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Travel Destination Guide - Munich
Munich (Germany) 
Munich Information
Slideshow of Photos
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The Bavarian city of Munich, centre of southern Germany, is one of the country's favourite tourist destinations, offering a unique combination of modern flair and traditional charm, all mixed together with a heavy helping of "Gemutlichkeit", the special German term for hearty, happy, healthy togetherness.
Traditionally the city, famous for its breweries and beer halls, conjures up images of jolly red-cheeked, portly men in lederhosen, downing steins of beer. There is plenty of this fun to be had, but Munich and the Bavarian region has plenty more to recommend it to visitors. The city has numerous great museums, art treasures, hi-tech industries and gems of Gothic and Baroque architecture. It is also the gateway to the Bavarian Alps, drawing winter sports enthusiasts from near and far.
Munich itself was founded in 1158 on the River Isar, and acquired its name, Munchen (home of the monks) from its first monastery. It was the monks that started the beer brewing tradition for which the city is now world famous, particularly since it started celebrating an annual beer festival in 1810. Today close on six million people visit the Oktoberfest every year, and consume more than five and a half million litres of beer during its two-week run.
Munich attracts backpackers, package tourists, expense-account executives and conference delegates. It is also popular with academic, political, financial, managerial and scientific people.
The accommodatiion in Munich varies from basic student campsites and budget pensions to top-of-the-range 5-star grand palaces, though the emphasis is on mid-range hotels geared to the Mon-to-Fri business traveller and tour groups at weekends and during the peak summer holiday season.
Locality:
Munich is situated towards the south east corner of Germany, in the heart of Bavaria (45 mls N of the Austrian border, 150 mls SE of Stuttgart, 90 mls W of Salzburg, 18 mls SW of the airport). It is found astride the river Isar and surrounded by rolling farmland, with the foothills of the Alps to the South.
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The pedestrianised centre hosts a wide variety of upmarket department stores and boutiques. A large open-air fruit and vegetable market, Viktualienmarkt, has expensive but high-quality merchandise. Maximilianstrasse and vicinity for designer fashion shops. All this makes Munich a great place for the shoppers.
During the daytime take strolls around the traffic-free streets of the old town, see the panoramic views from the tower of St Peter's church, tour the rather eclectic Munchener Stadtmuseum, see the Residenz palace, whose Schatzkammer showcases royal treasures.
Visit the Neue Pinakothek for Impressionists and early 20th-century artists, the Deutsches Museum of Technology, one of the largest of its kind, the Schloss Nymphenburg (one-time summer residence of the Bavarian royalty), with its lovely grounds, botanical garden and several museums.
The nightlife offers numerous drinking halls, cafes, bars, nightclubs and discos. There is much on offer musically, from jazz, rock and pop to opera and classical concerts (3 orchestras of international fame are based in Munich and the July opera festival ranks third in the world). There are 11 major theatres and a further 40 fringe and cabaret venues. There are also 3 cinemas specialising in English-language soundtracks.
There is something here to suit virtually every taste (and budget), from traditional Bavarian fare to Italian, Balkan, Greek, Persian, Romanian, Thai, Turkish and vegetarian. Bavarian specialities tend to be hearty, and include braten (roasts), schweinshaxe (pork shanks) and weisswurst (spiced veal sausages); sauerkraut is the typical accompaniment. A popular snack-on-the-go is "semmel mit ein paar Wiener" (a roll with 2 frankfurters). Lots of locally brewed beers.
Munich's main attractions include:
Frauenkirche - The distinctive towers of Munich's most famous landmark can still be seen from all over the city.
Marienplatz - This historic square, bordered by the new and old town halls, forms the heart of Munich.
Viktualienmarkt - A visit to Munich isn't complete without a visit to its popular central market.
Olympiapark - The site of Munich's 1972 Olympics is known for the stadium's futuristic tent-like roof.
Residenz Palace - Munich's large palace, once the home of the Bavarian monarchs, now houses a museum.
