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Marienplatz and the Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus, seen from the tower of Peterskirche.
Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Munich travel guide
Munich is Bavaria's capital and Germany's third-largest city, its compact Altstadt centered on Marienplatz and the Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus, whose Glockenspiel chimes out a miniature reenactment of a 16th-century royal wedding twice a day. It's a city that takes its beer culture seriously enough to have a 1516 purity law named after it (the Reinheitsgebot), and green space seriously enough that the Englischer Garten, at 375 hectares, is larger than Central Park and Hyde Park combined.
Neighborhoods
Altstadt (Old Town)
The historic core around Marienplatz, small enough to cross on foot in about 20 minutes - home to the Neues Rathaus, Frauenkirche and Viktualienmarkt. Convenient and central, but also the most touristed and expensive part of the city to eat or stay in.
Schwabing
Munich's traditional bohemian quarter, home to artists and writers through the early 20th century and now a mix of upscale residential streets and student energy near the university, centered on Leopoldstrasse, Munich's longest street, running north from the city center to the Englischer Garten's edges.
Glockenbachviertel
South of the Altstadt, Munich's most consistently cited 'trendiest' neighborhood - since the 1980s a center of the city's LGBTQ+ community, now dense with independent boutiques, bars and a strong restaurant scene distinct from the beer-hall circuit further north.
Haidhausen
East of the Isar river, a former working-class district now known for its 19th-century townhouses and a quieter, more local pace - a good base for anyone who wants to be a short walk from the center without paying Altstadt prices.
Top attractions
Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel
Munich's central square, dominated by the Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus, whose Glockenspiel carillon reenacts a 16th-century royal wedding and jousting tournament with 43 bells and 32 life-size figures at 11am and 12pm daily (and 5pm in summer) - free to watch from the square below.
Englischer Garten
At 375 hectares, one of the largest urban parks in the world, laid out in 1789 - its landmarks include the Chinesischer Turm, a 25-metre pagoda ringed by Munich's second-largest beer garden (7,000 seats), and the Eisbach, an artificial standing wave near the southern entrance where surfers ride year-round, including in winter wetsuits.
Viktualienmarkt
A permanent food market just steps from Marienplatz, trading continuously since 1807 with more than 100 stalls for produce, cheese, sausages and flowers, plus its own small beer garden - go hungry and expect to pay a premium versus a regular supermarket for the quality and convenience.
Residenz Munich
The former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchy, expanded over centuries into one of Europe's largest city palaces, with the Cuvillies Theatre and the Schatzkammer (Treasury) among its paid highlights - easy to combine with a Marienplatz visit given its location just north of the square.
Nymphenburg Palace
The Wittelsbach dynasty's baroque summer residence, a tram ride west of the center, with formal gardens, a porcelain collection and the Marstallmuseum of royal carriages - a half-day trip in its own right rather than a quick add-on.
Food
Weisswurst - a mild veal-and-pork-back-bacon sausage flavored with parsley, lemon and mace - is traditionally a late-morning food only, historically eaten before the midday church bells (a rule some Munich butchers and restaurants still enforce or at least gently insist on); it's eaten by sucking the meat from its casing, dipped in sweet Bavarian mustard (Weisswurstsenf) - reaching for hot English-style mustard is a quick way to mark yourself as a tourist. Obatzda, a spiced cheese-and-butter spread often built around ripe Camembert, paprika and onion, is the standard beer-garden snack alongside a warm pretzel. Leberkase, a dense, finely ground meatloaf, is usually served sliced and grilled, tucked into a bread roll (Leberkassemmel) with mustard. Beer gardens themselves are a Munich institution: by long-standing tradition, patrons may bring their own food to eat at the communal tables as long as drinks are bought on-site, and the beer itself rotates among the city's six major breweries (Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Lowenbrau, Paulaner and Spaten) depending on the venue. The Viktualienmarkt, a permanent market a few minutes from Marienplatz that's been trading since 1807, is worth a visit on its own for the produce, cheese and sausage stalls, and has its own small beer garden shaded by chestnut trees.
How long to stay
If you only have one day
From Munchen Hauptbahnhof, it's a short walk or one U-Bahn stop to Marienplatz - time it for 11am or noon to catch the Glockenspiel, then continue to the Frauenkirche and the Viktualienmarkt for lunch. In the afternoon, head north into the Englischer Garten for the Chinesischer Turm beer garden and a look at the Eisbach surfers, or take in the Residenz if palaces interest you more than parks. A single day covers the Altstadt core and one major add-on (the park or the Residenz) comfortably - Nymphenburg Palace and a full Oktoberfest-grounds visit (seasonal) both need their own half-day.
If you have two or more
A second day makes room for Nymphenburg Palace and its gardens, a slower loop through Schwabing or Glockenbachviertel away from the tourist core, and one of Munich's major museums (the Deutsches Museum or the Alte/Neue Pinakothek galleries, none of which fit alongside a first-day Altstadt walk). A third day is where a beer-hall crawl beyond the obvious Hofbrauhaus, or a day trip to Dachau Memorial Site or Neuschwanstein Castle, becomes realistic.
Getting around
Arriving by ICE or ICE Sprinter from Berlin, you land at Munchen Hauptbahnhof, on the western edge of the city center - presently mid-renovation as part of a project that also includes a second underground S-Bahn tunnel beneath the station, though this hasn't closed off normal passenger access. From the station, it's about a 10-minute walk or a couple of stops by U-Bahn (U4/U5) or S-Bahn to Marienplatz. A single MVV ticket covers U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus within the city zone, and a day pass is usually worthwhile if you're making more than three or four trips.
Practical tips
- Weisswurst is traditionally a late-morning food, historically not served - or at least not eaten - after midday; some traditional butchers and restaurants still hold to this.
- Always use sweet Bavarian mustard (Weisswurstsenf) with Weisswurst, not hot English-style mustard - a small but real local etiquette point.
- Beer gardens allow you to bring your own food to eat at the communal tables, but drinks must be bought on-site - don't bring your own beer.
- The Eisbach standing wave in the Englischer Garten is free to watch (and popular) year-round, including winter, when surfers wear full wetsuits.
- Munich Hauptbahnhof is under long-term construction - allow a few extra minutes to navigate signage and temporary walkways around the station.