Munich

Bavarian capital of beer gardens and museums

Munich is the capital of Bavaria and the third-largest city in Germany, with an old town built around Marienplatz and the twin towers of the Frauenkirche. Visitors can see the Residenz palace, browse the museums of the Kunstareal or spend an afternoon in a beer garden under chestnut trees. The Englischer Garten is one of the largest city parks in Europe and the Isar flows through town. Oktoberfest is the best-known event of the year. The Alps are close, so Munich works both as a city break and as a base for Neuschwanstein and the lakes south of town.

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City in Germany

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$	Cheap
$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
$$$+	Very expensive, luxury

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Safety: 8.4

General Safety:	8
Health & medical:	9
Accessibility:	8
Tap water:	10

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4/5

Most locals, especially in the tourism industry, speak good English. English menus and signs are common, but learning a few basic German phrases can be helpful.

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Last update: 22 Oct 2026

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Munich Summary

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Famous for beer culture and Bavarian traditions. Visit beer halls, explore royal palaces and museums, relax in large parks and enjoy seasonal festivals.

Place score

8.7

Best at:

Beer

Museums

Festivals

Art

Theatre

Personal score

Suited for

👶 9

Families

🧓 8

Seniors

🛡️ 9

Travel Beginners

🐕 9

With dogs

Germany – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	230 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type C , Type F Type C: Type F: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Euro (EUR) £1 ≈ €1.19
Cashless info:	Rating 4/5 Cards are widely accepted, especially in urban areas, but small establishments may prefer cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is common in restaurants, typically 5-10%. For taxis, it is customary to round up to the nearest euro. Tipping in cash is more common than adding it to card payments.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is allowed in most parts of Germany, especially in beer gardens and public events, but some local regulations may restrict it in specific areas.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited indoors in public places such as restaurants, trains, and buses. Designated smoking areas are available outside many buildings.

Oktoberfest (September)	Huge crowds in Munich. Expect high hotel rates and crowded transport.
Christmas (December)	Christmas markets are popular, expect crowded cities and higher prices.
Labour Day (May)	Many shops are closed, and there are celebrations throughout the country.

Emergency contact:	Police: 110, Emergency Number: 112 (Fire, Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, Free Now, myTaxi
Other:	Germany is well-equipped for tourists, with good public transport and high-quality facilities. However, be prepared for language barriers in some rural areas.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colours of the months:
The colour shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the colour is shows the travel season: full colour means high season, soft colour means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Munich, Germany

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Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

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May

🌦️

Jun

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Jul

🌦️

Aug

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Sep

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Oct

☁️

Nov

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Dec

High season:	May - Sep.
Shoulder season:	April, Oct., Dec.
Crowdedness:	8 (Very crowded)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Oktoberfest from mid or late September to the first Sunday in October: hotels book out and prices peak

Christmas markets late November to 24 December

Beer gardens open roughly April to October, weather permitting

Don't miss

🍺 Raise a stein at Oktoberfest in Theresienwiese
🏰 Visit the grand Nymphenburg Palace and gardens
🌇 Climb St. Peter’s Church tower for city views
🕰️ Stroll through Marienplatz and watch the Glockenspiel
🚗 Explore the BMW Museum and admire classic cars
🌳 Relax with a picnic in the English Garden

You've been here?

Why travel to Munich?

Munich combines big-city sights with Bavarian traditions. The compact old town has Marienplatz with the Neues Rathaus and its Glockenspiel, the Frauenkirche nearby and the Viktualienmarkt, a daily food market. The Residenz, the former palace of the Bavarian rulers, has rooms from several centuries and a treasury. The museums are a main reason to come. The Kunstareal has the Pinakotheken (three major art museums) as well as the Lenbachhaus. The Deutsches Museum is a huge museum of science and technology. Nymphenburg Palace has gardens and a large park. The Olympiapark from the 1972 Games has a tower and a hill with city views. The Englischer Garten has a beer garden at the Chinese Tower and a river wave where surfers ride all year. Beer is part of the city. Beer halls and beer gardens serve Helles and Weißbier at long tables. Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese fills the city for about two weeks from September into early October. In December the Christmas markets open on Marienplatz and elsewhere. Two to three days cover the main sights while a longer stay allows day trips to Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles, the Zugspitze, Salzburg or the Romantic Road.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 New Town Hall
2 Residenz
3 BMW Museum
4 Nymphenburg Palace
5 St. Peter
6 Montessori School in the Olympic Park

🎡Places for activities

1 Hofbräuhaus am Platzl
2 Deutsches Museum
3 Allianz Arena
4 Olympic Aquatic Center
5 Therme Erding

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 English Garden
2 Tierpark Hellabrunn
3 Flaucher
4 Westpark
5 Botanical Garden München-Nymphenburg
6 Isar
7 Feldmochinger See
8 Olympiapark
9 Hirschgarten

🛍️Shopping

1 Galeria Kaufhof
2 Viktualienmarkt
3 Kaufingerstraße
4 Sendlinger Straße
5 Hofstatt
6 Riem-Arcaden
7 Maximiliansbrücke
8 Fünf Höfe

🎈Events

Oktoberfest
Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market)
Starkbierfest (Strong Beer Festival)
Tollwood Festival
Auer Dult
Munich Film Festival
Long Night of Museums
Munich Marathon
Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival)
Munich Opera Festival

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Knowledge before you go

Marienplatz's Glockenspiel plays several times a day, so check the times.
Surfers ride a standing wave on the Eisbach at the south end of the Englischer Garten.
In traditional beer gardens you can bring your own food as long as you buy your drinks there.
Most of Oktoberfest takes place in September and it ends in early October, so book rooms months ahead.

