Munich, Germany: travel guide
Bavaria's glittering capital reconciles prosperity and good-humoured beer-garden charm. The neo-Gothic Rathaus on Marienplatz anchors a walkable historic centre of Baroque churches and the Viktualienmarkt. The 373-ha Englischer Garten hosts surfers on an artificial river wave. Oktoberfest in late September brings six million visitors and 7.7 million litres of beer to the Theresienwiese. Nymphenburg Palace, the Deutsches Museum and BMW Welt compete for your days; the Alps and Neuschwanstein are day trips. Best visited May–September or December.
- Country
- Germany
- Currency
- EUR
- Time zone
- Europe/Berlin
- Nearest airport
- MUC
Top places to visit in Munich
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 3 h
The first Nazi concentration camp, opened in 1933, 17km from Munich — a memorial and museum documenting the Holocaust and the system that processed 200,000 prisoners through its gates.
Feldherrnhalle
Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 0.2 h
The 1844 loggia modelled on Florence's Loggia dei Lanzi — the site of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch where Hitler's march was stopped by police, later becoming a mandatory Nazi salute point.
Deutsches Museum
Museum · 4.5 rating · about 4 h · entry EUR 15
The world's largest science and technology museum — 73,000 objects across 8 km of galleries on an Isar island. Highlights: world's first diesel engine, an underground coal mine walkthrough, Otto Hahn's 1938 uranium fission lab bench, a…
Haus der Kunst
Museum · 4.4 rating · about 2 h · entry EUR 12
The 1937 Nazi 'House of German Art' — now one of Europe's finest contemporary art institutions, with major international exhibitions and a repudiation of its own history through the art it now shows.
Schleissheim Palace
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 2.5 h · entry EUR 5
The vast Baroque palace complex north of Munich — three palaces and the finest formal Baroque garden in Bavaria, with the state collection of Dutch and Flemish masters including Rubens' 150-painting collection.
Viktualienmarkt
Market · 4.5 rating · about 1 h
Munich's soul in culinary form — a daily open-air market since 1807 where 140 stalls sell Weißwurst, Obatzda cheese spread, white asparagus (spring), wild mushrooms (autumn), alpine honeys and more. The central beer garden seats 1,000…
Cuvilliés Theatre
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 0.5 h · entry EUR 5
The most exquisite Rococo interior in Germany — the 1751 Court Theatre by François de Cuvilliés with 4 tiers of gilded box seats, recently restored to its original splendour.
Marienplatz & Neues Rathaus Glockenspiel
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 0.8 h
Munich's main square for 850+ years — the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus Glockenspiel (43 bells, 32 life-size figures) performs daily at 11:00 and 12:00, plus 17:00 from May–October, re-enacting the 1568 wedding of Duke Wilhelm V. The square is…
Englischer Garten (English Garden)
Nature · 4.8 rating · about 3 h
One of the world's largest urban parks at 373 ha — bigger than Central Park. Created in 1789, it hosts 100,000 people on summer days: picnics, nude sunbathing, beer gardens and the Eisbach artificial wave where surfers ride year-round…
Hofbräuhaus München
Cultural · 4.3 rating · about 1.5 h
The world's most famous beer hall — a Munich institution since 1589 when Duke Wilhelm V founded the royal brewery. The grand Schwemme hall seats 1,000 people under frescoed vaulted ceilings, where oompah bands play from elevated stages and…
Nymphenburg Palace & Gardens
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 2.5 h · entry EUR 15
The Wittelsbach summer palace stretching 632 m across — Baroque and English landscape gardens, canals and a small lake. Construction began 1664; King Ludwig II was born here in 1845. The Gallery of Beauties (36 portraits of beautiful women…
Chinese Tower Beer Garden (Englischer Garten)
Cultural · 4.4 rating · about 3 h
Munich's most iconic beer garden — 7,000 seats around the Chinese pagoda in the heart of the English Garden, the living embodiment of Munich outdoor culture.
Things to do
- Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall Visit Food Tour · 2 h · from EUR 16 per person
- Neuschwanstein Castle Day Trip Day Trip · 10 h · from EUR 49 per person
- Marienplatz Walking Tour Walking Tour · 2 h
- Englischer Garten Guided Bicycle Tour Activity · 3 h · from EUR 34 per person
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Day Trip · 7 h · from EUR 25 per person
- Munich Beer Hall & Beer Garden Experience Cultural · 3 h · from EUR 38 per person
- Munich Oktoberfest Tour Food Tour · 4 h · from EUR 41 per person
- Nymphenburg Palace & Gardens Guided Tour Cultural · 2 h · from EUR 29 per person
Where to stay in Munich
- Altstadt-Lehel & Maxvorstadt about EUR 190 per night
Munich's prestigious central zone — walking distance to Marienplatz, the Residenz, the English Garden's southern end and Schwabing's museums. The most hotels are here. Premium prices but incomparable location.
- Schwabing about EUR 135 per night
Munich's most elegant residential neighbourhood north of the English Garden — wide Art Nouveau boulevards, excellent restaurants and the Schwabing café culture that inspired writers and artists since 1900.
Hotels
- Hotel Bayerischer Hof 5-star · INR 42,000 to INR 170,000 per night
- Mandarin Oriental Munich 5-star · INR 45,000 to INR 180,000 per night
- Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich 5-star · EUR 480 to EUR 4,500 per night
- Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski 5-star · INR 40,000 to INR 160,000 per night
- Hotel Charles Munich 5-star · INR 18,000 to INR 55,000 per night
- Hotel Sofitel Munich Bayerpost 5-star · INR 15,000 to INR 42,000 per night
Where to eat
- Viktualienmarkt Beer Garden german, bavarian, market · about EUR 15 per person
- Chinesischer Turm german, bavarian, traditional · about EUR 22 per person
- Hofbräuhaus München german, bavarian, traditional · about EUR 30 per person
- Wirtshaus zur Brez'n german, bavarian, traditional · about EUR 25 per person
- Dallmayr german, european, fine_dining · about EUR 75 per person
- Augustiner am Dom german, bavarian, traditional · about EUR 35 per person
- Viktualienmarkt Beer Garden german, bavarian, beer_garden · about EUR 22 per person
- Augustiner Stammhaus german, bavarian, beer_hall · about EUR 30 per person
Getting around
- Metro main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Transit Pass main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.
Safety and scams to avoid
Concentration Camp Tour Overcharging
Munich Hauptbahnhof / Central Bus Station area
Tours to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial are sometimes sold at inflated rates (EUR 40–60) from approaches on the street or in hostels. The official Munich city bus (Route 726) gets you there for EUR 6 (or free with a day ticket) and the memorial is itself free.
How to avoid it: Book only through official sources. Dachau is reachable on a day ticket from MVV — no tour needed.
Oktoberfest Ticket Touting
Theresienwiese, Munich S-Bahn stations during Oktoberfest
Scalpers sell 'reserved' Oktoberfest tent table tickets for EUR 50–200 each outside the grounds. These tickets are either forged, already-expired or for tables that have already been vacated. There is no official advance ticket sale for Oktoberfest — tents fill on a first-come basis.
How to avoid it: There are no legitimate pre-sold individual table tickets for Oktoberfest. Arrive at the tents early (before 09:00) or book via corporate reservations only.