This 17th-century palace was the summer residence of the Wittelbachs; the House of Wittelbach ruled Bavaria from 1180 until 1918. It is a large and beautiful palace that forms a large semi-circle around ponds and a canal. As it was winter, the canal and ponds in front of the palace had frozen, but birds did still manage to congregate in areas were the pond was still liquid at the surface. Also, in the winter, opening hours for the palace are 10am to 4pm. Tickets are available for the main palace building only (we bought these) or for both that and a few of the surrounding buildings, one of which contains a carriage museum. As with most museums in Munich, photography is allowed, but only without flash.

Upon entering, you encounter a beautiful hall. Then it's left for the Gallery of Beauties and what would have been the Queen's chambers. To the right was the kings. There were fewer rooms open to the public than I expected, and with tour groups coming by the busload, it can get crowded inside.

A highlight of the trip was the Gallery of Beauties, a collection of portraits of women (girls, really... they were all 21 or under) whom Ludwig I considered beautiful. A few were not of noble birth, causing much drama at the time. Shock, horror! One particular beauty was the daughter of a local shoemaker who had caught Ludwig I's fancy. One ended up being his daughter-in-law! A number of the women were his mistresses, and when her time with him was over, he was always very good to them, marrying them off to rich, but old, peers. (Although tour groups can be annoying, the tour leaders have a wealth of information!) There was also a smaller, older, lesser-known gallery of beauties compiled by Max Emanuel, but if you ask me, Ludwig I had better taste. [wink]

There is a large parkland behind the palace, and it would have been wonderful to wander through it during the summer, when the weather was better. The snow was untouched in many places, and it was quite an effort to walk through it. Oh, well--another time.

I highly recommend Schloss Nymphenburg, but I think it would be rather tiring for younger children.

You can buy a variety of ticket combinations -- either the palace itself (including the "Gallery of Beauties," a collection of 36 portraits of King Ludwig I's alleged mistresses, or those who caught his eye and favours, from princesses to a cobbler's daughter) for €3.50, or the hunting lodge (Amelienburg), plus the bathing house (Badenburg) and pavilions (Magdalenenklause and Pagodenburg) for an additional €3.50 (or separate entry to each is about €1-2). The palace's quite beautiful grounds are freely accessible until about dusk, and there is a coffeehouse/snack bar to the right of the grounds (Palmen Cafe) for a rest, coffee, and cake or ice cream.

As you enter the main palace by climbing the stone stairs, the first room is perhaps the most overpowering and striking -- gleaming white walls with grand windows through arches and pillars, crystal chandeliers, and a vast, breathtaking Zimmermann ceiling fresco depicting the gods (Flora, Venus, Diana, Apollo, Mercury, Minerva, Bacchus...); the room is a Rococo-fest of mirrors and gilt-framed pictures, looking right through to the gardens at the rear. Fortunately, there are benches for you to sit and wonder at the opulence and magnificence of the whole affair.

From here, to the left is the wing where the lady of the house lived, and to the right, her husband, including bedrooms, salons and receiving rooms, dining rooms et al, all with gloriously silk-damask walls, carved furniture, canopied beds, paintings (both portrait and some very fine period landscapes) and tapestries, velvet curtains. There are mini-exhibitions of porcelain and a coachhouse containing Ludwig's sleighs and carriages.

Beyond the palace, the Amelienburg is a sumptuous hunting lodge, even containing a mini-Hall of Mirrors; the Magdalenenklause (1728), a ruined hermitage retreat, complete with grotto; the Pagodenburg (1719), a chinoiserie party house; the Badenburg (1721), a Baroque bathing house with pool (with underwater benches).

You can hire audio sets for tours €3 or buy mini-guidebooks for 2.50 as a lasting souvenir. Photography is allowed without flash.

It´s an incredible place during all seasons, whether in snowy winter with the frozen lakes and canals, or in the summer with thousands of flowers and statues. An English-style park surrounds the palace and a canal runs through it from the pool at the foot of the staircase to the cascade at the far end. Within the park are a number of pavilions.

Directions: Take the tram 17 or U1 to "Gern".