Munich

Morning flight with BA from London Heathrow to Munich. By private coach to the centre of Munich and our centrally located four-star hotel. Introductory orientation walk before our welcome dinner together.

A day on foot to explore Munich’s centre: the neo-Gothic Flemish-looking ‘new’ town hall overlooking the Marienplatz, the huge Gothic Frauenkirche  characterised by its onion-domed belfries, the majestic church of St Michael built in the style and spirit of the Roman Counter-Reformation, and the theatrical Late-Baroque gem of the Asamkirche, the private church of the artist brothers Cosmas Damian and Egid Quirin Asam. After lunch, visit the labyrinthine Residenz, vast home of the dukes and later kings of Bavaria. Built over three centuries, it includes grottoes, ballrooms and a fabulous treasury with 1000-year-old goldwork. The precious Rococo Cuvilliés Theatre offers a delightful contrast to the imposing Early Baroque of the Theatinerkirche court church nearby.

A day dedicated to Munich’s principal picture galleries: at the Alte Pinakothek, we will study some of the highlights including works by Leonardo, Dürer, Rubens and many others. After lunch, the Neue Pinakothek awaits with masterpieces from Romanticism to Impressionism, with a focus on 19th-century German art.

A day on foot exploring the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. In the morning and early afternoon, we will take time to sample the museum’s rich and varied collections – from Carolingian ivories to virtuoso Renaissance limewood carvings, and 17th-century costume to Jugendstil furnishing. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure with free time for you to explore the city.

Among Munich’s most striking architectural ensembles is the Neoclassical Königsplatz, created by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in the first half of the 19th century. Here, the Glyptothek is home to major works of Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture assembled by the philhellenic monarch. The Lenbachhaus across the road was the Italianate home of Franz von Lenbach, Munich’s prince of painters at the turn of the 20th century. This handsome villa, now a museum, houses the stunning collection of paintings by the Blaue Reiter group of Expressionist painters, from August Macke and Franz Marc to Vassily Kandinsky.

In the morning, drive along Maximilianstrasse, Prinzregentenstrasse and Ludwigstrasse, the main boulevards of Munich’s great 19th-century town planning projects, before going for a stroll at Nymphenburg, the glorious country house of the rulers of Bavaria, with extensive gardens and pavilions, among them the Amalienburg, epitome of Rococo building and ornament. After lunch at a restaurant in the palace grounds, coach transfer to the airport for a mid-afternoon flight with BA to London Heathrow.