The struggle for Germany dominance has de-railed Europe since the 18th century and continues today with the Eurozone crisis. It is Europe’s largest country, by population, and by wealth. It is a vast nation with important cities in every corner, the result of the string of city-states that vied for dominance in the Holy Roman Empire. The present Germany is a federation of 19 länders that unified in 1871 after it defeated France for the first of three times in the past century and a half. War-guilt, remuneration payments, communism and Fascism have been unable to halt its inscrutable rise. It is sufficiently different from continental Europe that it merited another visit, this time to the capital of Bavaria. It is a city known for football teams and beer halls. It was Hitler’s first conquest.

Unlike France or Britain, Germany does not have an obvious premier city. Berlin is the political centre, dating back to pre-unification days when it was the seat of power of the mighty Prussia. It has since experienced more in the history books than any other city in Germany. But Munich has its own charms too. Start with beer culture. Waddling, throwback waitresses juggle full-litre mugs filled with liquid gold. The go-to brand is Hofbräu, perhaps guzzled at the festive beer hall downtown, accompanied by a serenade of live traditional German music. The dunkels are a delicate balance lathery and crispy. They are lightly carbonated, as all good beers are, so that downing a litre is no work at all. With some Bavarian sausages (the white ones) in mustard or a slab of crisp suckling pig, the beers become a gastronomical statement. Further away, near the Hauptbahnhof, Augustiner Braustuben does full-litre beers for less than 6€ (9€ at Hofbräuhaus) with a similar enough environment. Or take it outside at the Viktualienmarkt, where scores of diverse sun-loving drinkers properly act out a true caste-free beer-garden. Continue at the Viktualienmarkt by buying some prosciutto (2€) and cheese (4€) or some cheap 1.5€ wine and 2€ carrot juice. 20€ is guaranteed to satiated any hunger from museum-hopping.

And museum-hop you should. Begin with the Alte Pinakothek (the Louvre), continue with the Neue Pinakothek (the Musée d’Orsay) and finish with the Brandhorst (the Pompidou). For 12€, you get an excellent audio-guided tour through the last 800 years of art history. Then, venture out to stroll around the Englischer Garten, a nudity-filled nature-scape sure to bring out some questionable ageism. Further away, the BMW museum (reserve early for a look at the production line) and the adjoining Olympic park embody the industrial-natural equilibrium that characterizes Munich.

Munich is a lively city and definitively German. Maybe it is the ultra-modern architecture that meld with anachronistic buildings of old. Munich is a tempered Berlin. It is more comfortable but less expressive, more accessible but less interesting. A visit to Europe would not be complete without a visit here. There no need to wait until Oktoberfest to go.