Belgium & Germany - April 22 - May 10

A good buddy of mine has stayed here often ( I stayed there once with him as well)...

http://hotel-hahn.de/

It's a few minutes from the station, but very close to the S-Bahn and tram. Also close to Augustiner Bräustüben....

Prosit!

 

Try Hotel Eder which is perfect for exploring and right next to the station. It's not the best area around there but the price of the hotel is good for Munich as is the actual hotel.

 

That's where I stayed the last time I visited Munich. Nice enough place and helpful staff.

I enjoyed my daily walks past Augustiner.

 

I stayed in the Eder MANY years ago... lovely room but, yes, a bit of a seedy area.

Also stayed once at the Amba - also convenient to the HBF and local transport...

http://www.hotel-amba.de/en/home.aspx

Prosit!

 

Just a recommendation on your first part.
There are Thalys (French train company) trains connecting Brussels to Cologne/Dusseldorf. So you can do a stop over in one of these cities on your way to Bamberg (for which you will need to take a train to Nuremberg and then another one to Bamberg).
In Cologne (where I live) the scene is dominated by Kölsch everywhere (almost) so a quick stop at Früh am Dom and Brauerei zum Malzmuhle should be enough to cover it, and another stop at Craftbeer Corner Coeln to check some new german craft beers (not the traditional styles/breweries). In Dusseldorf I stand also for Uerigue and Schumacher Alt as the prefered ones.

Regarding general train travel I would recommend you go buy a EuroRail pass but remember to make seat reservations (and pay) on the trains you plan to pick. And get some help on handling the DB (DeustchBahn) website since it's messy and not clear on how to use it. There are also some high quality bus alternatives that are way cheaper than trains. You can use goeuro.com to search for the best connection between the cities you plan to travel.

 

Just my $.02 here... the S Bahn is extremely convenient in/around Munich, you can stay just about ANYWHERE near a S-Bahn train station and get downtown in a matter of 10-15 minutes. You do not need to stay downtown, and you could probably find a "nicer" place for the same money as a downtown location.

 

These are 2 places I've stayed in Munich also and would recommend. For what it's worth, the area around the Eder didn't seem terribly seedy when I was there -- sometime after the big (huge) Bierhall across the street was closed down.

http://www.hotel-eder.de/

The Amba (Am Bahnhoff -- literally, at the train station) is directly across from the Hauptbahnhoff (opposite side of the Hotel Hahn, which looks very nice, too), within walking distance of the Augustiner Keller and Spaten/Löwenbräu. But the Eder isn't much further. Not luxury hotels, but won't break your bank either.

 

Um. Past?

 

Oh, I definitely spent plenty of time at the Keller. I didn't think they offered tours or allowed visitors at the brewery or I would've stopped in everyday. It probably would've curtailed my sight-seeing significantly.

 

Ah -- the brewery itself. I thought you meant the Bräustüben that Bierman mentioned -- be difficult for me to pass that door every day.

Funny thing is, when I stayed at the Amba a few times, we always walked directly east down Arnulfstraße to the Marienplatz, or west up Arnulf to Seidlstraße then north to Löwenbrau Keller, south to the Theresienwieße, or straight west to the Augustiner Keller, of course. I never really knew the doggone brewery was that close. Wonder why I didn't smell it? Too many buses, I guess.

 

Which beer hall was that and how long ago? What did I miss?? :-(

 

Been trying to dig up the old info and there's nothing online (I know I've found info before) -- I'll keep trying.

The hall was directly across the street where the shopping area is now. Was closed, then torn down -- sometime back in the early 2000s. Maybe @patto1ro Ron remembers?

 

Of course, it was the Mathäser:


(The name of the Kino in the shopping mall lit the light bulb -- apparently it closed in '99)

 

Yeah... the good ol' Mathäser.... Place was YUGE!! Quaffed a few Maß there in the early 80's....

Prosit!

 

Amazing. Is that straight ahead as you walk out of Eder reception?

 

If I recall correctly thru hazy memory, yes -- give or take a few feet to left or right.

 

Gangs of Football fans would gather under the mid part of the big hall and sing at the tops of their lungs to get their voices to echo through the hall. Wish there were video phones back then.

 

I just noticed that no one has mentioned Munich's Frühlingsfest that will be going on (at the Theresienwieße grounds) when MG will be there. A mini Oktoberfest (usually only 2 beer tents open) serving the delicious Maibock.

 

Don't know if there was a side entrance on the street the Eder is on, but their main entrance was on Bayerstraße, around the corner...

Prosit!