Loading...

Munich

TRAVEL GUIDE

Munich

TRAVEL GUIDE

Known today as the city of laptops and lederhosen, modern Munich is a cosmopolitan playground that nevertheless represents what the rest of the world incorrectly sees as "typically German": world-famous Oktoberfest, traditional Lederhosen (leather pants), busty Bavarian waitresses in Dirndls (traditional dresses), beer steins, and sausages.

Munich's cleanliness, safety, and Mediterranean pace give it a slightly rustic feel. The broad sidewalks, fashionable boutiques and eateries, views of the Alps, a sizable river running through town, and a huge green park make Munich one of Germany's most visited cities. When the first rays of spring sun begin warming the air, follow the locals to their beloved beer gardens, shaded by massive chestnut trees.

The number of ele... Read More

Known today as the city of laptops and lederhosen, modern Munich is a cosmopolitan playground that nevertheless represents what the rest of the world incorrectly sees as "typically German": world-famous Oktoberfest, traditional Lederhosen (leather pants), busty Bavarian waitresses in Dirndls (traditional dresses), beer steins, and sausages.

Munich's cleanliness, safety, and Mediterranean pace give it a slightly rustic feel. The broad sidewalks, fashionable boutiques and eateries, views of the Alps, a sizable river running through town, and a huge green park make Munich one of Germany's most visited cities. When the first rays of spring sun begin warming the air, follow the locals to their beloved beer gardens, shaded by massive chestnut trees.

The number of electronics and computer firms—Siemens, Microsoft, and SAP, for starters—makes Munich a sort of mini–Silicon Valley of Germany, but for all its business drive, this is still a city with roots in the 12th century, when it began as a market town on the "salt road" between mighty Salzburg and Augsburg.

That Munich was the birthplace of the Nazi movement is a difficult truth that those living here continue to grapple with. To distance the city from its Nazi past, city leaders looked to Munich’s long pre-Nazi history to highlight what they decreed was the real Munich: a city of great architecture, high art, and fine music. Many of the Altstadt’s architectural gems were rebuilt postwar, including the lavish Cuvilliés-Theater, the Altes Rathaus, and the Frauenkirche.

The city's appreciation of the arts began under the kings and dukes of the Wittelsbach dynasty, which ruled Bavaria for eight centuries, until 1918. The Wittelsbach legacy is alive and well in many of the city's museums and exhibition centers, the Opera House, the philharmonic, and, of course, the Residenz, the city's royal palace. Any walk in the City Center will take you past ravishing baroque decoration and grand 19th-century neoclassical architecture.

Although Munich began as a market town on the salt road between mighty Salzburg and Augsburg in the 12th century, today it is a cosmopolitan technology capital that values quality of life above all else. Nevertheless, Munich still has a Medieval feel. It’s a place that seamlessly blends modernity and tradition with Lederhosen (leather pants), Dirndls (country dresses), parks, beer gardens, and cavernous halls.

Recommended Fodor’s Video

Neighborhoods

The core of Munich's Innenstadt is Altstadt (Old Town), which has been rebuilt so often over the centuries that it no longer has the homogeneous
See More
Ammersee, known as "Peasants' Lake," is the country cousin of the better-known, more cosmopolitan Starnberger See (the "Princes' Lake"), and, accordingly, many Bavarians (and tourists
See More
On the east side of the River Isar, bordered by Lehel and Isarvorstadt to the west, lie Au and Haidhausen, calm, green, and pleasant residential
See More
Dachau predates Munich, with records going back to the time of Charlemagne. It's a handsome town, too, built on a hilltop with views of Munich
See More
If fortune had placed Landshut south of Munich, in the protective folds of the alpine foothills, instead of the same distance northeast, in the subdued
See More

Hotels

Fodor's Choice
Fodor's Choice
Fodor's Choice
Fodor's Choice
Fodor's Choice

Quickly find Munich Hotels and compare prices.

Powered by Clicktripz

Find the perfect tours and activities in Munich.

Powered by GetYourGuide

Language

German

Nearby Airports

MUC

Electrical Outlets

220–240v/50 cycles; plugs have two round prongs

Currency

Euro

Local Weather

{{monthAverage.f_high}}° {{monthAverage.c_high}}° {{monthAverage.f_low}}° {{monthAverage.c_low}}°
{{monthAverage.month}}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

Language

German

Electrical Outlets

220–240v/50 cycles; plugs have two round prongs

Currency

Euro

Nearby Airports

MUC

Local Weather

{{monthAverage.f_high}}° {{monthAverage.c_high}}° {{monthAverage.f_low}}° {{monthAverage.c_low}}°
{{monthAverage.month}}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

It's nicer to walk through the Englischer Garten when the weather's fine in summer. A few post-summer sunny days are usual, but the Oktoberfest...Read More

Discover the best neighborhoods in Munich with curated recommendations from our editors.

Explore All

Local Weather

{{monthAverage.f_high}}° {{monthAverage.c_high}}° {{monthAverage.f_low}}° {{monthAverage.c_low}}°
{{monthAverage.month}}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

It's nicer to walk through the Englischer Garten when the weather's fine in summer. A few post-summer sunny days are usual, but the Oktoberfest...Read More

Discover the best neighborhoods in Munich with curated recommendations from our editors.

Explore All

Local Weather

{{monthAverage.f_high}}° {{monthAverage.c_high}}° {{monthAverage.f_low}}° {{monthAverage.c_low}}°
{{monthAverage.month}}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

It's nicer to walk through the Englischer Garten when the weather's fine in summer. A few post-summer sunny days are usual, but the Oktoberfest...Read More

Discover the best neighborhoods in Munich with curated recommendations from our editors.

Explore All

Our worldwide travel correspondents bring you the best and most up-to-date coverage of over 7,500 global destinations.

Shop Now

Fodor's Essential Germany
Whether you want to take a boat down the Rhine, go to Oktoberfest in Munich, or explore...

View Details