One of the world's largest urban public parks found smack bang in the city centre? Um, yes please. Planted, sculpted and made immaculate back in 1789, the 370-hectare Englischer Garten acts as Munich's communal back garden. Despite us having never spotted a single gardener at work, this picture-perfect green space rarely has a grass blade too high and is used by most Müncheners as an exercise - and imbibing - space. Dodge the Berghaus-clad joggers and stein-sloshing drinkers and head for the Eisbach, an artificial diversion of the Isar running through the park. Here, you'll find the Eisbach wave, a man-made disruption in the waterway that surf-savvy city residents use to practise their board skills.

You're less likely to fit all 80-plus Munich museums into a city break than you are to leave this city thinking you've eaten enough vegetables, but a morning spent making tracks through the Maxvorstadt neighbourhood will give you a flavour of the cultural kudos of the Bavarian capital. Big-hitters include the Haus der Kunst, home to a celebration of contemporary art, and the Alte Pinakothek (pictured), where you'll find poe-faced European masterpieces lining the walls. The NS-Dokumentationszentrum offers a sobering overview of the city's role in 20th-century history, while Die Neue Sammlung Design Museum puts German creativity on show, via fun, interactive design exhibitions.

Hear us out. Some stations on Munich's subterranean U-Bahn are architecturally adventurous, and worthy of your time if the alpine climate gets a bit wet. Curvaceous and kaleidoscopic, the system showcases bright hues, unusual material use and seductive symmetry, all thanks to a 70s planning councillor who convinced the city the stations should "radiate a positive mood". (Any chance he's available to offer us Monday-morning motivation, please?) Head to Westfriedhof for moodily light platforms, Marienplatz for pumpkin-coloured walls, and Oberwiesenfeld for sky-high brutalist architecture coupled with optical illusion-inducing tiling.