HOURS can disappear rapidly in a balmy evening at one of the many Bavarian beer gardens in the heart of the region’s capital.

Munich is renowned for its beer, with its dozens of beerskellers and beer gardens propped up by six local breweries who maintain a fierce rivalry in the months leading up to Oktoberfest.

For two weeks of pure hedonism in September, life in the industrious Bavarian heartland grinds to a halt, and hundreds of thousands flock from around the world to special tents erected around the city.

Hotels, sofas and floors of friend’s houses are packed throughout the German festival, so book early, or bring a tent.

While Oktoberfest is the main event, a flavour of what is to come can be found all year round as the city, originally built on the crossroads of salt and wine traders from around Europe, expands constantly.

Regulations prevent buildings from towering above the spire of the Frauenkirche, so the city is now burrowing into the ground, with developments taking hold in cellars and basements.

Much of the inner city was revived in the 1970s, with swathes of the old town flattened by bombs unleashed by the RAF. As our guide tells us, ‘this is the old town hall, dating back from 1972.’

One of the main attractions pulls a crowd into the central square at Marienplatz every day at 11am and noon, with the glockenspiel tucked within the hull of the Neus Rathaus coming to life as 36 life-sized characters act out the history of Bavaria.

Slicing through the middle of the city centre lies the Englischer garten, parkland stretching for 40km and 353 hectares where you can bring along a picnic and waiters will take care of your thirst with the trademark litre glasses of local brau.

With streets thronged with lederhosen-clad locals and tourists on excursions from stag parties to business trips, almost any need is catered for in the later hours, from the raucous beerskellers to drinking holes in converted houses.

Our party has the first lunch at the underground Ratskeller in the heart of the old town, which offers platters of every type of sausage, most famously the pale veal Weisswurst.

Nestled in the heart of the city is the Maritim Hotel, a haven for weekend business visitors and British touring parties.

Just yards from the central train station, the transport links are smooth on the tram system, and a host of sports bars, beer gardens and restaurants within stone’s throw.

It is a hearty diet of rich meats in Munich which excel in every menu. Our first meal at one of the oldest beerskellers in the city is a traditional chunk of pork knuckle on the bone with a slab of crackling, accompanied by a stodgy potato dumpling and gravy which sits heavy in the stomach. Good preparation for the litre-glasses of brew which go down easily in 35 degree temperatures.

It is important to pace yourself, as just a few of the infamous beers can equate to a binge, and set you back severely the next morning.

Muggy heads can easily be revived with a dip in the rooftop pool of the Maritim on Goethestrasse, offering a terrace with panoramic views over the city, and a sauna to sweat out the residual hangover ready for another round.

Rounds are a rarity in Munich however – tallies of drinks ordered are scribbled down on beer mats around the table rather than jostling for service at the bars.

As the southern region of Germany, Bavaria has a large Italian community and is often called the most northerly Italian city.

Luckily, the language barrier between the two communities is breached in English, so there is always a friendly local ear for tourists from our side of the channel.

Now modern and metropolitan, many of the museums and galleries do not shy away from the history of the birthplace of National Socialism.

Liberating Americans tore down many remnants of the Third Reich, with new monuments later erected in celebration of the dissidents, who they admit, did not resist the spread of fascism strongly enough.

On the site of the former Nazi party headquarters in Brienner Strasse, since destroyed and replaced with a sterile cubist structure, the NS documentation centre provides an example of heroism for every atrocity inflicted following 1933.

As the site of the failed beer hall putsch of 1922, and a city Hitler affectionately termed the Capital of National Socialism, Munich was central to the rise of the party and the eventual spread across Europe.

The museum does its best to answer the question of how Hitler rose to power largely unchallenged, with fascinating examples of the propaganda filling newspapers and radio in the years leading up to their election.

Only miles away, Dachau concentration camp was already receiving prisoners in 1939 when local boy Georg Elser narrowly failed in his plot to blow up Hitler during an anniversary speech for the failed coup. A memorial is open at the site for those with an interest in the global tragedy which followed.

The monument to the fallen members of the Munich putsch, erected on the south side of the Feldherrnhalle, was manned at all times by soldiers under the Nazis, insisting residents salute when they pass.

Long since destroyed, the reminder today is a thin trail of golden paving slabs along nearby ‘Dodger’s Alley’, the route taken in protest by those who refused to pay tribute so the so-called martyrs of the Reich.

Instead the rare few who took a stand when it was most difficult are commemorated, and locals have accepted the darker history of the city.

With something to suit either a weekend away or an historical trip, Munich comes highly recommended.

Factbox

bmi regional operates up to two flights a day from Bristol to Munich with fares starting from £79 one-way, to include 20kg hold luggage, full in-flight bar service and snacks and a 30 minute check-in.

bmi regional operates more than 300 scheduled flights each week across a network of 22 destinations in ten European countries with an 18-strong all-jet fleet. For further information visit www.bmiregional.com.

Maritim Hotel Munich features 347 elegantly furnished rooms and suites and an indoor rooftop swimming pool, offering fantastic panoramic views of the city.

Prices start from £173, per double room per night on a bed & breakfast basis.

For more information about Maritim Hotels visit: www.maritim.com