Altstadt / Platzl

Platzl Hotel

★★★★★

If you want to wake up in the heart of old Munich, surrounded by its beer culture but sleeping in comfort, the Platzl Hotel is the address. It stands on the Sparkassenstrasse at the corner of the Platzl, the small square in the old town that is home to the Hofbraeuhaus, and it is a five-minute walk from Marienplatz, with the Viktualienmarkt, the Residenz and the Maximilianstrasse all within easy reach. The hotel has been run by the same family for three generations, the Inselkammers, who also own the Ayinger brewery south-east of Munich, and it wears its Bavarian identity proudly, with traditional fabrics, warm wood and contemporary Alpine touches rather than generic international style. Rooms range from compact singles to deluxe doubles and suites, the best of them with views over the old town roofs. The hotel has two very different places to eat. The Pfistermuehle, in the vaulted rooms of a historic mill building, is the more refined, with a modern take on Bavarian cooking, while the Wirtshaus Ayinger am Platzl is a lively tavern serving Ayinger beer and hearty classics in a setting that is far more relaxed than the Hofbraeuhaus across the square. On the fifth floor, the Schwitzstube offers a Finnish sauna, a gentler sanarium, rain showers and relaxation areas, a welcome treat after a day of walking, and day-spa access is also sold to outside guests. Breakfast is a generous buffet, served until 11am on weekdays and noon at weekends and holidays, and cheaper when booked with your room than on the spot. A public underground car park lies directly beneath the hotel, though spaces cannot be reserved, and dogs and cats are welcome for a small cleaning fee. Rooms are guaranteed from 3pm, with checkout at noon.

Location: you could hardly be more central. The Hofbraeuhaus, the Orlando House and the Platzl's beer halls are on the doorstep, Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel are five minutes away, the Viktualienmarkt a little further, and the Isartor S-Bahn station and the Marienplatz U-Bahn hub link you to the airport, the main station and the rest of the city. Evenings in the old town are lively, especially in summer and during Oktoberfest, so ask for a courtyard-facing room if you are a light sleeper.

Who it suits: couples and first-time visitors who want a polished, characterful hotel with a strong sense of place, and beer lovers who want to stay in the thick of Munich's beer culture while eating and sleeping well. It is more expensive than the old town's simpler hotels but considerably cheaper than the grand five-stars on the Promenadeplatz and Maximilianstrasse, and for many travellers it hits the sweet spot between comfort and character. Families will find the location convenient, though room sizes in the standard categories are compact for three or more.

Compared with nearby options: the Hotel Torbraeu, at the Isartor, is a similarly traditional, family-run old-town four-star at a slightly lower price point, while the LOUIS Hotel at the Viktualienmarkt is sleeker and more design-led. Platzl is the most Bavarian of the three, and its sauna and two restaurants give it the edge for a longer stay. Book early for Oktoberfest, Christmas market season and big trade fairs, when rates across the centre rise sharply.