„For those who are lost, there will always be cities that feel like home.“- Simon van Booy, Munich diaries
A happy first Advent from Munich, Germany. This year we spent Advent in our favorite city, Munich. We go there at least once every year. This year only went out once due to my wedding and honeymoon, but it was definitely worth it. 3 nights, 5 whole days of pure relaxation and togetherness.
Munich is just under 4.5 hours from Vienna by car. A perfect destination for a long weekend. Lately I’ve been a fan of traveling by car because I honestly don’t have to worry about the weight of my luggage. Everything is packed up. But let’s get back to Munich. Experience a few days with me in this beautiful city.
Marienplatz Christmas market Munich:
The whole way from Karlplatz to Marienplatz is a big market. There is a small, fine ice skating rink at Karlplatz. From there there are many small stands with Christmas decorations, fresh fruit, food and drink. The city is lit up with all the Christmas lights and there is a lot of hustle and bustle on the streets.
Every year I buy a small decoration or cookie cutter from the market. Same this year. People are creatures of habit and I am no different. I look at every stand, but in the end we usually go to the same ones.
Ayinger am Platzl:
When I’m in Munich, I want to eat traditional cuisine at least once. But I’m not a fan of places that are too touristy and are noisy and crowded. 3 years ago we discovered Ayinger am Platzl. And since then we have always come here on the first evening of our Munich vacation. I love the flair. It’s traditional, yet upscale. But getting a table here without a reservation is pure luck.
What do you do in a „German pub“? Of course drink a beer. I prefer light beers and my husband prefers dark ones. We shared a “Jausen Brettl” as a starter. Various spreads and cheese, bacon and traditional brown bread. To be honest, my highlight was the lard spread: I ate roast pork as my main course and was overjoyed at the end. An integral part of our vacation in Munich.
Thermal SPA Erding:
The Erding thermal spa is my favorite thermal spa ever, about 40 minutes from Munich. For the last six months I’ve been so excited to finally go there again and relax. The Erding thermal spa is the largest thermal spa in the world and therefore has a lot to offer. In total we were in the thermal spa for 3 days during the day and not a single second was boring.
There’s a lot more I want to tell you about this spa, but I’ll do it all in a separate blog post. So here are just a few details. There are 3 large areas which are connected to each other by turnstiles. The whole concept is like an oasis. Above are palm trees and plants. Pools of different sizes. Inside and outside. I think around 20 slides? And my personal favorite is the sauna area. Ages 16 and over are allowed here and it’s like having your own thermal spa in itself. So if you want to know more, you should definitely read my next blog post.
Shopping in Munich:
This year Black Friday and the first weekend of Advent were the same and that meant everyone was shopping. And you can definitely do that in Munich. I think it’s great that the shops there are putting a lot more emphasis on their presentation. The H&M looked like a posh boutique. The Lush store was huge and from the outside people were already impressed. Additionally, I have to say that the interior also looked great. Of course I bought something there again. Maybe for my next blog post about Lush?
Of course, I also visited stores that don’t exist in Vienna, such as Sephora. It’s still a shame that Austria is the only country in Europe without Sephora. The surprising thing for us in Munich was that we saw men and women shopping equally. But I have to say that the men shopped a lot more wildly. The men’s areas in the stores looked like they had left a hurricane.
Gigi Trattoria:
I didn’t know the resaturant Gigi. I have to admit that I was influenced, a few weeks before our vacation and reserved a table there straight away. And that’s a good thing, because Gigi is always full. From the outside you only see the black facade with a slight lettering above the door, but once you’re inside you’re overwhelmed. There are lights and people everywhere. The upholstered furniture is in various soft colors and there is a large bar in the middle.
I felt comfortable from the first second. The menu and drinks menu were classic Italian. I had an Italian Pornstar Martinis, or rather 2? I had the tuna tartare as a starter and linguine with truffles as my main course. Delicious. The service was generally quick and very good. I can’t say anything negative about this restaurant in Munich. So for anyone who likes Italian cuisine, definitely worth a visit.
Medieval Christmas market Munich:
My absolute favorite market in Munich. In contrast to the market at Marienplatz, this one is not as crowded with tourists and others. Here you see more of the young locals. That was really refreshing. There are small stands with food, decorations or drinks everywhere. The great thing about them is that they all look like they come from the Middle Ages. The sellers are also dressed like this. We spent most of the time here on the last evening of our vacation.
