Munich (German: München, Bavarian: Minga) is the capital of the federal state of Bavaria in the south of Germany. Within the city limits, Munich in 2024 has a population of just under 1.6 million, the third most populous city in Germany. Greater Munich including its suburbs has a population of 3 million.
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Munich is divided into 25 administrative districts, but these don't always match "natural" neighbourhoods or make sense to visitors. It's therefore convenient to divide it into the "travel districts" set out below. Most of the key attractions are in Altstadt and Maxvorstadt; the districts of Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt and Haidhausen are major night-life spots. The other areas, while mostly residential, feature some hidden gems which are worth a visit.
1 Tourist information, Neues Rathaus, Marienplatz, ☏ +49 89 233 96500, tourismus.gs@muenchen.de. M-F 10:00-18:00, Sa 09:00-17:00, Su 10:00-14:00. The official tourist office is in New Town Hall and can make bookings for tours, hotels and events. (updated Apr 2026) Munich tourism website When the last Ice Age retreated 12,000 years ago, it dumped gravel and silt across this area, leaving a heath that was well-drained and suitable for grazing, but not particularly fertile. Munich, like other German cities, has been settled from prehistory, but by convention the "founding date" is taken as the first documentary mention.
The innermost city is walkable and the outer fringes are suitable for a car. For everything else use the excellent public transport system. This is an integrated system where one ticket is valid for interchanges across all modes of transport. Check the Munich MVV website for network maps, fare zones and prices, timetables, journey planner and P&R parking lots. S-Bahn suburban trains (look for a white "S" on a green background) bring you from the airport to the city centre. All lines run east-west through Hauptbahnhof, Altstadt and Ostbahnhof then fan out, looking like the force field around a bar magnet.
Four royal avenues were laid out in the 19th century, with imposing architecture. Briennerstraße starts at Odeonsplatz (where you can find Feldherrnhalle, Theatinerkirche and the Residenz) on the northern fringe of Altstadt. It runs east to west past Wittelsbacherplatz (with Alfons-Palais and the statue of Maximilian I), Karolinenplatz (the black obelisk honours the Bavarian Army), to Königsplatz. This is Athens-on-the-Isar, with the Doric Propylaea, the Ionic Glyptothek and the Corinthian State Museum of Classical Art. The east end of Briennerstraße is lined with upscale shops, galleries, cafés and restaurants. Ludwigstraße runs north from Odeonsplatz through Maxvorstadt into Schwabing.
St Patricks's Day is on 17 March, but in Munich is held over the nearest weekend, with parades and a street festival. Locations vary but parades are likely to be around Odeonsplatz in Altstadt and Münchner Freiheit further north. May Day is a public holiday in Germany. Many Bavarian villages erect maypoles, dress up in Lederhosn and Dirndln, and cavort to the tunes of oompah bands.
Bavarian cuisine is the main offering, majoring on sausages and other pork. Munich specialities are Weißwurst (a breakfast sausage served until noon and not a second later, washed down with Weissbier), Schweinsbraten (roasted pork) or Schweinshaxe (roasted pig's knuckle). Other trad dishes such as schnitzel are popular but not specifically Bavarian. Beer gardens and beer halls serve heaps of all these. Leberkässemmeln is a white roll filled with a thick warm slice of "Leberkäse" — which, despite its name, contains neither liver nor cheese. It's a mix of veal, pork, spices and a hint of lemon zest baked in an open pan and served with a sweet and grainy mustard.
Oktoberfest is the huge event held over 16-17 days in Theresienwiese in Ludwigsvorstadt. You need to feel comfortable in dense crowds. Beer halls serve the product of a particular brewery and are often within their historic brewing and cellar premises, cleared when production moved elsewhere. Concentrated in Altstadt, there's typically a ground-floor "brown table" area, an upstairs swankier "white table" restaurant, and suites for events and functions. Outside if space permits is a beer garden. The beer hall in which Hitler launched the infamous Munich putsch of 1923 has been demolished. Beer gardens may be summer-only but several are year-round, albeit weather-dependent.
Boasting one of the lowest crime rates of any major European city, Munich is a very safe city, and violent crime is rare. Walking around, day or night, is not an issue, and you will most likely not encounter any crime at all, though you should still take the usual precautions against pickpocketing (especially in the central districts of Altstadt-Lehel and the Ludwigsvorstadt area immediately south of the central station), such as not leaving your camera unattended or venturing alone through parks at night.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Munich typically sees ~23°C daytime highs and 20 rainy days.
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