Munich: beer, skiing and new technologies? Yes, but not only…

From two hours with no upper limit, though I recommend three hours: enough for a fairly thorough discovery without overloading your brain.

At your own pace, following your interests, for as long as you like: the perfect tour for a first stay, whether as a couple, with family, with friends or with colleagues. The old town, the different districts, the parks – there are plenty of options and you decide. The tour is usually on foot, since most of it takes place in the pedestrian zone, and it ends with advice for the rest of your stay.

Yes, this terrible period began here. Sites connected with the regime are numerous in Munich. The tour places the rise of the movement and its seizure of power in their historical and urban context. We will look closely at the reasons that brought Hitler to power. We will also visit (except on Sundays) the memorial to the White Rose, the visionary resistance movement that came to a tragic end but holds lessons for the future of Germany and Europe.

With its excellent infrastructure and many green spaces, Munich is ideal to explore on two wheels. Parks and the banks of the Isar lead us to many sights without effort, as the city is very flat – no need for an e-bike! Not forgetting refreshing breaks in the many beer gardens, where between two stretches you can enjoy a “Radler”, the cyclists' beer. By bike, the other tours on this page can also be partly combined.

Nymphenburg is the summer palace of the Wittelsbach family and the birthplace of Ludwig II of Bavaria. Besides the oversized Baroque and Rococo palace, the park has many remarkable and very rare trees, some of them listed as natural monuments, extraordinary pavilions, the carriage museum, which holds quite a few surprises, and an exhibition of locally made porcelain.

Only from 15 April to 15 October, as the pavilions are closed in winter, which makes the visit less interesting.

N.B.: besides this unique place, its main patron also built another palace north of Munich, dedicated to his military glory: Schleissheim. Close to the aviation branch of the Deutsches Museum, one of the world's leading museums of technology, the site is surprising, and hardly any tourists go there. Striking, especially if you visit both sites, which make for an improbable contrast.

The possibilities are endless: Berchtesgaden and Hitler's Eagle's Nest, the salt mines, the castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria, cruises on the lakes or Rococo churches nestled in the countryside, small medieval towns and villages with painted façades, Benedictine monasteries… you will be spoilt for choice.

What better way to get a feel for a place's culture than tasting its local produce? Bavarian cuisine has changed a great deal in recent decades, but first you have to try the classics, which I won't reveal here – I'm sure you already have an idea! Among other things, we will stroll through the largest open-air market in Germany, without forgetting the local tradition: the beer garden!

Locals speak of “laptop and lederhosen”. Mixing tradition and modernity, Munich combines its attachment to the past with a determination to keep up with the times. The sites are spread out, so you will need a car, public transport or bikes. We will discover the Olympic Park (created in the 1960s, yet so contemporary), the BMW site, the Werksviertel (factory district) in full transformation and the Bahnwärter Thiel area, a hotspot of techno culture and European street art, with a few surprises…

No problem – I know all the peaks in the region. They are lower than in my native Haute-Savoie, but as I have got older, a climb of 600 to 800 metres suits me perfectly. But beware: I am not a high-mountain guide, and there is no climbing involved. Nor will I take you ski touring, for obvious safety reasons. What I offer is a relaxed hike with majestic scenery and a well-deserved beer on a terrace at the end. Summer and winter alike – in winter with crampons. In some cases, we can come down by cable car.