Visiting a former Erasmus friend in Munich!

I met my friend Vicky whilst studying in Toulouse during my first semester of my year abroad. She studied at the University of Liverpool, whilst I study at the University of Birmingham. After our semester in Toulouse, Vicky went to work in Munich, in Southern Germany, whilst I moved to Padua, in North Italy to study at University. Being only 6 hours away by coach, I decided, alongside my housemate Hayley, to head on over to Bavaria, and experience the German culture (and having a German father, I thought it'd be a shame not to go and find out a bit more of my ancestry) a bit more. The coach journey drove past gorgeous views of mountains as we made our way through the Alto Adige region. We stopped in Austria (at a McDonalds, how cultural) and then carried on up to Munich, otherwise known by the Italians as Monaco di Baviera (The Monaco of Bavaria). Here, I felt like I'd stepped into a different world. Munich is incredibly modern, clean and cool, and also boasts grandiose architecture, gorgeous, green gardens and even more.

Bayerische Staatskanzlei (nearby is where Willy Wonka was filmed!).

Despite being very touristy, Munich is still up there in terms of being one of most magnificent cities I've ever had the chance to visit. Once there, we visited a number of sights - Marienplatz, Hofbrauhaus (the world-famous beer house in Munich), the English Garden, Neues Rathaus and Bayerische Staatskanzlei, among other places.

Neues Rathaus, pictured above.

Whilst in Munich, we had the fortune of getting to head to Frulinghes Fest (the Spring festival) where there are fairground rides, plenty of frankfurters and burgers to be eaten, candy floss, sugared almonds and other sweeties, beer, beer and more beer, and lots of drunk Bavarians dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndl!

Enough beer? Get your fill at the Frulinghes Fest!

The centre of town is also great - there are all the shops you've ever wanted to visit, from clothes and jewellery stores, to restaurants and cafés dotted all around. There's a sight or wonder of architecture on almost any corner, and near to Bayerische Staatskanzlei, you'll find was where Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was filmed!

Munich is full of places to eat and drink, so make sure you do just that, when you arrive! There are traditional German restaurants, burger restaurants (with veggie choices too) and Italian restaurants galore. The bars are cool too, and the nightlife is impressive. Münchner Freiheit is a good stop to get off, if you fancy heading to some nice bars, and MMA club is a good shout for a night out.

Travel is fantastic in Munich, it's not very expensive, and reliable and efficient. It's unlikely that the trains are late, and you can get around to almost anywhere in minutes, and with ease.

The weather is a lot better than in the UK, and was on par with Italy, during April, which made for a lovely, sunny trip.

If you go to Munich, try to visit Dachau, the first concentration camp to be built for WW2 - it's a sombre and moving experience, that will stay with you for the rest of your entire life.

Overall, Munich is unmissable as a destination, and whilst you're in Europe, you should definitely make a trip to the Bavarian city.

The Waterfall at the English Garden in Munich.