In contrast to Vienna, the punch here is unique. The shot of rum or whiskey really doesn’t save money and the creations taste much better to me. We always ordered the punch called Thor Hammer, med with whiskey. Served in a beautiful clay goblet. We took these with us too. A clear eye-catcher for the home. There was also a live band there, which spread a good atmosphere. A great experience for me.
Hungriges Herz Munich:
Welcome to the hungry heart of Munich. Not only does this place have a cool name, but it also looks very cool inside. Furthermore, it is one of the very few restaurants in Munich that offer breakfast from 9:00 a.m. on Sundays. A reservation was also necessary here because the restaurant was completely full within a few minutes. I really liked the furnishings and the entire ambience. Perfect for photos.
The food was equally aesthetic and delicious. The selection was completely sufficient. From classic egg dishes to various bagels, bowls and sweets. Everything was there. What I also have to say is that the food was served very quickly. So within an hour we were finished ordering and eating. So great!
Chiemsee Herrenschloss:
Lake Chiemsee is about 1 hour away from Munich. There are various islands in it and the largest of them is home to the German Versailles. Yes, you heard that right. The former King Ludwig II of Bavaria was so in love with the French Sun King Louis the 14th that he rebuilt his own Versailles for him. It was his third construction project. The other two are the Lindenhof and Neuschwanstein Castle.
The fascinating thing about the whole complex is that it was never finished. The king died before it was completed. The cost exceeded anything he had ever built. Only the middle wing of 3 was built and only 20 of 50 rooms were completed. The king never spent a single night in the imperial golden bed. You could really see that nothing had been used. There is a very strict ban on photography inside the castle, so I wasn’t able to take any pictures. Which was a shame, but it really was like Versailles, even though it looks reserved from the outside. And the famous Hall of Mirrors is even 4m longer here.
my summary
For me, a holiday in Munich is simply part of it, as is a summer holiday by the sea. From the moment I get in the car in the morning and head towards the thermal baths, I’m in holiday mode. I’m looking forward to the relaxing time in the Erding thermal baths, eating and walking in Munich. There is so much to discover in the city. And I’m thrilled every time.
So for everyone who has never been to Munich, it’s time to take a weekend trip there. Either at Christmas time or in summer. The city has something to offer everyone in every season. And it’s always good for shopping – says the little shopoholic in me.
Conclusion:
a great city for a short vacation
Adress:
Munich
Germany
Tip:
at least 2 nights are advantageous to get to know the city better
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What is important to mention at the beginning, is that you can only visit the Silent Spa with a lounger reservation. This means there is one reservated daybad and one locker whaiting for you. But the spa is not the biggest – so be quick when making your reservation if you want to visit this thermal spa. After you are warmly welcomed at reception and given the locker chip and brochure about the Silent Spa, you go into the cloakroom. What I found quite cute were the little details in the wardrobe. A gray bathrobe and matching slippers were prepared in the locker. As well as a bathing bag with a large gray bath towel and 2 white sauna towels. So at the beginning there was nothing wrong.
“ … into the heart of the thermal baths „
From the cloakrooms you are led into the heart of the thermal baths. Great importance was also placed on aesthetics. Tall column, indirect lighting and an anticipating feeling. The thermal baths are structured almost like a flower. There is a round core and of which there are 4-petal shaped areas. One of them was the reception. There are berths in the other 3 areas. But I’ll tell you more about that in a separate paragraph.
The food
The day package includes the breakfast buffet and a small cake buffet in the afternoon. That’s why we were there as soon as the Silent Spa opened in the morning, around 9:00 a.m. The restaurant is located right next to the large tower in the middle of the thermal baths. I have to say I was quite surprised that it was completely full at this time. However, after a few minutes of waiting, I managed to get us a table. The breakfast buffet was simple and it was easy to find something you like. There was also a free pot of filter coffee with milk and sugar per table.
Other drinks would have all cost extra. But luckily the orange juice was included. I don’t know about you, but I think orange juice belongs any breakfast if you eat not at home. Whether on vacation, in a restaurant or in a café. Funnily enough, I drink this less at home. Do you feel that way? Please let me know!
