There is only one street in Munich on which two colours, which aren’t technically colours, dominate: black and white. That doesn’t mean the hoards of veiled beauties from the Emirates which populate the streets in the summer months, enchanting hotel rooms with oriental decoration before vanishing to far away lands with wholesome, rich men in white robes, but rather the hasty attendants who helpfully and knowledgeably whisper their recommendations for the ideal accessory to go with the latest haute-couture outfit to well-off customers. The customers all know one another and they’re in their element here. Most live in Starnberg or Bogenhausen and they all meet up to go shopping on Maximilianstrasse.

The promenade begins at the glorious Max-Joseph-Platz with the National Theatre and the Residenz and heads past many a fine boutique, coming to an end at the Museum der Völkerkunde (Museum of Ethnology). The street continues further over the River Isar up to the Maximilianeum, originally a training school for gifted Bavarian boys, today the office of the Bavarian Parliament. The most famous scholar was the Nobel Prize Laureate for Physics, Werner Heisenberg. The boulevard was devised by Friedrich Bürklein at the request of King Maximilian II.

Coming from the Operngarage car park, one strolls past luxury boutiques, jewellers, art galleries and exclusive antique shops whose names read like a who’s who of international designers. The shops all look alike; they are large and simple with background music to incite purchases. Hairdressers are called coiffeurs here. You can tell it’s the local capital, it seems like Hollywood, and you would expect to pay these sorts of prices on the Düsseldorf Königsallee. In 2003, the Maximilianhöfe were added and with it even more designer labels.

The pearls running down that side of the street are interrupted by another jewel: the five-star Grand Hotel Kempinski Vierjahreszeiten (The Four Seasons). On the other side are intimate theatres which, since 1911, have been located in an Art Nouveau theatre created by Richard Riemerschmid. Detours down the adjacent Residenzstrasse and Theatinerstrasse are well worth it. Munich’s exclusivity with regard to shopping is also evident here. The ‘Fünf Höfe’ offers not only more shopping possibilities, but also artistic pleasure in the shape of the Hypo Kulturstiftung art gallery. If you need a break, there is ‘Schumann’s Tagesbar’ and the ‘Emporio Armani Caffé’.

What will sophisticated ladies and gentlemen see and hear on the luxury mile? The products are consistently discreet yet striking, made of first-class materials, predominantly black and white in colour and produced by top designers. Exquisite accessories complement the perfect outfit and the fine jewellery rounds things off.

Places of leisure and self reflection can also be found in the home of luxury and decadence. The motto is ‘see and be seen’, especially in the ‘Brenner’, a local eatery which offers ‘experimental gastronomy’, as does ‘Café Roma’. Here you can mingle either with or without actress Iris Berben, the successful owner, and keep up with the latest gossip on the grape vine whilst indulging in the good life.

by Karin Nagl

The founders and architects of the `Fünf Höfe´in Munich have achieved the perfect balancing act between art and commerce. Visitors will find the perfect shopping experience, places to eat and even art galleries over an extensive area which stretches between Theatinerstraße, Maffeistraße, Kardinalstraße, Faulhaberstraße and Salvatorstraße. In the centre you´ll find the Hypo-Kunsthalle which is rife with internationally renowned art exhibitions.

Those taking a break from shopping are entertained by all the cafes and restaurants. You´ll need the sustenance to get around all the interesting shops. International designer brands, as well as the most famous booksellers in Munich and a typical supermarket can all be found in the `Fünf Höfe´.

Frederics Serviced Apartments believes the best way to get there is using public transport - both the Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz stops are just a stone´s throw away.