Hauptbahnhof / Bahnhofplatz

25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian

★★★★★

The 25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian takes Munich's royal past and has fun with it. It opened in autumn 2017 in a listed neo-Renaissance building at Bahnhofplatz 1, built in 1869 to 1871 by the court architect Georg von Dollmann, who later worked on Ludwig II's palaces, to house the main post office and the royal telegraph exchange; a post office branch still operates on the ground floor. The Augsburg design firm DREIMETA created a concept that blends fin-de-siecle grand-hotel style with playful, ironic references to Bavaria's kings, from heraldic animals and rich colours to quirky details such as an elephant fountain that winks at Berlin's Hotel Adlon. The 165 rooms and suites come in five categories, from Medium rooms of around sixteen to eighteen square metres to the Swan Suite and the Peacock Suite, and they are full of character, with bold fabrics, thoughtful lighting and good beds. NENI, the restaurant created by the Molcho family of Vienna, serves eclectic Eastern Mediterranean dishes for sharing around a large communal table and is popular with locals as well as guests. The Boilerman Bar on the first floor, looking over the station forecourt, specialises in highballs developed with the Hamburg bartender Joerg Meyer, and the Aperitivo Bar, with its jungle of plants, is a more intimate spot. On the fourth floor there is a pinewood sauna with a rest area and a balcony, and the hotel lends Schindelhauer bikes for exploring the city, with Extra Large rooms and suites getting their own bike for the stay. There is a Vinyl Lounge, a shop and free fast Wi-Fi. Rates are mid-range and very fair for the style and location, and for travellers who like their hotels with personality, the Royal Bavarian is one of the most enjoyable stays in Munich.

Rooms: Medium rooms are compact but cleverly designed, and fine for a short stay; the Large and Extra Large rooms give more space and often better views, and the suites are fun, theatrical spaces for a special trip. Rooms on the station side have the busy square outside, and those on the inner side are quieter. The design is consistently witty without sacrificing comfort, and the staff set a relaxed, friendly tone.

Eating and drinking: NENI is a destination in its own right, especially for groups who like to share plates, and the Boilerman Bar is one of the most popular hotel bars near the station. Around the hotel, the neighbourhood south of the station has a lively mix of international restaurants, and the Augustiner-Keller beer garden, one of Munich's classic gardens, is a short walk north-west, while the Augustiner Stammhaus on Neuhauser Strasse is on the way into the old town.

Location and drawbacks: the main station on your doorstep makes this an outstanding base for day trips to Neuschwanstein, Salzburg and Dachau, and for airport trains, and Marienplatz is about 1.2 kilometres away, a fifteen-minute walk through Karlsplatz and the pedestrian streets. The station area is busy and a little gritty at night, typical of station districts in big cities, but the hotel itself is a calm, characterful bubble. There is no pool or full spa, but the sauna is a nice extra.