Munich is the capital of the county Bavaria and is, with 1.36 million inhabitants, the third biggest city in Germany. Munich is well known for its cosiness, its designer boutiques and of course for the Oktoberfest.
In this blog, we want to give you some useful information about Munich 😀
Sights:
The main tourist attractions are in the city centre (Altstadt) of Munich.
Sights at Marienplatz and around:
Neues Rathaus: The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) in the middle of Marienplatz gains a lot of attention from tourists all over the world for its famous Glockenspiel (carillon). The Glockenspiel takes place at 11am and 12pm daily. In Winter, it will take place at 5pm too. Don’t miss out on the great view from top of the 85 meter high Town Hall tower.
Frauenkirche: You can’t miss this church with its twin onion domes. Inside the church is the tomb of Ludwig the Bavarian.
St Peterskirche: St Peterskirche is opposite the New Town Hall and if you want an even better view of Munich, walk up the 92 meter high tower of this church.
Sights at Viktualienmarkt and around:
Viktualienmarkt: This is one of Europe’s greatest food markets. Prices are quite expensive, but you will receive the finest quality in food.
Hofbräuhaus: You can’t leave Munich if you haven’t been to the world famous beer hall Hofbräuhaus. It’s not only a place where you can get food and beer, it even has a souvenir shop inside where you can buy pretzle-shaped postcards, beer mugs, T-Shirts and many more.
Sights at Max-Joseph-Platz:
Maximilianstrasse: This is Munich’s high end shopping boulevard with all its designer stores. Right there you can see the Bavarian State Opera which puts even more glamour to the boulevard.
Residenz: This huge palace housed all the Bavarian rulers until 1918. There is a musem and a Residence Treasury inside
Sights at Königsplatz:
Alte Pinakothek: One of the most important collections in the world are in here. In this museum you’ll find old paintings from the 16th century and much more. For some newer Art from the 18th century onwards head to the museum Neue Pinakothek.
Englischer Garten: And if you want to relax after sightseeing, head to Englischer Garten. This is Munich’s largest park (even bigger than Hyde Park in London and bigger than Central Park in New York). Well, even here you can do some sightseeing. There is the Chinese Tower with beer banks all around, a really lovely lake called Kleinhesseloher See and a Japanese Teahouse.
Tours:
City bus 100 is an affordable way to discover Munich. This bus doesn’t cost you more than a public transport ticket. If you prefer a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, you should take the Münchener Stadtrundfahrten bus (13€ adult).
Hotels:
A good and affordable hostel is the Wombat’s City Hostel at Munich Hauptbahnhof (Central). A dorm will cost 
12-24€, a double room 70€. (www.wombats-hostels.com, Senefelderstrasse 1)
A nice hotel is the hotel Cocoon . Very good location and clean. A single room will cost 69€ and a doubleroom 89€. (http://www.hotel-cocoon.de/, Lindwurmstrasse 35)
If you want a top end hotel, there is a Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel in Maximilianstrasse 17. A doubleroom will cost 252€. (www.kempinski-vierjahreszeiten.de)
Restaurants:
Weisses Bräuhaus: Here you can get traditional Bavarian food. Enjoy your beer with a Weisswurst (veal sausage) and a Bretzel (pretzel). Mains will cost around 10€. (Im Tal 10)
Prinz Myschkin: The best Vegetarian Restaurant in town. The menu is very Asian influenced. Mains will cost about 12€. (Hackenstrasse 2)
Bars:
Löwenbräukeller: Huge beer hall in Munich Neuhausen. (Nymphenburger Strasse 2)
Roxy: This trendy bar is a truly see-and-be-seen place. (Leopoldstrasse 28)
Clubs:
Munich has its own village of clubs. This village is called Kultfabrik and Optimolwerke which is next to the Ostbahnhof (Munich East Station). Her you’ll find about 40 clubs, pubs and bars.
The poshest place to go is P1. That’s the place where you’ll find celebrities.
Festivals:
The biggest festival is of course the legendary Oktoberfest which takes place every year from mid September to the first Sunday in October. Millions of people around the world come every year to experience the Oktoberfest. Here you will find many beer tents, food stands with sausages, pretzles, gingerbread hearts and many roller coasters. If you are planning to visit Munich during Oktoberfest, make sure to book your hotel well in advance.
Shopping:
The main shopping mile is Kaufingerstraße and Neuhauser Straße. Here you will find all the big names and brands. I personally like Sendlinger Straße (turn into Rosenstraße at Marienplatz and you will automatically come out in Sendlinger Straße) for shopping. That’s where you’ll find some unique stores.
There are two big shopping centres which are not too far from the city centre (but you need to catch the undergrond to get there). One is the OEZ near the Olympiastadium, the other one is the Riem Arcaden near the Messe (Fair).
Insider Tips:
And here are some insider tips, which you wouldn’t necessarily find in a Munich Guide 😀
Leopoldstraße: Leopoldstraße in Munich-Schwabing has a few good options. This street has plenty of bars and restaurants but you will find good shopping there too. The best way to get there is the underground. Take Line U3 or U6 to “Giselastraße” or “Münchner Freiheit”. I always loved to go to the Mexican Bar Don Luca (Leopoldstraße 44, http://www.donluca.de/). They do really yummy food there and great cocktails. The atmosphere in there is nice and the place is really popular among the Munich people.
Not far from Leopoldstraße is the shopping mile “Hohenzollernstraße”. Great place to get trendy clothes and shoes. Another good spot for shopping is Residenzstraße and Theatinerstraße.
Munich is the most expensive city in Germany and therefore the prices are quite high when it comes to rent, shopping, restaurants, hotels, food and drinks. That’s why I recommend getting a drink in the Wombats Hostel Bar if you are on a budget. I haven’t seen any other place in Munich which has the same low prices.
If you want a great view over Munich for free, go to the Cafe Glockenspiel (http://www.cafe-glockenspiel.de/) Marienplatz. This Cafe is in the 5th floor and you will also have a great view of the Glockenspiel.