New to Fodor's but need help. I'll be traveling to Azerbaijan and Georgia in late September for business and have forced a 13 hour layover in Munich to catch a "taste of the city". I want to see a few notable sites and engage in a little shopping (anything open re: Christmas before November?). I'm overwhelmed with the amount of information out there. Anyone's help will greatly be appreciated.

With such a short time available, I would go to Marienplatz (the heart of Munich). The incredible gothic city hall, with its glockenspiel, is there. The opera house is a 3-4 block walk. Wonderful shops and restaurants are all very close to this central square. Just to the east is the Frauenkirche, which you've seen on postcards of the city. The English Garden is well worth a short cab ride.

Certainly don't miss the glockespeil. I think it runs at 1:00 in the afternoon but check before.

The technical museum is worth a look, if you like technical stuff. I spent many hours there and would come back the next trip to Munich.

Dachau (I think it's the right name there)which the concentration camp outside of Munich. It could be done in the time, if you're in a big hurry.

13 hours should give you a good flavor of Bavarian culture.

Blackduff

We loved the science museum.....fabulous technology exhibits. And I think late September is also the beginning of Octoberfest....so don't forget to enjoy a little beer!

By the way - are you going straight to Azerbaijan or to Georgia first? I live in Baku and don't know of any flights that come in from Munich.

Marienplatz, in the heart of the city, is the best place to start. Stroll around. Don't miss Viktualienmarkt, the food market - just round the corner.

If you don't want to walk all the time and would like to have a little individual guided tour of the city centre, go by riksha. There are usually a number of them waiting at Marienplatz. They serve as taxis but also do individual round tours with explanations. I didn't do that myself but saw many of them around, and it looks like a pleasant way of getting to know the city.
Go up the steeple of St. Peter's church for a view of the city and, if the weather is fine, the Alps. Next to Marienplatz.

Bad weather suggestions:
Residenz - the palace of the Prince Electors of Bavaria. Enormous. Museum with historical rooms containing furniture and everything. Within walking distance from Marienplatz.
Deutsches Museum - museum of science and technic. (This is the one mentioned by blackduff.) Huge and fascinating. Full of things to discover, experiments to do by yourself etc.
Or visit one of Munich's excellent art collections: Alte Pinakothek (medieval to baroque), Neue Pinakothek (19th and 20th century), Lenbachhaus (expressionism).

For a good Bavarian lunch or dinner, I'd recommend Spöckmeyer - Sendlinger Straße, just off Marienplatz.

Shopping: The main shopping streets are, again, just off Marienplatz. Some shops may already have Christmas stuff on display, especially the souvenir shops. The first Lebkuchen and chocolate Santa Clauses can usually be found in Supermarkets already in September (which many Germans consider as a nuisance, but well - for e short-term visitor like you it's good). Kaufhof, the big department store at the corner of Marienplatz, will have them for sure. I'll have a look next week, when I'm back to Munich again for business.

The Glockenspiel clanks into action at 11:00 a.m.

If you are into art museums, the Alte Pinakotech is world class and is a great place to spend 3-4 hours (closed Monday)

Everybody has had great suggestions so far. I just wanted to give a restaurant suggestion, esspecially for if the weather is nice. There is a place called Andescher am Dom in a small plaza just behind the Frauenkirche - they have a really comfortable space out front with tables, umbrellas, plants and so on. They have interior seating as well if the weather doesn't cooperate with you. We had some terrific schnitzle there and the Andechs Kloisterbrau served there was some of the best beer we had in our 2 weeks in Germany.

I agree that Andechser am Dom is a very good restaurant. And if you sit at one of the communal tables, you'll get some of the local atmosphere.

Of course, that's also true of communal tables at one of the huge beer halls...