Entertainment in Bavaria
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Bayerische Staatsoper
Considered one of the best opera companies in the world, the Bavarian State Opera puts the emphasis on Mozart, Strauss and Wagner but doesn't shy away from early baroque pieces by Monteverdi and others of the period. In summer it hosts the prestigious Opernfestspiele. Performances are at the Nationaltheater in the Residenz and often sell out.
The opera's 'house band' is the Bayerisches StaatsorchesterM0245, in business since 1523 and thus Munich's oldest orchestra. It's currently under the capable helm of Kent Nagano who occasionally shakes up the tried-and-true repertory with contemporary and avant-garde works.
reviewed
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Atelier
Arthouse cinema in a backyard; Monday is 'MonGay' with homo-themed releases. Shows English-language movies.
For show information check any of the listings publications. Admission usually ranges from around €7.50 to around €9.50 though one day a week, usually Monday or Tuesday, is Kinotag (cinema day) with reduced prices. Movies presented in their original language are denoted in listings by the acronym 'OF' (Originalfassung) or 'OV' (Originalversion); those with German subtitles are marked 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln).
reviewed
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Mathäser Filmpalast
Modern 14-screen multiplex in a former beer hall. For show information check any of the listings publications. Admission usually ranges from around €7.50 to around €9.50 though one day a week, usually Monday or Tuesday, is Kinotag (cinema day) with reduced prices. Movies presented in their original language are denoted in listings by the acronym 'OF' (Originalfassung) or 'OV' (Originalversion); those with German subtitles are marked 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln).
reviewed
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Atlantis
Shows English-lanuage movies.
For show information check any of the listings publications. Admission usually ranges from around €7.50 to around €9.50 though one day a week, usually Monday or Tuesday, is Kinotag (cinema day) with reduced prices. Movies presented in their original language are denoted in listings by the acronym 'OF' (Originalfassung) or 'OV' (Originalversion); those with German subtitles are marked 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln).
reviewed
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FC Bayern München
FC Bayern München is one of the most successful soccer clubs in history and has won the German cup and other championships more often than any other team. Home games are at the Allianz Arena and usually sell out far in advance. Tickets can be ordered online. Watch the team training for free at Säbener Strasse 51 (M02D6) in Harlaching. Take the U1 to Mangfallplatz, then bus 139 to Säbener Strasse.
reviewed
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Augustiner Bräustuben
Depending on the wind, an aroma of hops envelops you as you approach this ultra-authentic beer hall inside the actual Augustiner brewery and hence popular with the brewmeisters themselves (there's an entire table reserved just for them). The Bavarian grub here is superb, especially the Schweinshaxe. Giant black draft horses are stabled behind glass on your way to the loo.
reviewed
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Scharfrichter Kino
This lively cultural centre stages theatre and cabaret, including autumn's Passauer Kabarett-Tage (Passau Cabaret Days), a decades-old tradition of political satire that was sued and shut down by the establishment before the counterculture spurred its revival. It's best appreciated by German speakers with a knowledge of local political nuances and dialect.
reviewed
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Staatstheater
Nuremberg's magnificent Staatstheater serves up an impressive mix of dramatic arts. The renovated art nouveau opera house presents opera and ballet, while the Kammerspiele offers a varied program of classical and contemporary plays. Tickets are available at the box office or by calling [tel] 231 3808. The Nürnberger Philharmoniker also performs here.
reviewed
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Ratskeller
Augsburg's hippest new hangout is the reconfigured, multilevel Ratskeller. Ambiently lit corners, ante-rooms and mezzanines are strewn with comfy lounges, and there's a wide terrace out the back. Ratskeller's kitchen also has a strong local following, especially for its Schweinebraten - roast pork with dumplings and red-cabbage sauerkraut.
reviewed
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Schützenhof Beer Garden
For a drink with sun and a bucolic view, head for this delightful beer garden about 500m south of the Käppele chapel on the east bank of the Main. The main ingredients are ultra-fresh - listen for the farmyard animals protesting to the rear - and the beer (try the Balthasar Neumann) is served with a donkey-shaped Brezel (pretzel).
reviewed
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TSV 1860
The Allianz Arena is also home turf for Munich's 'other' soccer team, the perennial underdogs TSV 1860 . They only play in Germany's second league but still have an enormously loyal fan base. The team trains at Grünwalder Strasse 114 (M02D7), also in Harlaching (take tram 25 to Südtiroler Strasse). Call ahead for training times.
reviewed
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Pub Crawl
New Munich's (in)famous Pub Crawl makes stops in five bars and clubs, includes free vodka shots and meets at the corner of Münzstrasse and Orlandostrasse.
