Munich and Stuttgart: Germany's Perfect Match

My choice was Mineralbad Leuze, about 10 minutes from the city center by train. The complex, including six pools, a solarium and other facilities, was spotless and impressively organized.

After jumping into a warm bathing pool, I discovered the sauna, a spacious tiled area with a dozen or so varieties of sauna and steam rooms, including Finnish, dry, lemon-infused and eucalyptus-scented. At first unsettled by the spectacle of dozens of nude men and women sitting in silence, I quickly got over it.

Over two days, locals steered me to one appealing venue after another. In the Bohnenviertel, a neighborhood of 15th- and 16th-century low-rise buildings, I partied at Schellenturm. The last surviving tower of the fortification that once surrounded the city, it's now a wine bar with a fun, young clientele and a daunting selection of local wines. A bit farther afield was the Bosch-Areal, a former factory that's now a vibrant complex of boutiques, cafes and cinemas.

But the more people freely gave tips of their favorite places, the clearer it was that the Stuttgarters themselves, warm, unpretentious and affable, were the city's biggest attraction.

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On the return trip to Munich, my thoughts turned, not surprisingly, to beer. Augustiner, Lowenbrau/Spaten and the other major beer producers closely guard their processes and rarely offer tours. Again, it was time to call in the local experts. A friend contacted a friend who suggested Unionsbraeu, a family-owned brewery and Bavarian restaurant in the Haidhausen neighborhood.

Stephanie Spendler, the owner's daughter, led me into the basement for a primer. She showed me the oversize copper containers and other brewing and cooling equipment and oak storage barrels, then walked me through the production process. Unlike mega-breweries, all of the 1.4 million liters of beer Unionsbraeu brews each year is not exported but is sold only to the people who drink or dine there.

Afterward, I took a seat in the basement, where a second casual dining room is located, and watched the place come to life. The room, a sprawling space decorated with dried hops plants and furnished with a long wooden table, filled up quickly, mostly with neighborhood regulars. A couple of waiters scurried about with platters of roast pork with dumplings and other rich, aromatic fare, and mugs of fresh-brewed beer. Soon a band started playing Bavarian favorites, and a group invited me to join them. I happily settled into their table.

As I made my way back to the hotel after a fine evening of brew and music, I had already started to miss that festive atmosphere. But no matter: If any soccer-weary travelers were to ask me where to go in Munich for a piece of old Bavaria, I'd found just the place to recommend.