Munich is an important industrial and commercial city in Bavaria but it has much to tempt the traveller in search of something different. Take a tour of the Bavarian Motor Works, otherwise known as BMW, or visit one of the breweries for which Munich is famous – just don’t forget to leave the hire car at your hotel or appoint an unlucky nominated driver!
A must see is the Hofbrauhaus am Platzl, the largest beer hall in the world. If you’re lucky in timing your visit right, you can also enjoy the world famous Munich Oktoberfest beer festival.
Munich Mini Guide
Munich is home to the world famous annual Oktoberfest beer festival and this huge city is a cultural epicentre within Germany. Despite this, Munich could be described as quite a conservative city. It is Germany’s third largest city and the capital of the Federal State of Bavaria.
More than two and a half million people live there and the city spreads out over the Alps Mountains.
During World War II, Munich was the subject of heavy bombing and much effort and care has gone into the reconstruction of historical buildings that tourists will be gob-smacked by Munich’s architecture. Look out for some stunning Rococo and Baroque building styles.
Flying into Munich you will land at Munich International which is the second largest airport in Germany. Munich has been voted as the best airport in Europe on numerous occasions and usually comes in the world top five airports as voted for by passengers.
Lufthansa flies from Terminal 2 along with some Star Alliance airlines while every other airline flies from Terminal 1. You can get to and from Munich from many world wide destinations including locations across North America and South East Asia.
If you visit there make sure you take time to see Munich’s many fantastic museums as they are as good, if not better, than their counterparts in Germany’s capital Berlin.
The main areas of central Munich are Haidhausen, Thalkirchen, the Olympic Area (where the 1972 Olympic Games were held) and Schwabing. Thalkirchen is located along the banks of the River Isar and there is also a zoo there making it a good place to take children.
Haidhausen is an excellent place to go out at night because the KultFabrik is located there with around 30 nightclubs. Schwabing is a more upmarket district where you can stroll along the tree lined avenues in the university district (the nearby S Bahn is Germany’s second biggest university) and admire the shops, or sit at coffee shop. The Nymphenburg gardens are a relaxed place to hang out while neighbouring Neuhausen is home to the largest beer garden in the world.
If you are driving to Munich your best bet is to leave your car in a park and ride outside the city and use public transport in the city centre. However, having a car is a good idea if you want to take advantage of the excellent skiing opportunities nearby, although the roads may get crowded as other people may have the same idea.
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