[Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles about Munich and covers museums and music. Virtual tours of both Munich and the BMW Museum are at the bottom of the page.]
The letter “B” is not found in “Munich” but it might as well be.  The letter B is everywhere in the city, whether it’s on the street (BMW), in a restaurant (Bier), or in a political discussion (Bayern, or Bavaria).  It’s probably the most important letter in the city as a result.
Munich is one of four …

The historic city of Lindau is located on a small (0.68-square-kilometer/0.26-square-mile) island in the Bodensee, or Lake Constance, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway and railway.  The Bayerischer Hof, prominently located on the promenade facing the lake, is close to the epicenter of activity in this medieval city.
WHERE IS IT?
Lindau is at the common border of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, along the Pfänder Mountains.  Its harbor, casino, historic buildings, and water and mountain views make it popular with visitors.
The Bayerischer Hof is at the heart of the …

Admittedly, I arrived at London Heathrow’s Terminal One a bit late for my flight, 26 hours late to be exact.  I did have a good excuse, however: the 35 cm of snow at JFK that delayed my initial outbound flight.   London had snow as well, all flights were delayed, and my scheduled flight was not until 8 p.m. (I arrived in London around noon).  Despite the long lines everywhere, I only had to wait ten minutes on the business class line.  The friendly and helpful agent put me on a …

The Charles Hotel is different.  Unlike the typical luxury hotels of Europe, it is new construction (opened in 2007). Its cool white stone exterior nonetheless blends in with its surroundings, such as the 19th-century Justizpalast and the almost secret Alter Botanischer Gärten (Old Botanical Garden).
This neo-classical hotel was built as a monument to Italian-born Charles Forte, who became one of England’s greatest hoteliers.  I arrived at the Charles after a delay-laden 48 hour trip from New York and the hotel’s muted elegance was both calming and reassuring.
WHERE IS IT?
The …

A twisty drive on the Alpenstraße brings the visitor to Le Ciel, a 12-table restaurant that offers dining at an altitude of 1000 meters at the InterContinental Resort Berchtesgaden.  The hotel itself is set on a small plateau overlooking the Nationalpark Berchtesgaden in Berchtesgadener Land, Bayern (Bavaria) adjacent to Salzburg, Austria.
On Christmas Day it had started to snow in the late afternoon and the restaurant’s softly lighted interior seemed all the more inviting, the quiet elegance of the place adding a festive note to the visit.
The atmosphere reflects the passion …

In good weather, the flight from New York (JFK) to Munich via London can take as little as 12 hours. In bad weather, the trip can stretch to perhaps 15 or 20 hours. But the storm that last week buried much of the East Coast of the United States in a blanket of snow shut down major airports, closed thousands of businesses, and left tens of thousands of people stranded at places other where they wanted to be.
In my particular case, the storm, which set new records in …

Most people think of an airport hotel as someplace one has to stay in between flights or for a specific meeting.  The Kempinski Airport Hotel München, on the other hand, is a luxury hotel that just happens to be at an airport (Flughafen München/ Munich Airport Franz Josef Strauß).  In addition, its modern, soaring design that blurs the barriers between indoors and outdoor is intended to connect with the traveler’s feelings about the adventure of travel.
Glass and color are everywhere.  Enter the hotel and you are greetings by an airy …

Walking into the Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten from the bustling Maximilianstraße is like stepping into a time capsule, but one that places you inside one of the grand old hotels of Europe.
Whether royalty [former guests include Empress Elisabeth of Austria (“Sissi”), the King of Siam, and Winston Churchill] or business traveler, the salon-style lobby of the 1858-built hotel, which features a mosaic glass roof portraying the four seasons, beckons.
WHERE IS IT?
Built at the behest of King Maximilian II., The Vier Jahreszeiten is, appropriately enough, near the Residenz, the former royal palace …

The Mandarin Oriental Munich is found on a quiet and unassuming side street near the Maximilianstraße, one of Munich’s main shopping streets.  The unpretentious entrance is quite a contrast from the elegance one finds once inside its portals.  The hotel’s 53 rooms and 20 suites are perhaps the most luxurious in the city.  Guests are always addressed by name and cosseted.
When I arrived, my room wasn’t ready yet so I was invited to enjoy a glass of Sekt in the lobby lounge.  The club sandwich I ordered in the lounge …

16 days later, I’m back.  (See Part I as well.)   I found a few things rather useful for those traveling on business and wanted to share these with you.
Skype Pro
Skype Pro is a relatively new offering that costs only $3 per month but offers many features particularly useful to the road warrior.  Most notable is the international traveler calling plan.  Users pay no per minute charges for calls to landlines within the same country or region (a connection fee per call, $0.045, may apply).  Coverage includes 28 countries, all …