Road to the World Cup

Focus: Munich

The Stadium
The days of Munich’s vintage Olympic Stadium have come to an end. However, the city’s new soccer venue—the Allianz Arena—makes it easy to forget, as, according to current Bayern GM Uli Hoeness, it is “probably the world’s most beautiful stadium.” Designed by Swiss architects Herzog and DeMeuron, the Allianz Arena is covered by a plastic skin pervious to light and can be made to shine in different colors. Its 66,000 seats are subdivided into three levels and are all roofed. For the physically handicapped fans, the stadium, which is located in the borough of Fröttmaning, offers 200 special seats on the main level. There are 11,000 parking spaces nearby, including a total of 1,200 inside the stadium area. Construction of the new venue has cost the sum of approximately €280 million (about $350 million), which was evenly divided up between the city’s two major clubs, Bayern Munich and TSV Munich 1860. The stadium’s outstanding interior facilities include mini theme parks, three day-care centers for children, fan shops, offices and conference rooms, a large media area, as well as approximately 70,000 ft of restaurant space.

Where do I go if I don’t have tickets?
For the numerous fans not so fortunate to get tickets, the Bavarian capital will be offering first-class compensation in the historic Olympic Park in Munich-Schwabing. Centered around the old Olympic Stadium, the park will be hosting the highly anticipated “fan fest,” which will include the erection of Munich’s only official big screen on the lakeside amphitheater. Here, up to 20,000 soccer nuts will be able to follow all the World Cup matches live and in a truly unique atmosphere. In addition, the Olympic Park will be featuring numerous artists of pop, rock and jazz at the Theatron amphitheater, complementd by a program of international entertainment at a central stage area. And if you’re not content just enjoying a cold beer and yelling “Goooaaal” every once in a while, numerous local sports clubs are looking to offer a large-scale activity program that will be taking place parallel to the numerous sports already offered at the Olympic facilities.

Restaurants, Pubs and Nightlife
For lunch and dinner, you may want to head for the borough of Schwabing. This is the university district and it offers plenty of cafés, pubs and restaurants. Bobolovsky’s Tex-Mex food and big burgers are worth a try, especially as part of the all-you-can-eat buffet on Mondays. Another option is the Italian eatery Pasta e Basta, which surprises with great prices and even offers a variety of traditional Bavarian foods. However, if you prefer lunch the American way, the Hard Rock Café in the city’s Altstadt (historic district) may be just what you’re looking for. But what would a trip to Munich be without the world-famous beer gardens. Here’s just a sample of the numerous places to have a nice cold one in the hot summer. In the Innenstadt (city center), the Park-Café and the Viktualienmarkt have been popular for years, whereas Schwabing offers highlights such as Hierschau, Seehaus, Zum Aumeister or the beer garden at the Chinese Tower. However, if you prefer a cool pub to the humid summer air, you may want to head for the Innenstadt. Here, both the Australian Pub and the Irish Pub usually attract a large English-speaking audience, while the Hofbräuhaus at the Marienplatz is probably the city’s most popular establishment. From here, numerous internationally-flavored pubs and bars are within walking distance. Meanwhile, the Altstadt’s Vogler is one of Munich’s last jazz bars and a great place if you’re into good, affordable wine. One of Schwabing’s most popular hotspots is the cocktail bar Nippler. To round off your day, you may then want to head for the Ostbahnhof (east station), where the Kunstpark offers clubs and discos for all kinds of dancing needs.

Other cool stuff
The best thing to do after having a beer at the Chinese Tower is to take some time to enjoy the English Garden. All day long, you will be seeing people picnicking or sunbathing here, while others will be playing soccer or going for a swim in the popular river Eisbach. Alternatively, you may want to check out the Olympic Tower, where a few Euros will grant you an overwhelming view of the Olympic Park. And for quite a few more Euros, you may even choose to have lunch or dinner at a height of over 950 feet. Last, but certainly not least, Munich is well known for its ice cream parlors; the most traditional being Sarcletti, which has been a part of the Bavarian capital since 1879. Other great places are, for instance, the more expensive Häagen-Dazs Café or Engert-Eis with its generously big portions.

How to get around
Munich has a well-developed public transportation system, including the subway, streetcars, trams and buses. All of these can be used for an entire week with an IsarCard Wochenkarte, which can be purchased at all MVV or MVG ticket counters. If you arrive by train at the Hauptbahnhof (main station), you can be certain to get your IsarCard here. Since Munich is divided up into circles, be sure to tell the responsible official where you are planning to go to find out how many circles your ticket should be valid for. According to my in-town contact, soccer fans should be able to cover most of the hotspots without paying much more than 15 Euros a week for their IsarCard.