Munich

The Bavarian capital, home to Oktoberfest, Marienplatz and the BMW Museum, and a gateway to Neuschwanstein and the Alps; one of the German cities most popular with Chinese travellers.

Munich is the capital of the German state of Bavaria, with a population of about 1.5 million. It lies on the Isar River at the northern foot of the Alps, only about an hour's drive from the Austrian border. The city was ruled by the Wittelsbach family for more than 700 years, who left behind the Residenz, Nymphenburg Palace and vast art collections; it is also the headquarters of BMW, Siemens and Allianz, so tradition and modernity coexist. Sightseeing areas can be divided as follows: the Old Town (Marienplatz, the Frauenkirche, Viktualienmarkt, the Hofbräuhaus and the Residenz, all linked on foot); Schwabing and the English Garden to the north; the Kunstareal museum district (Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne); Nymphenburg Palace, Olympic Park and BMW Welt to the northwest; and the Allianz Arena in the northern suburbs. The climate is rather continental, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. May–Sep is the best time to visit, when beer gardens are fully open. Oktoberfest usually opens in late September and ends on the first Sunday in October, lasting 16–18 days; hotel prices soar then and you need to book six months ahead. In December the Christmas market at Marienplatz has a wonderful atmosphere. Getting around: Munich Airport is about 40 km from the city, about 40 minutes by S1/S8 suburban train. In the city, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses share one ticket system, and you can buy a day ticket or the CityTourCard. Munich is also the gateway to Neuschwanstein (about 2 hours), Königssee, Salzburg and the Zugspitze. Allow 3–4 days: 1 day for the Old Town, 1 day for museums and the English Garden, 1 day for Nymphenburg and BMW, plus a day trip to Neuschwanstein. Note that shops are all closed on Sundays, most museums are closed on Mondays, and many traditional beer halls accept cash only.

