Traveleriences
The Frauenkirche and the New Town Hall in Munich

Munich, Germany

Ideal: 2–3 daysBest: May–Sep, DecPrice: Expensive
OverviewSeeEatHidden gemsDrinkAreasStayPracticalHistoryNearby

In 60 seconds

Munich in 60 seconds

Munich is Bavaria's prosperous capital: royal palaces and great picture galleries, baroque churches, a vast English Garden with surfers on its river, and beer halls and beer gardens that are a way of life rather than a tourist show. The old town is compact, and the U-Bahn and S-Bahn cover the rest, the airport included. Give a morning to the Pinakotheken, an afternoon to the English Garden, and the evening to a beer garden, where it is customary to bring your own food. Oktoberfest, from late September, fills every bed and doubles the prices. It is clean, safe and easy. Two or three days covers the city; the Alps and Neuschwanstein are a day trip away.

ArchitectureNature

Best for

  • Beer
  • Museums
  • Weekend

Known for

  • Beer gardens
  • The Residenz
  • Oktoberfest

Skip if

You are on a tight budget during Oktoberfest, when hotel prices multiply; or you want a gritty, edgy city — that is Berlin.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Munich fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

Munich Residenz

Moderate

Palace of the Bavarian rulers

Room after room of the Wittelsbachs' palace, from the Renaissance Antiquarium to the Treasury.

AltstadtHalf dayPalace

Eat

Where to eat

A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?

Local

Where to eat the food this city is actually known for.

Spatenhaus an der Oper

Expensive

Bavarian dining room by the opera

Traditional Bavarian food — crisp roast pork with dark beer sauce and dumplings — opposite the National Theatre.

AltstadtBavarianClassic

Gasthaus Waltz

Expensive

Austrian inn with natural wine

Austrian cooking, elegantly done, with some of the city's best wine pairings.

GlockenbachAustrianWine

Casual

No booking, no ceremony, reliably good.

Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom

Inexpensive

Nuremberg sausages by the cathedral

Small Nuremberg sausages grilled over beechwood, in an old tavern beside the Frauenkirche.

AltstadtQuickSausages

Viktualienmarkt

Inexpensive

Open-air food market

Stalls of cheese, sausage and produce around a maypole, with a beer garden in the middle.

AltstadtLunchMarket

Bingo Bistro

Moderate

Small plates in Glockenbach

A compact, creative menu from snacks to full plates, in a vintage-styled room.

GlockenbachLivelySmall plates

Special occasion

Worth planning the evening around.

Tantris

Very expensive

Fine dining in a 1970s landmark

One of Germany's most celebrated restaurants, in an extraordinary orange-and-black 1971 building in Schwabing.

SchwabingBook aheadTasting menu
Official site for Tantris (opens in a new tab)

Broeding

Very expensive

Alpine produce · Six-course menu

A long-running Neuhausen restaurant cooking produce from the Alpine foothills, with Austrian wines.

NeuhausenTasting menuWine

Pageou

Expensive

East Anatolian fine dining

Ali Güngörmüş's restaurant near the Odeonsplatz, with aromatic dishes from the eastern Mediterranean.

AltstadtBook aheadMiddle Eastern

Coffee & fika

Mornings, and the slow hour between things.

Beyond the obvious

Hidden gems

Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.

Asamkirche

A private baroque jewel box

A narrow church built by the Asam brothers next to their own house, every surface gilded and carved.

AltstadtBaroqueFree

Eisbach wave

River surfing in the city

Surfers ride a standing wave on a channel of the Isar at the edge of the English Garden.

LehelFreeUnusual

After dark

Bars & nightlife

Orientation

Neighbourhoods

How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.

Altstadt

Marienplatz and the old town

The New Town Hall, the Frauenkirche, the Residenz and the Viktualienmarkt, close together.

Maxvorstadt

Museums and the university

The Pinakotheken, the Lenbachhaus and student cafés around the university.

Schwabing

Bohemian Munich

Leafy streets of cafés and bars beside the English Garden.

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

Altstadt-Lehel

Very expensive

Central and walkable

Steps from Marienplatz and the English Garden; the most expensive part of the city.

CentralWalkable

Maxvorstadt

Expensive

Between museums and the station

Good value, near the museums and the main station.

MuseumsValue

Haidhausen

Expensive

Village feel across the Isar

Quiet squares and restaurants, a short S-Bahn or tram ride from the centre.

LocalQuiet

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
The S1 and S8 S-Bahn lines run from the airport to the centre in about 40 minutes.
Getting around
U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses share one ticket system (MVV); the centre is walkable.
Money
Euro. Cards are widely accepted, but some beer gardens and older taverns prefer cash.
Beer gardens
In traditional beer gardens you may bring your own food to the tables without cloths.

Plan this trip — useful links

MVV — public transport (opens in a new tab)Deutsche Bahn — trains (opens in a new tab)

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. 1158

    Henry the Lion founds Munich at a crossing of the Isar.

  2. 1810

    The first Oktoberfest celebrates the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig.

  3. 1972

    Munich hosts the Summer Olympics, leaving the Olympiapark and the U-Bahn.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle

The castle in the Alpine foothills; book a timed ticket well ahead.

By train to Füssen, then busCastleFull day

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Memorial site

The first Nazi concentration camp, now a memorial and museum. Allow half a day.

By S-Bahn and busHalf dayHistory

Lake Starnberg

Lake with Alpine views

Boats, swimming and lakeside walks, half an hour by S-Bahn.

By S-BahnLakesSummer