Munich – New Town Hall – Loge. Photo credit: Nino Barbieri.

Munich is probably best known for its huge beer festival Oktoberfest.

If you can’t make it to the German city for the festival, there’s plenty more to see and do here than whiling away hours in a beer tent.

Here are a few of the top city sights and activities you can enjoy if you jet off for a few days in the Bavarian destination:

Munich Frauenkirche from Neues Rathaus. Photo credit: Jiuguang Wang.

Iconic Munich landmarks

Every city has its famous landmarks and Munich is certainly no different. One of the most striking is the New Town Hall or Neues Rathaus. Its massive bell tower stands out from the rest of the skyline and the facade that faces on to Marienplatz is decorated by statues and carvings of figures from Munich’s past.

The Cathedral Church of Our Lady or Munich Frauenkirche is also worth visiting, as it boasts Gothic architecture dating from the 15th century and it houses numerous works of art, including pieces by Erasmus Grasser and Jan Polack.

Finally, you can always enjoy the Oktoberfest atmosphere if you stop off at the Hofbrauhaus, a beer hall and brewery that was established in the 17th century. There is a restaurant and, of course, a bar here, while it regularly hosts performances of traditional Bavarian music and dancing.

Hofbrauhaus. Photo credit: Kiban.

Museums

Munich is home to a host of important museums and art galleries that will keep culture vultures happy for days. Alte Pinakothek on Barer Strasse is a must see for art lovers, as it boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of European works in the world.

Over 800 masterpieces are on display in the gallery, including paintings by the likes of Rubens, Titian and Durer. Some of the exhibits date back as far as the Middle Ages. Picking up where Alte Pinakothek leaves off is Neue Pinakothek, where you’ll find artworks from the late 18th century through to the early years of the 20th century.

Moving on from art to more practical things, you can explore the German Museum, which is home to all manner of installations detailing man’s technical achievements over the years. Interactive science exhibits are dotted throughout its galleries and there are sections dedicated to airplanes and other vehicles.

Shopping

There are numerous stores and boutiques in Munich where you can splash some cash if you’re on a short city break. For a little bit of everything, head to Kaufingertor, an arcade where you’ll find fashion and shoe stores alongside jewelers and delicatessens.

Sendlinger Strasse in the city centre, meanwhile, is home to a range of predominantly family-run shops that offer arts, crafts and other unusual gifts, while you can head to the Schwabing area if you love rooting through second-hand outlets in search of a bargain or want to browse some old bookshops.

Gardens of Nymphenburg Palace. Photo credit: Florian Adler.

Castles

Bavaria is known for its stunning fairytale castles and, although you won’t find any with the characteristic towers with cone-shaped roofs in Munich itself, you can take a stroll around its beautiful Nymphenburg Palace. Situated in the west of the city, this grand building was once the summer residence for Bavaria’s monarchs and, in addition to the main Baroque palace, the site is also home to a park, three museums and a botanical garden.

If all that has whet your appetite for a trip to Munich, book your city break with Monarch and take care of your flights, accommodation and car hire all in one place.

Cool Hotel: In Paris, at Le Pavillon des Lettres, each guest room is devoted to a letter of the alphabet and an international writer (H for Hugo etc.) corresponding to that letter. Shakespeare, Baudelaire and Rousseau are among the authors featured. Photo credit: Le Pavillon des Lettres.

Daniel Cartwright wrote this guest post on traveling by train in Europe.

Travel on the continent is a speedy experience when taking a European train service with Eurostar.

With direct services and connections in many countries, you can now enjoy traveling by train across Europe with multiple city stop-offs.

Cities in Europe all have distinct characteristics and attractions, making for a varied trip. Sights like Paris’s Eiffel Tower, London’s Big Ben and Amsterdam’s Red Light District are world famous, but it is also easy to find quirky attractions off-the-tourist track, and discover the lesser-known side of great cities such as these.

Cool Eats: In London, Back in 5 Minutes is a Brick Lane restaurant and private dining room by Disappearing Dining Club. Photo credit: Disappearing Dining Club.