Top sights

• Marienplatz & New Town Hall – Munich's central square, where the neo-Gothic New Town Hall's clock tower stages a famous mechanical figure show every day, one of the best…
• Hofbräuhaus am Platzl – A beer hall of the Bavarian royal brewery founded in 1589, where one-liter steins and brass bands make it a symbol of Munich's beer culture.
• Munich Residenz – The palace complex where Bavaria's rulers lived for more than four centuries, with 130 rooms and a treasury displaying the luxury of the Ho…
• Englischer Garten – A city park larger than New York's Central Park, where surfing the Eisbach, the Chinese Tower beer garden and a Greek-style temple are part…
• Nymphenburg Palace – The Baroque summer palace of the Bavarian royals, where Ludwig II was born, with swans often gliding along the canal in front.
• BMW Welt & BMW Museum – The brand experience center and century-old car museum beside BMW headquarters, a must-visit for car enthusiasts in Munich.
• Frauenkirche – Munich's cathedral, whose two red-brick towers topped with “onion” domes form the city's most recognizable skyline.
• Viktualienmarkt – A two-century-old open-air food market in the heart of the old town, where sausage, cheese and fruit stalls sit alongside a beer garden.
• Deutsches Museum – One of the world's largest science and technology museums, located on an island in the Isar River, with everything from mine shafts to spac…
• Allianz Arena – Home of Bayern Munich, its exterior made of 2,874 light-up air cushions that glow red on match nights, earning it the nickname “the Rubber…
• Olympiapark Munich – The site of the 1972 Olympics, with a stadium under a translucent tent-style roof, a 291-meter Olympic Tower and artificial hills forming a…
• Alte Pinakothek – One of the world's most important collections of classical painting, holding works by Dürer, Rubens, Leonardo, Raphael and other European m…
• Pinakothek der Moderne – One of Germany's largest museums of modern and contemporary art and design, combining art, architecture, design and prints under one round-…
• Königsplatz – Ludwig I's “Athens on the Isar,” an open square framed by Greek temple-style gateways and a museum of ancient sculpture.
• Odeonsplatz & Theatine Church – A grand square framed by a bright yellow Italian Baroque church and the Feldherrnhalle, connected to the Royal Garden, marking the northern…
• St. Peter's Church (Alter Peter) – Munich's oldest parish church, where a climb to a tower about 56 meters high offers close-up views of the New Town Hall and the twin towers…
• Asam Church (St. Johann Nepomuk) – A private church built by the Asam brothers, its tiny space packed with gold ornaments, frescoes and sculpture, a masterpiece of late Germa…
• Eisbach Wave – A standing wave in the Eisbach urban channel at the southern end of the English Garden, where surfers ride year-round and watching from the…
• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site – The site of the first concentration camp established by Nazi Germany, with barracks, a crematorium and exhibits that reveal its history, ab…
• Schleissheim Palace – A Baroque palace complex on the northern outskirts, where the New Palace, Old Palace and Lustheim Palace are linked by a long canal garden…
• Lake Starnberg – A nearby lake beloved by Munich residents, reached in half an hour by S-Bahn, with lakeside towns, excursion boats and the spot where King…
• Andechs Abbey – A Benedictine abbey on the 'Holy Mountain' overlooking Ammersee, whose Rococo pilgrimage church and monks' home-brewed beer draw countless…
• Tegernsee – A high-mountain lake at the foot of the Alps, with lakeside monastery inns, boat cruises and mountain hikes, making it Munich's most popula…
• Herrenchiemsee New Palace – The unfinished palace Ludwig II built on Herreninsel in Chiemsee in imitation of Versailles, whose Hall of Mirrors is even longer than the…
• Hellabrunn Zoo – A 'geographical zoo' on the banks of the Isar that displays animals by continent, and Munich's most family-friendly destination.
• Theresienwiese & Bavaria Statue – The site of Oktoberfest, where the 18-metre Bavaria statue lets visitors climb into her head for views over the festival grounds through he…
• Karlsplatz (Stachus) & Kaufingerstraße – The western gate of the old town, Karlstor, and a fountain square leading east into Munich's busiest pedestrian shopping street, running al…
• Bavaria Filmstadt – One of Europe's largest film studios, where you can visit the U-boat from Das Boot, the sets of The NeverEnding Story, and experience 4D ci…
• Maximilianstraße & Maximilianeum – Munich's most luxurious boulevard, lined with luxury boutiques and theatres, ending at the Maximilianeum parliament building across the Isa…
• Augustiner-Keller Beer Garden – One of Munich's oldest and most atmospheric beer gardens, with about 5,000 seats under century-old chestnut trees, serving beer straight fr…

Where to eat

• Hofbräuhaus – Munich's most famous beer hall; though highly touristy, it maintains a solid reputation and is perfect for first-timers…
• Augustiner Stammhaus – The historic Augustiner beer hall on the Old Town pedestrian street, featuring the 1897 Shell Hall and popular with loc…
• Weisses Bräuhaus – Also known as Schneider Bräuhaus, famous for its white sausage breakfast and wheat beer, open daily until late.
• Wirtshaus in der Au – A neighborhood tavern across the Isar River, famous for its dumplings and beer since 1901, featuring a chestnut-shaded…
• Café Frischhut – A historic pastry shop next to the Viktualienmarkt, famous for its freshly fried lard pastries at budget-friendly price…
• Gasthaus Waltz – A Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in the Glockenbachviertel, offering modern Alpine flavors and an extensive wine list.
• Prinz Myshkin – A historic vegetarian restaurant in the Old Town operating since 1984, housed in the former brewing hall of the Hacker…
• Tantris – A legendary two-Michelin-starred French restaurant in Schwabing, famous for its tableside-carved Simmental Beef Welling…

Itineraries

• Munich, Zugspitze & Salzburg Rail Tour – Use Munich as a base to visit castles by train, stay in the mountains to ascend Zugspitze, and end in Salzburg.
• German Alpine Road: Lindau to Berchtesgaden – Drive east from Lake Constance to Lake Königssee along Germany's oldest scenic route.
• Southern Germany Grand Loop: Frankfurt to Munich – A grand self-drive route connecting Heidelberg, the Black Forest, Lake Constance, Neuschwanstein Castle, and Zugspitze.
• Germany Grand Rail Loop – Starting and ending in Frankfurt, connect the Rhine, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Rothenburg, and Munich by train.