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Attraction Type: National Park / Park |
The English Garden (Englischer Garten), is a large public park in the centre of Munich, stretching from the city centre to the NE city limits. It was created in 1789 by Sir Benjamin Thompson (1753-1814), and with an area of 3.7 km2 (1.4 sq mi) it is one of the world's largest urban public parks, (larger than New York's Central Park).
The park is popular with locals and tourists due to the beautiful natural landscapes and wide open areas which make it a scenic retreat from the city centre. Popular activities include boating on the Kleinhesselhoher Lake, picnics and sunbathing (there is even a special area for naturists). In winter, the garden features a Christmas market and summer hosts open-air concerts and plays performed in the park's amphitheatre.
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Attraction Type: Castle / Palace |
The Munich Residence is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs in the centre of the city of Munich. The Residence is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture and room decorations along with displays from the former royal collections.
The complex of buildings contains 10 courtyards and the museum displays 130 rooms. The 3 main parts are the Königsbau (near the Max-Joseph-Platz), the Alte Residenz (towards the Residenzstraße) and the Festsaalbau (towards the Hofgarten). A wing of the Festsaalbau contains the Cuvilliés Theatre since the reconstruction of the Residenz after World War II.
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Attraction Type: Castle / Palace |
Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein), is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace perched among the natural splendour of the Alps, above the village of Hohenschwangau in SW Bavaria. The palace was commissioned by 'Mad' Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner.
The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. More than 1.3 million people visit the castle annually due to its fairytale like image both internally and externally, many of which come as part of day trip tours from Munich. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Munich Suitability ProfileSun Snow Beaches History/Culture Romance Peace & Quiet Hustle & Bustle | Activity & Adventure Famous Landmarks Water Sports Natural Beauty Art & Architecture Family Entertainment Good Nightlife | Safari Plenty of Restaurants All Inclusive Hotels Luxury Accommodation Plenty of Shops |
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Population: 82.431.400
Languages: German
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Germany - Berlin - Berlin
Germany - Hesse - Frankfurt
Country Dialling Code: +49
Voltage: 230V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
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Situated in the heart of Europe and bordering nine other countries, Germany provides an ideal gateway to any tour of the subcontinent. From Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire to Otto von Bismarck's German Reich, Nazism and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, no other nation has moulded Europe the way Germany has - for better or worse. Its land is wide and varied with turreted castles nestled below snow-capped mountains, lush river valleys, dark and mysterious forests and bustling medieval villages. This is the land of fairy tales, where farmland minstrels headed to Bremen to become musicians, where Sleeping Beauty was woken and Little Red Riding Hood ventured into the woods.
Germany wears its riches well: elegant big-city charm, small picture-postcard towns, pagan-inspired harvest festivals, a wealth of art and culture and the perennial pleasures of huge tracts of forest, delightful castles and fine wine and beer are all there for the savouring.
Germany is made up of the North German Plain, the Central German Uplands (Mittelgebirge), and the Southern German Highlands. The Bavarian plateau in the southwest averages 1,600 ft (488 m) above sea level, but it reaches 9,721 ft (2,962 m) in the Zugspitze Mountains, the highest point in the country. Germany's major rivers are the Danube, the Elbe, the Oder, the Weser, and the Rhine.
As Germany moves forward into the 21st century, leaving behind a history of division and tyranny, it is a nation embracing its newfound liberalism and redefining a modern cultural identity. Yet even today, visitors to the country can't escape feeling profoundly moved by this country's past and the effects it still has on its people.
Germany's cities each have something unique to offer the visitor. Each year millions of litres of beer is consumed in Munich during the city's Oktoberfest, where locals and visitors discover true German revelry and 'gemutlichkeit' (a word the locals use to describe a comfortable, sociable environment). Berlin, while still recovering from some of the scars of division, contains many sights from the iconic Brandenburg Gate, to the path of the old Berlin Wall. The city's vibrant nightlife is still evocative of its height in the 1920s and 30s, as characterised by the songs of Marlene Dietrich, the theatre of Brecht and the Film Cabaret .
Discover the country that gave us Beethoven and Bauhaus, Goethe and Glühwein, Lager and Lederhosen - you won't be disappointed. |
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Local Area Weather
Munich, GERMANY |
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13°C
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