London

London is a buzzing hub of international travel, making it easy to access a host of destinations across the continent. The renovated Victorian station means that arriving in and visiting London is an equally hassle-free experience. Landmarks in the capital are all worth a visit, though there are many events and sights which showcase a hidden, underground side of the city.

Lovers of traditional English comfort food can indulge in a quintessential afternoon tea while in London. Instead of heading to the well-known hotel chains for a sweet treat, why not opt for somewhere a little more under the radar? The Coach and Horses pub, near Leicester Square tube hosts a Secret Afternoon Tea, in a concealed tearoom in the upstairs of this traditional boozer. Listen to 1940s music while choosing between their 15 varieties of tea.

Walk off the scones and clotted cream by taking part in a Hidden London walk, organised by walks.com, which promises to take you to forgotten nooks of the city.

Cool iPad app: In Paris, find Jardin du Luxembourg and other city parks and sites on the Eyewitness Paris iPad travel app. Photo credit: DK Eyewitness Travel.

Paris

Paris can be reached from London in just over two hours, making it an ideal stop in any European itinerary. To escape the crowds, it is also possible to seek out quieter corners of this French city. Paris has some beautiful parks, though it is its secret gardens where tranquility can really be found. In the grounds of the prestigious l’Ecole Normale Supérieure lies a well presented and peaceful garden seldom visited by tourists.

For a spot of lunch, hit Rue Mouffetard street market, which offers a more authentic experience than overly touristic destination markets.

Cool iPhone app: In Amsterdam, want to explore the city’s canals? The Amsterdam Mobile Guide outlines the 165 canals of Amsterdam plus more. Photo credit: Holland.com.

Amsterdam

With a quick connecting journey, Amsterdam can also be easily reached by train. The city’s twisting backstreets offer many opportunities to see and do away from the busy central squares. Check out The Movies art deco cinema, where you can enjoy a pre-show drink or dinner, located in central Amsterdam. Many canal side houses are open to visitors, though for a truly hidden sight, head to Our Lord in the Attic in the Red Light District. Concealed behind this traditional residence is a fully preserved church which was secretly used between 1578 and 1795.

Looking for scenic road trip ideas for the UK?  Then take a look at 7 Scenic Drives in the UK, an infographic by Hertz Car Hire.

Dome of the Reichstag, Berlin, Germany. Photo credit: VisitBerlin.com.

Adam Cobb wrote this guest post on the changing face of Berlin, Germany.

With the possible exception of Dubai and its neighbors around the Persian Gulf, there are few cities which are changing as quickly as Berlin.

The collapse of the Berlin Wall opened up new swathes of the city to tourism and development. Even if you visited Berlin a few years ago, you’re sure to find something new and undiscovered on your next visit to the city. Here are a few of Berlin’s biggest changes:

Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Photo credit: Angr.

Berlin Hauptbahnhof

The fall of the Berlin Wall came as a surprise to everyone, not least the city’s infrastructure planners. It took almost 20 years to plan, prepare and construct the city’s new central station (Hauptbahnhof) but it was certainly worth the wait. ‘Cathedral of transport’ may not be the most promising sounding tagline but the Hauptbahnhof’s appeal stretches far wider than trainspotters. For one thing it’s made it far easier to get into and around the German capital. The S-Bahn trains which run through the top deck of the station serve most other areas of the city and the new U-55 underground train line makes it easy to tick off two of the city’s biggest tourist attractions (the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag).

Connections to Berlin Brandenburg International Willy Brandt Airport. Photo credit: Robert Aehnelt.

Berghain – ‘The best club in Europe?’

Berlin’s bar and club scene develops even faster than the rest of the city. Called the “best club in Europe” by Time Out, Berghain is the current darling of the techno scene and like many of Berlin’s best clubs is situated in a disused industrial building (in this case a former power plant). The music is loud, the attitude is liberal and the crowd is eccentric, bordering on mad.

