Munich travel guide
Photo courtesy of Tourismusamt München/Rudolf Sterflinger
Planning a trip to Munich, Germany
- Drain liter-sized mugs of beer in a medieval bierhalle
- See the first self-portrait (Dürer's) at Alte Pinakothek
- Hang out on the main square of Marienplatz
- Tour the baroque palace of Schloss Nymphenburg
- Be wowed by science at the Deutsches Museum
- Explore nearby Bavarian castles, countryside, & towns
Munich is the gateway to the Bavarian Alps.
It's also a German intellectual and industrial center, a lively European arts and culture hub sprinkled with museums, and the world capital of beer and BMW (just don't mix those last two).
The city wears many hats, equally at ease as the capital of rustic, folklore-saturated Bavaria; a city of church spires and steeples in this most-Catholic corner of Germany; a vibrant university town where the Nobel Prize–winning author Thomas Mann and Albert Einstein rank among the famed intelligentsia of yore; and an economic powerhouse with cutting-edge industry ringing its outskirts.
Then again, for a few weeks each autumn, Munich becomes a place of sunshine, smiling faces, platters of sausages, huge mugs of tasty beer, oompah bands, and old-fashioned good times at the original Oktoberfest.
Then, come December, it cloaks itself in more wholesome German Christmas traditions to host a number of Christmas markets on squares around town.
Tips & Links
With museums galore and a thriving cultural and theater life, Munich's sights are sure to keep you busy for at least two or three days.
You can do it in one, but you'll be giving the city short shrift.
Tourist info: Muenchen.de, Bavaria.by, Germany.travel
Tours & activities: Viator.com, City-Discovery.com, Intrepidtravel.com, Gadventures.com
LODGING
- Apartments & villas:
- Vrbo.com
- Booking.com
- Venere.com
- Rentalo.com
- Homeaway.com
- Belvilla.com
- Interhomeusa.com
- Airbnb.com
- Villasintl.com
- Craigslist.org
TRANSPORT
- Airfares:
- Momondo.com
- AutoEurope.com
- Vayama.com
- CheapOair.com
- Cheapflights.com
- DoHop.com
- CheapTickets.com
- Priceline.com
- Trains:
- Bahn.de
- Raileurope.com
- Seat61.com
- Car/RV rentals:
- Autoeurope.com
- Momondo.com
- RentalCars.com
- CheapOair.com
- AutoSlash.com
Bike rentals & tours: Viator.com, Mikesbiketours.com
- Sightseeing
- Food & beer
- Day-trips
- Excursions
- Munich City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
- Munich Bike Tour
- Munich Segway Tour
- Private Tour: Munich Segway Tour Including Chinese Tower Beer Garden
- Private Tour: Munich Electric Bike Tour
- Munich Art Tour: Neue Pinakothek
- Hitler and the Third Reich Walking Tour
- Private Tour: Munich Sightseeing Including Andechs Monastery
- Munich City Tour including FC Bayern Soccer Grounds Visit
- Munich Ghost Walking Tour
- Munich Super Saver: Paulaner Brewery and Beer Tour plus Express Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
- Munich Oktoberfest Tickets and Tour
- Munich Christmas Markets Tour
- Munich City and Bavaria Film Studio Tour
- Hard Rock Cafe Munich
- Munich by Night and Dinner at Hofbrauhaus
- Munich Oktoberfest Tickets and Tour
- Bavarian Beer and Food Evening Tour in Munich
- Munich Bavarian Food Walking Tour
- Behind-the-Scenes Paulaner Brewery and Beer Tour in Munich
- Munich Super Saver: Paulaner Brewery and Beer Tour plus Express Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
- Munich Segway Tour During Oktoberfest
- Private Tour: Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau from Munich
- Private Tour: Dachau Concentration Camp Tour from Munich
- Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Day Tour from Munich
- Salzburg Small Group Day Tour from Munich
- Salzburg and Lake District Day Tour from Munich
- Neuschwanstein Castle Small Group Day Tour from Munich
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Small Group Tour from Munich
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Afternoon Tour from Munich
- Romantic Road, Rothenburg and Harburg Day Tour from Munich
- Berchtesgaden and Eagle's Nest Day Tour from Munich
- Nuremberg Day Trip from Munich
- Private Tour: Nuremberg Day Trip with Train Transport from Munich
- Nuremberg Third Reich and Roman Empire Historical Day Trip
- Herrenchiemsee Palace Rail Trip from Munich
- Royal Castle of Herrenchiemsee and Fraueninsel Day Tour from Munich
- Ettal Monastery and Zugspitze Day Tour from Munich
- Swarovski Crystal Worlds and Innsbruck Day Trip from Munich
- Royal Castle of Linderhof and Oberammergau Day Tour from Munich
- 3-Day Munich to Frankfurt Tour - Romantic Road, Rothenburg, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein
- 4-Day Tour from Munich to Frankfurt: Romantic Road, Rothenburg, Augsburg, Neuschwanstein Castle
- 2-Day Munich Super Saver: Salzburg and Lake District Day Trip plus Romantic Road and Rothenburg Day Trip
- 2-Day Royal Castles Tour - Linderhof, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein
- 2-Day Munich to Frankfurt - Romantic Road, Rothenburg
- 5-Day Tour from Munich to Frankfurt: Rothenburg, Augsburg, Zugspitze
- 4-Day Munich to Frankfurt - Romantic Road, Linderhof, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein
- 3-Day Munich to Frankfurt - Romantic Road, Heidelberg, Rothenburg
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This article was by Reid Bramblett and last updated in September 2013.
All information was accurate at the time.
Copyright © 1998–2013 by Reid Bramblett. Author: Reid Bramblett.
Tourist info: Muenchen.de, Bavaria.by, Germany.travel
Tours & activities: Viator.com, City-Discovery.com, Intrepidtravel.com, Gadventures.com
LODGING
- Apartments & villas:
- Vrbo.com
- Booking.com
- Venere.com
- Rentalo.com
- Homeaway.com
- Belvilla.com
- Interhomeusa.com
- Airbnb.com
- Villasintl.com
- Craigslist.org
TRANSPORT
- Airfares:
- Momondo.com
- AutoEurope.com
- Vayama.com
- CheapOair.com
- Cheapflights.com
- DoHop.com
- CheapTickets.com
- Priceline.com
- Trains:
- Bahn.de
- Raileurope.com
- Seat61.com
- Car/RV rentals:
- Autoeurope.com
- Momondo.com
- RentalCars.com
- CheapOair.com
- AutoSlash.com
Bike rentals & tours: Viator.com, Mikesbiketours.com