Schleissheim Palaces

Most visitors to Munich see Nymphenburg and never hear of Schleissheim, which is a pity, because the palace complex at Oberschleissheim, just north of the city, is one of the finest baroque ensembles in Germany and often almost empty. It is made up of three palaces linked by a vast formal garden. The Old Palace began as a modest country retreat of the Wittelsbach dukes in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries and now houses exhibitions. The New Palace, the star of the visit, was begun around 1701 by Elector Max Emanuel, who had grand ambitions of becoming emperor and wanted a residence to match; his political fortunes collapsed, building stalled, and the palace was finished on a smaller scale than planned, but what was completed is magnificent. A monumental staircase leads up to the state rooms, the great hall and the Great Gallery, hung with baroque paintings from the Bavarian State Painting Collections, including Flemish and Italian works, and the stucco and ceiling frescoes are among the best of their period in Bavaria. At the far end of the garden, across a long canal flanked by hedges, stands Lustheim Palace, a small hunting lodge on a round island that houses a large collection of Meissen porcelain. The court garden between them is one of the few baroque gardens in Germany to survive in something like its original form, with parterres, avenues, cascades and canals, and in summer the water features run on the hour. The palaces open daily except Mondays, with shorter hours from October to March, and the New Palace has no regular guided tours; instead there is an audio guide in English, available for a fee. Admission is modest, and on most days you will share the state rooms with only a handful of other visitors.

How to plan your visit: take the S-Bahn to Oberschleissheim, then walk around fifteen minutes to the palace, or take the local bus. By car it is around twenty minutes from the city centre, though at the time of writing the car park north of the Old Palace and the access to the grounds from it are closed for construction work. Start in the New Palace, with the audio guide, then walk the length of the garden to Lustheim, and finish in the Old Palace if you still have energy. A combined ticket covers the palaces. Allow at least two and a half hours, more if you want to walk the garden properly.

When to go: from April to September the palaces open from 9am to 6pm, and from October to March from 10am to 4pm; they are closed on Mondays, except on certain public holidays, and on 1 January, Shrove Tuesday and 24, 25 and 31 December. The garden opens daily, with hours that vary by season, and it is free. The water features run from April to the end of September. Summer is the best time for the garden, but the interiors are just as rewarding in winter and the quiet is part of the pleasure. The nearby Flugwerft Schleissheim, a branch of the Deutsches Museum devoted to aviation in a historic airfield, makes a good pairing for families and anyone interested in aircraft.

Who it suits: anyone who loves baroque architecture and painting, or who has seen Nymphenburg and the Residenz and wants more without the crowds. It is less immediately famous than Ludwig II's castles, and there is no fairy-tale story attached, but as architecture it is arguably more accomplished, and the walk through the garden to Lustheim, with the long canal reflecting the sky, is one of the most peaceful experiences within reach of the city.