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Described as serving eco-Bavarian delicacies, Milchhäusl is a rare find. The 100% organic, hearty local specialties at this charming park-side outpost are in high demand. You’ll find them near the main entrance to the English Garden—perfect after you’ve worked up an appetite exploring.

Schuhbecks Schokolade is on top of its chocolate game. Choose from an assortment of decadent truffles, confections, and bars in a variety of flavors. Everything is made using the best Swiss chocolate. You can customize your own chocolate gift packages, but don’t forget to treat yourself, too—you wouldn’t want that thoughtful gift to disappear before you get home.

Run by Alfons Schuhbeck, Germany‘s most famous chef, you are virtually guaranteed an incredible dining experience. Come hungry and opt for the five-course meal to indulge your culinary senses. Schuhbeck is famous for his love of spices and interesting flavors. Service is attentive but never intrusive. Not sure what to order? The highly trained staff can advise you, especially when it comes to wine pairings.

If you weren’t already a FC Bayern München fan, you are now, right? Show your support for your favorite team with memorabilia from the official fan shop.

It takes some German engineering to surf in land-locked Bavaria. But endless rides are possible on the Eisbach wave, a man-made, standing curl in the middle of a narrow artificial stream that runs through the English Garden. It has drawn both international river surfers—even in winter—and gawking crowds since soon after the wave was created in 2000. The Eisbach wave is located at the southern edge of the English Garden park, near the Haus der Kunst art museum. This appeared in the November/December 2011 issue.

With a menu based on fresh ingredients, a great staff, and a very family-friendly attitude (and even a hip edge), Preysinggarten is a place to unwind, and bring the kids! A beautiful interior, and even an outdoor play area (spielplatz) for children—it’s a very cool place in a hip neighborhood.

Lenbachhaus is Munich‘s premier art gallery. It reopened in May 2013 after a four-year renovation of the original building (a late-19th-century Florentine-style villa for painter Franz von Lenbach), plus the addition of a modern wing designed by Norman Foster. The exterior of the new wing features striking, golden tubes. For Norman Foster fans, the museum’s new exterior is iconic—a beautiful play on color, pattern, and geometry. Try to see it at sunset, when the tubes are seemingly more golden, rich, and alluring. The Lenbachhaus redesign marries the old with the new, especially in the triple-height, sky-lit lobby atrium. Immediately upon stepping into the museum, your attention is drawn to what appears to be an enormous hanging icicle, which is in fact a specially commissioned work by Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson called Wirbelwerk. The new wing serves as a “jewel box” for the museum’s best-known works, the “Blue Rider” collection of 20th-century Expressionist art. There is also a new garden and a restaurant with an outdoor terrace. With the addition of new galleries and a bold redesign, Lenbachhaus further cements its reputation as one of Bavaria’s leading cultural centers.

The Bayerischer Landtag (Bavarian State Parliament) is housed in the Maximilianeum, an impressive, palatial building at the end of Maximilianstrasse on the border of Haidhausen, overlooking the Isar River. Construction first started on the building in 1857. It has undergone numerous additions since. Stop by in the evening when it’s lit up and particularly impressive.

This family-run souvenir shop (aptly named Souvenirs Flohr) has been in the Flohr family for over 25 years, starting with a small stand just outside the Hofbräuhaus. It has since moved just down the road. It’s famous for its collection of porcelain figurines and beer steins, carrying them from the cheaper end all the way up to limited editions.

A hip hangout for conscientious locals, The Potting Shed provides a stylish setting for their sustainable dining and drinking. Simple, organic, local, fair trade and fresh. Does it get any better than this? Throw in live music on Thursday nights and it’s easily the best spot—for taste, ambiance and well-being—in town!

Take a quick, ear-popping elevator ride to the observation deck of the Olympiaturm (190 meters or 623 feet), in the center of Olympic Park, and see across the whole city—as far as the Alps, in clear weather. The last elevator goes up at 11:30pm, making it a good way to see the city lights. And if standing on the observation deck isn’t your thing, make a reservation in the revolving restaurant and watch the city views roll by.

Founded in 1558, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek is a historic, expansive, and important universal library. With almost nine million volumes and countless reading rooms, this is the perfect place to become lost in a text, work remotely, or explore with the family. Since 1663 they have collected copies of almost every Bavarian printed text—making it a wonderful place to learn about the regional culture and heritage. It’s also a lively cultural space that hosts regular exhibits and events. Come here either to marvel at the architecture, history, and texts or to get lost in a book. If you’re just passing by, be sure to check out the famous stone statues adorning the flight of stairs known as “the four magi.” See if you can guess which scholastic founders they represent!

The Feldherrenhallewas was modelled after the “Loggia dei Lanzi " in Florence. It was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria and constructed between 1841 to 1844. It was built as a monument to celebrate the Bavarian army and its victorious generals. Unfortunately it’s also the place of a tragic incident. On November 9, 1923, a confrontation between the Bavarian State Police and an illegally organized march by the followers of Adolf Hitler took place here. When the police issued the stop of the march, the protestors continued. The State Police tried to regain control of the crowd and opened fire. Four policemen and sixteen marchers were killed and many more were injured as a result. Consequently, Hitler was arrested and sentenced to prison.

Germany’s most famous chef, Alfons Schuhbeck, travels the world in search of spices but makes it easy for you at his “Gewürze” (Spice) Shop. Choose from over a hundred well-stocked and fragrant spices from all over the world, on three levels. Be sure to check out the Oriental Spice Bazaar on the top floor, if not for the spices then for the ornate decor.

With more than 100,000 items in its collection, the Deutsches Museum is one of the most important science and technology museums in the world. Even though only around a quarter of the collection is on display at any one time, the breadth is nonetheless mind-boggling, ranging from the Stone Age to the present and touching on everything from cellular biology to atomic physics. Indeed, the holdings are so massive—and still growing—that they’re divided between several venues, including a hangar at Schleißheim airfield and the Deutsches Museum in Bonn. Specific highlights in Munich include the first motorized aircraft built by the Wright brothers, the first motorcar made by Karl Benz, and a U1 submarine. Also worth checking out are interactive displays that detail glass-blowing and paper-making, and the live demonstrations and experiments that take place each day. A dedicated children’s area with hundreds of activities caters to younger visitors, but, kids or not, plan to spend at least half a day here—and be pleasant overwhelmed.