Three Days in Munich

Arrive, drop your bags, and get to Theresienwiese via Poccistraße or Goetheplatz rather than the main station for a calmer walk in. Aim for an 11am walk-in table at a mid-size tent for lunch — Ochsenbraterei or Schützen-Festzelt are good bets — then spend the afternoon on the rides and the evening at a louder tent like Hacker-Festzelt or the Paulaner Festzelt.

Marienplatz in time for the 11am or noon Glockenspiel show, then the Frauenkirche tower for the view, lunch and a beer at the Viktualienmarkt, the Residenz in the afternoon, and the English Garden toward evening — watch the river surfers, then settle into the Chinesischer Turm beer garden as the light goes gold.

Choose one: Neuschwanstein for the full castle experience (book ahead), Dachau for a shorter, more reflective half-day that leaves the afternoon free for Nymphenburg Palace or the BMW Museum back in the city, or the Zugspitze for a full day in the mountains.