Feel the fun in 'Toytown'

The charm of Munich is sitting back, enjoying the scenery and sipping one of its famous beers. Photos by Belle Taylor / for China Daily

During Oktoberfest, the streets of Munich are filled with happy faces. Yu Huitong / for China Daily

Belle Taylor says visiting the third largest city in Germany, Munich, is like being in a fairytale.

With its pastel colored apartment blocks, tidy streets and quaint town squares, Munich still looks like a city from a fairy tale - just replace the horse and coach with a BMW, and the Prince's castle with a slick Internet startup. The English-speaking expat community has nicknamed the city "Toytown", while locals call it Millionendorf, "village of a million people".

Wandering the candy colored streets around Rosenheimer Platz, or the mansions circling the grounds of Palace Nymphenberg, the third largest city in Germany has an unrushed feel to it.

Its 1 million people are friendly, the cafes and restaurants homely rather than chic, and the wide streets and elegant apartment blocks set around the picturesque River Isar give it an old world, graceful feel.

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A trip to Munich isn't about rushing around to see the bright lights, it's about sitting back, enjoying the scenery and sipping one of its famous beers. There's no better place to do all these things than in the stunning Englischer Garten.

Designed by Britain's Sir Benjamin Thompson, in 1789, it is one of the largest city parks in the world. Students gossip and study in the cafes and beer gardens, families fly kites in open spaces and couples stroll along the lush overgrown paths.

A good starting point for the garden is the Chinesischer Turm, or Chinese Tower. First erected in the 1700s, it was reconstructed in the 1950s after being destroyed during World War II.

This little slice of China is surrounded by something very German - a beer garden.

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On the wooden benches and tables you can kick back and enjoy traditional German food. No trip to Munich is complete without at least trying a "handle", or half a chicken, bratwurst and of course, giant piles of fried potatoes.

The meat might be slightly overcooked, the portions overly generous and vegetables other than potato totally verboten, but it's hearty and satisfying, and much better when eaten as it's intended - washed down with a "mass", meaning a liter of German beer.