The Beer Tour (around €16) leaves earlier at 14:30 and takes a more, ahem, academic approach, but includes a free litre of beer and entry to the Pub Crawl…
reviewed
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Saigon Bar
Do as Nurembergers do and make this your last stop after a night on the town. With a background beat of drum 'n bass, this essential late-night bar does a top-rate caipirinha, the Brazilian drink that's at least as popular in Bavaria as it is in Rio, made from smashed limes, brown sugar, crushed ice and white pitú rum.
reviewed
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Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel
This leading ensemble has a bit of a conservative streak but still manages to find relevance for today's mad mad world in works by Shakespeare, Schiller and other tried-and-true playwrights. Performances are in the Residenztheater (M024A), the Theater im Marstall (MarstallstrasseM024B) and the theatre in the Haus der Kunst (M02D4).
reviewed
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Backstage
Refreshingly non-mainstream, this groovetastic boîte has a chill night beer garden and a shape-shifting line-up of punk, nu metal, hip-hop, dance hall and other alt-sounds, both canned and live. The Free & Easy festival (bands, movies and comedy) in August and September enjoys cult status among clued-in locals.
reviewed
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Zum Flaucher
This congenial restaurant-cum-beer garden in the Isar River meadows feels a like a micro-vacation from the city bustle. The spare ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, kids can wear themselves out on the imaginative playground and soccer fans descend for big matches beamed onto a giant screen. Take the U3 to Brudermühlstrasse.
reviewed
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Netzer & Overrath
This alt-flavoured double-pub is named for two members of the German national soccer team that won the FIFA World Cup in 1974. Overrath is the quieter one, more a daytime place where for reading, sipping coffee or snacking. After dark Netzer puts 'fun' in 'funky' with loud rock, Britpop, cold beer and a Fussball table.
reviewed
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Götterspeise
If the Aztecs thought of chocolate as the elixir of the gods, then this shop-cum-café must be heaven. Cocoa addicts satisfy their cravings with rave-worthy French chocolate cake, thick hot drinking chocolate, handmade ganache and even chocolate-flavoured 'body paint' for those wishing to double their sins.
reviewed
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Bräustüberl
Bräustüberl is the monks' beer hall and garden. There are seven varieties of beer on offer, from the rich and velvety Doppelbock dark to the fruity unfiltered Weissbier. The place is incredibly popular, and on summer weekends you may have to join a queue of day-trippers at the door to get in.
reviewed
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Loop Club
With three dance areas and a languid chill-out zone with lounge music, this place attracts a slightly more mature crowd. Thursdays are 150-Cent night, a collective send-up with cheap mixed drinks flowing to the sound of '80s hits and karaoke. Take the U2 to Herrnhütte, turn right and it's a five-minute walk.
reviewed
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Morizz
This mod Art Deco-style lounge with red leather armchairs and mirrors for posing and preening goes for a more moneyed clientele and even gets the occasional local celebrity drop-in. The service is impeccable, the food's good and the wine and whisky list keeps everyone happily pickled. Packed on weekends.
reviewed
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Atomic Café
This bastion of indie sounds with funky '60s décor is known for bookers with a knack for catching upwardly hopeful bands before their big break. Otherwise it's party time; long-running 'Britwoch' is the hottest Wednesday club in town. Also check out the in-house label Panatomic(www.panat omic.de).
reviewed
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Staatstheater Nuremberg
Nuremberg's magnificent theatre complex consists of the Art Nouveau Opernhaus (opera house), the Schauspielhaus (drama theatre) and the Kammerspiele (chamber plays); the latter two also feature contemporary productions. The Nürnberger Philharmoniker also performs here.
reviewed
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Hofbräukeller
Not to be confused with its better-known cousin in the city centre, this sprawling, very atmospheric restaurant-cum-beer garden retains an early-20th-century air. Locals in Tracht (traditional costume) come here to guzzle big mugs of foaming beer alongside the regular specials of roast pork.
reviewed
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Kult
Enjoy a tailor-made breakfast, munch on cheap lunch or party to the wee hours at Würzburg's hippest cafe. The unpretentious interior with its salvaged tables and old beige benches hosts regular fancy-dress parties, table-football tournaments and other off-beat events. DJs take over at weekends.
reviewed