In the afternoon, various cakes were offered in the silent spa in the same restaurant. Although I like to eat something sweet every now and then, I’m more of a salty person at heart. So I just grabbed a butter streusel apple pie. The small criticism I have to say here is that no coffee was offered with the cake. Maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea for the future. There were also drinking fountains scattered throughout the Silent Spa where you could drink water or have a glass of water.
Pools & loungers
The silent spa has pools of different sizes and temperatures. These are also distributed throughout the area. Personally, I find this practical so that not everyone has to swim in just one pool. As already briefly mentioned before about the heart of the thermal baths. There is a large circle of column in the middle that rises far above the roof of the thermal baths. And in that middle there is a multi-tiered fountain. It felt like a little private spot in the spa. This pool in the middle was also the largest and, in my opinion, warmest. You could also swim outside from there into a midium sized outdoorpool.
Our lounger was in one of the pedal-shaped areas with another outdoor pool in the middle. The coloure of this pool was green. I’m not entirely sure whether it was the minerals or the tiles, but it looked nice. There was also an indoor pool in a different pedal-shaped area.
In the Silent Spa you have the choice between a single lounger or a double lounger. We decided on a double lounger. This was effectively a four-poster bed. From the outside it was pretty. I liked these light curtains because they looked so light and you still had a bit of privacy, even though the loungers were quite close to each other. Maybe they weren’t the coziest, but it was practical to be able to retreat to your own bunk.
Sauna area
Taking a sauna is the be-all and end-all of a healthy self-care routine. Taking a sauna is healthy because it promotes blood circulation, strengthens the immune system, relaxes muscles, cleanses the skin and purifies the body, thereby improving well-being and relaxation. And what do we want in a thermal bath? Exactly these things. So off to the sauna.
The Silent Spa’s sauna area consists of 2 saunas, a steam bath and a salt chamber. The saunas can be accessed via a staircase leading up to a separate area. You can undress there in peace, as the sauna area is a clothing-free zone. In this small temple you can choose between a 60 degree and a 90 degree sauna. There are also 2 showers and a cold plunge pool. There are plenty of seats to relax and what I found particularly nice was the atrium. The best way to switch off is in the open air surrounded by fresh herbs (those that survived the winter). Sauna infusions are also offered throughout the day. We didn’t use it that day. We were always in the 90 degree sauna between infusions and made our own infusion with ice. Like a private sauna for two.
I’m not a big fan of „colder“ saunas. Therefore we didn’t try the steam bath (45 degrees) or the salt chamber (30 degrees). But I once went into the salt chamber to take a photo because it looks very beautiful. Funy enough, this one had the best view of all. So I would be all for them converting this into a normal sauna.
Massages
Anyone who knows me better knows that I love massages. It is the ultimate highlight for a relaxing day at the thermal spa. And since I love massages, especially body massages, I’ve already had a few of them. I don’t want to disparage any other massage I’ve had, but this one at Silent Spa was definitely the best massage of my life. The ultimate relaxation in just 90 minutes.
“It was the best massage of my life.”
But let’s start at the beginning. The massage area is located directly at reception. There you have to fill out a form in advance, I would say standard routine. As already briefly mentioned before, the area is really nicely decorated. There is also some seating, but enough for the number of people wanting a massage. I had booked the “Silentium” massage which lasts a total of 90 minutes, starting with a total 40-minute back massage.
And I can tell you my back and my fascia have never been so relaxed. Maybe I should force myself to stretch more after exercise. Let’s see. Afterwards I was given a face mask and while it was absorbed into my skin I was given a foot/leg massage. I really sunk into the lounger. Finally, I got a face/head and neck massage. I hope when you read this that at least the words relax you.
Regarding the Silent Spa’s general offering, it can be said that there is not much choice, but it is perfect for that. There is another treatment called “Levitas” and that´s it. An exclusive relaxation treatment from head to toe, including peeling.
My Summary
So one thing you can’t say is that I can’t make photos. I think the thermal baths look a little different in the pictures than when you are there in person. It’s not particularly big, but it’s well attended. In terms of appearance, I think it’s really beautifully designed and stylishly furnished. But you should be prepared for the fact that you are in a slightly smaller thermal spa. There is a small selection in each area, but I think it is completely sufficient for the number of people it´s designed for and the typical clientele witch is the middle class of austria.
I would recommend this thermal spa to those who don’t want to travel far from Vienna and would like to visit a more fancy basic thermal spa but with excellent massages.