Sing Blackbird

Only Berlin could spawn a vegan café which allows you to pay for your Kaffee und Küchen with vintage clothing. But that’s exactly what Sing Blackbird in Kreuzkölln has created. The atmosphere is unique and you’ll be encouraged to linger and browse through the outlet’s wide selection of second-hand clothing. It’s only open from Monday-Friday (and is somewhat prone to random closures) but it’s well worth a visit if you can make it.

Practicalities

Berlin’s airports are in a state of flux which will continue until the somewhat overnamed Berlin Brandenburg International Willy Brandt Airport throws open its doors. This was originally due to happen in 2010 but this has now slipped to October 2013 at the earliest due to ‘fire safety problems’. Until these problems are resolved, the formerly efficient but now overburdened Tegel Airport in West Berlin and the never-efficient but also overburdened Schönefeld. The city’s hotels have also struggled to keep up with the boom in demand so it might be worth considering other options like a holiday apartment from Oh-Berlin. Driving in Berlin isn’t as bad as other European cities but there’s still little reason to do it when you have such a good public transport network at your disposal.

 Kiev at night. Photo credit: Hoodrat.

River cruises are a great way to holiday.

In Europe, the River Dnieper is a fascinating waterway ideal for this kind of voyage, as it passes a whole host of amazing cities.

Traveling through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, the river is one of the largest in Europe, and among the most peaceful. It’s also got a rich history; known as the Amber route, the Dnieper was once used by the Vikings to access the Orient.

If you travel along the Dneiper, you’ll be able to go on shore at Kiev, Sevastopol and Yalta, the cities the cruises passes and find out more about each stop’s culture and heritage.

Kiev

The capital of the Ukraine, Kiev is a city with a rich heritage, being one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. If you take a tour of the metropolis as part of a river cruise you’ll be able to see impressive remnants of the past, especially along Andreevsky Spusk – one of the oldest streets in the city.

Here, you can gaze up at the majestic Baroque Andreevskaya Church (St. Andrew’s Church), which was built in the mid-1700s and is shrouded in legend. According to local folklore, St. Andrew placed a cross on the site where the church now stands.

Admire the beauty of the structure, both inside and out, and head to the former home of esteemed Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov afterwards, which dates back to 1888 and now houses a museum dedicated to the author’s life and works.

As you travel down the street you’ll come across small art galleries selling watercolor and oil paintings, along with applied art and sculptures. There’s also an outdoor souvenir market, ideal for picking up traditional gifts.

Sevastopol

Another destination worth touring is the city of Sevastopol, which can be found on the Crimean peninsula. The port was once an important naval citadel and you can find out more about its military history by visiting attractions like the Panorama Museum, where you can admire a representation of the city during the Siege of Sevastopol, created by artist Franz Roubaud.

The Black Sea Fleet Museum also gives visitors an insight into the navy’s role in the area throughout the ages, while the Admirals’ Burial Vault in the Neo-Byzantine edifice of St. Vladimir’s Cathedral is the final resting place for a number of navy personnel who lost their lives during the siege.

Close to the cathedral are the remains of the national archaeological reserve of Chersonesus, an ancient colony established in the 6th century by the Greeks. The site includes an amphitheatre and a temple, as well as the 1935 Basilica.

Yalta

The resort city of Yalta, located in southern Ukraine, rose to prominence during the Yalta Conference (also called the Crimea Conference) in which government officials from the UK, USA and the Soviet Union met to discuss the reorganisation of Europe after World War II.

This historical event took place at Livadia Palace – which dates back to 1911 and is sometimes referred to as the White Palace – and you can take a tour of the structure when you visit to explore the official halls and private apartments.

Other attractions worth seeing during your time in Yalta are the Chekhov House and Museum and the Massandra Winery. The former, known as the White Dacha, was built by the composer in 1898 and is where he wrote some of his most famous works. The latter, meanwhile, is housed in a beautiful old building and has been making wine for over a century, so it’s worth sampling some of the local produce during your visit!