching soldiers, and this seems to be no co-incidence. I remember a conversation I had, a few years ago, with a Bavarian publisher, discussing the co-edition of English children's books. She told me that most of the bestsellers for English-speaking toddlers would never make it onto the shelves in Bavaria, as they were too earnest, too self-consciously educational, too focused on early-learning. Children, she told me, ought to be children. Learning facts is for later. Germans are frequently assumed to excel at the latter, but their devotion to the former is less well known. In any case, when I was a child, Bavaria generally, and Munich more particularly, seemed the most exciting and magical places on earth. Our weekend playground was the countryside beyond, which resembled a scene from the Sound of Music. We fished in the rivers, and swam in the lakes, until they froze, that is, when we skated on them. We gorged on cakes, hid in forests, and indulged in all of the colourful little local festivals, some religious, others pagan, but all presenting useful pretexts for treats and for dressing-up.

I've been back to Munich a few times since I lived there, and loved it. There's more than enough to entrance any twenty-something, with its Oktoberfest, its markets, its clubs and bars, especially those near the University, and no shortage of things to keep visitors of any other age very happily occupied indeed, especially children. And although 'my' Munich will probably always be the one I experienced as a child, I'm always happy to go back and discover it anew, and always glad to find Munich just the same, if not even better.