How to travel to Munich

Munich Airport (MUC) is the main gateway, with flights from many European and long-distance cities. The S1 and S8 S-Bahn lines take about 40 minutes to Munich Hauptbahnhof and run every 10 minutes combined. By train, Munich Hauptbahnhof is the hub for southern Germany and Austria. The fastest ICE from Nuremberg takes about 1 hour 11 minutes, with around 60 connections a day. Berlin takes roughly four hours and Frankfurt about three and a half. Salzburg takes about an hour and a half and Zurich about three and a half hours. A central bus station at the Hackerbrücke handles long-distance coaches. By car, the A8 from Stuttgart and Salzburg, the A9 from Nuremberg and Berlin and the A96 from Lindau reach the city. A low-emission zone applies in the centre, so check your vehicle's sticker.

Access summary

From Munich Airport (MUC): S1/S8 S-Bahn to Hauptbahnhof, about 35–45 minutes.
From Berlin: Fast ICE trains to Munich Hauptbahnhof, usually around 4–4.5 hours.
From Vienna: Direct Railjet/ICE trains to Munich, typically about 4–5 hours.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Munich

Most visitors stay in the old town or near the main station, where hotels of all sizes are close to Marienplatz, the museums and the U-Bahn. The area around the main station has many budget and chain hotels but can feel rough late at night. The Maxvorstadt near the Kunstareal is quieter. The Glockenbach and Isarvorstadt neighbourhoods have bars, cafés and smaller hotels and suit you if you want nightlife. Schwabing and Haidhausen have cafés and residential streets. Neuhausen and Nymphenburg are calm and green and give access to the palace and the park. Prices are high by German standards and rise sharply during Oktoberfest and the big trade fairs, when rooms can sell out months ahead. Staying outside the centre on an S-Bahn line or in nearby towns like Augsburg can cost less.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Boutique Hotel Germania

8.3

Bayer 89 Vi Vadi Hotel

8.8

Downtown Vi Vadi Hotel

8.3

Eurostars Book Hotel

8.6

Leonardo Hotel & Residenz Munich

8.3

Mercure Munich City Center Hotel

8.8

Hotel Europäischer Hof

8.6

Flemings Hotel München-City

8.7

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Munich

The centre is compact and pedestrian friendly with the main sights from Marienplatz to the Kunstareal within walking distance. One public transport network, the MVV, runs the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses and a single ticket works on all of them.

U-Bahn and S-Bahn:
The U-Bahn serves the centre and the S-Bahn connects the suburbs and the airport. Lines meet at Marienplatz and the main station. Trains run frequently from early morning to about midnight with night services at weekends.

Trams and buses:
Trams cover areas that the U-Bahn doesn't reach, such as Nymphenburg, Maxvorstadt and the Isar neighbourhoods. Night buses and trams run at times when the U-Bahn is closed.

Tickets:
The Deutschlandticket is valid on local transport. Visitors can also buy single tickets, day tickets or a tourist card that includes public transport. Tickets are sold in the MVV and MVG apps and at machines.

Bikes:
Munich has many bike lanes and hire bikes and e-scooters are available across the city. The Isar paths are a pleasant way to cross town.

Car:
A car isn't needed in the city since parking is limited and expensive in the centre and a low-emission zone applies. Park and Ride lots at S-Bahn stations are a better option.

Food in Munich

Food in Munich is Bavarian, with pork, dumplings, pretzels and beer in traditional restaurants, beer halls and beer gardens. The city also has a wide range of international restaurants and vegetarian options. Bakeries and the Viktualienmarkt make picnics and snacks easy and supermarkets are good for self-catering.

Weißwurst:
A pale veal sausage served with sweet mustard and a pretzel. It's traditionally eaten in the morning, usually before noon.

Schweinsbraten:
Roast pork with crackling, served with dumplings and dark gravy. It's a staple in beer halls and traditional restaurants across the city.

Leberkäse:
A baked loaf of finely minced meat, served in thick slices in a bread roll. It's a popular quick lunch at butcher shops and market stalls.

Beer:
Helles is the local light lager and Weißbier the cloudy wheat beer. Beer halls and gardens serve both by the litre (Maß) or in half-litre glasses.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

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+11 %

Daily expenses in Munich are around 11% higher than the average across United States. That means you'll spend more on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-3 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to EUR) is 3% better than in recent years. That means travelling now costs around the same compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	£77	£165	£450
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£30	£75	£188
🍝 Food per day	£32	£75	£215
🚕 Transportation per day	£15	£15	£48

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£32
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£14
🍟 Fast food combo	£11
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£10.50
☕ Cappuccino	£3.80
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£4.20

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£3.70
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£27
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£1.50

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£12.50
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£60
🤧 Cold medication	£7
💇 Basic haircut	£16

Safety information overview

General safety

Munich is very safe for visitors. Pickpockets work in crowds at Marienplatz, the main station and Oktoberfest, so keep valuables close. The streets near the main station feel rougher late at night. Bike theft is common and the Isar has strong currents for swimmers.

Health & Medical

Medical care is excellent, with several university hospitals and clinics in the city and pharmacies in every neighbourhood. English is widely spoken. Ticks in the countryside around Munich can carry tick-borne encephalitis, so cover up on hikes. The emergency number is 112.

Accessibility

Most U-Bahn stations have lifts and trams are low floor, so getting around is manageable. The old town is flat but has cobblestones and crowded pedestrian zones. Older buildings and towers have stairs, while the big museums and the Residenz offer step-free routes.

Tap water

Tap water in Munich is safe to drink and comes largely from springs south of the city. It's fairly hard, which leaves limescale but doesn't affect safety. Public drinking fountains in parks and squares let you refill a bottle. Restaurants usually serve bottled water.