image: Heribert Pohl
Welcome to this weeks edition of the Sunday Spotlight – Things to do in Munich.
The Sunday Spotlight series is a collaboration of travel tips and stories shared by other bloggers and traveler’s around the web.
We hope these tips and stories will inform and inspire you to go travel and visit Munich. If you have already been to Munich, please share a tip in the comments down below!
Exploring Munich
5 Alternative Ways to Explore Munich
While the capital of Germany, Berlin, is hyped all around the globe as a party town, hipster hotspot and the place to be right now, Munich receives much less attention from backpackers and young travellers even though it’s a more original destination. Needless to say, there is much more to Munich than the typical German clichés in your head. Toby, our adventurous Munich editor, has come up with five alternative ways to experience the city like a real local.
5 best day trips for easy travel from Munich – all year long, in and around Bavaria, Germany
If you’re going to be spending some time in Germany, Munich is a fantastically convenient hub from which to easily explore different attractions and sights in the greater Bayern region and even neighboring Austria. Here are 5 of my favorite day trip destinations from Munich, listed in no particular order
I Heart My City: Emily’s Munich
When Emily Rasch fell in love with a German exchange student in the U.S., she knew she couldn’t give him up. So, after two years of dating an ocean apart, they decided to move to Munich. In the six years she’s lived there, the city has become a second love. Here are a few of Emily’s favorite things about Munich
It’s the Small Things in Munich that Make it Worth the Visit
It is the small things in Munich that make it worth the visit. You can’t come with the mind of a budget traveler, but a short-term guest. Spend 13 Euros to eat in a beer hall and try the crispy pig knuckle, pick a museum or two and enjoy the elaborate displays, party in the club district known as the Banana (a series of neighbourhoods around Karlzplatz Subway Station that make the shape of a banana), and enjoy the Munich night life. But most importantly, head over to turkenstrasse to enjoy the atmosphere of great locals and businesses and don’t forget to head over to “Gratitude” for a hug and to contemplate “What are you grateful for?”
More:
- Offbeat Museums in Munich
- Berlin versus Munich – An Insider’s Comparison
- 5 of the best museums in Munich
Visiting Munich with Children
Munich with Kids: More than Beer and Pretzels
Munich is a mellow urban gem full of world-class museums, sprawling parks and kid-friendly beer gardens. The German love of orderliness made it an easy place for us to get around with our three kids, ages 10, 8 and 6.
Munich For Kids
One thing we didn’t compromise on our short holiday to Munich was that we wanted to make it a child friendly visit to a big city. Basically, I’ve had enough of dragging an uncooperative toddler through cities and places within cities that she really didn’t want to be. It’s stressful for everyone involved. We were keen not to let this happen and to make it a holiday that worked for us all, that was relaxing as well as varied.
And luckily, Munich was game for it.
Top Things to Do in Munich with Kids
There is so much more to Munich than beer and Oktoberfest. It is clean, family-friendly and full of culture and history with numerous green spaces, museums and attractions, like zoos and aquariums, that appeal to kids of all ages. These were Mary’s favorite things to do in Munich with kids during our recent trip.
Munich with young kids
Walt Disney used a castle near Munich as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Kids will find many other delights in this city, from a huge zoo to a small toy museum.
Saving Money on a visit to Munich
4 Munich Budget Savers to Pack in Your Lederhosen
Munich is the obvious capital of Bavaria and for most visitors, it is an essential stop while visiting the country. However, just as the case is in most major European cities, Munich can drain a wallet faster than a twenty-something can glug down that liter beer at Oktoberfest. Travelers shouldn’t write off Munich or pass it by on the autobahn due to cost. Here are a few very simple yet substantial budget savers to put in place on your visit to Munich.
Top tips for visiting Munich on a shoestring budget
Louise is a German Studies student at the University of Warwick coming to the end of her year abroad as a teaching assistant in Lauf an der Pegnitz, near Nuremberg in Germany. She says “I want to share with you a little about my travel experiences so you too can learn how to survive in Munich, one of Germany’s most expensive cities, on a shoestring budget!”
A Day in Munich — On the Cheap!
Adventurous Kate shares her tips for saving money on a tour around Munich
Five Great Things to do in Munich for Free
Bursting with Bavarian charm, Munich exemplifies Germany’s beer-drinking, sausage-eating, Lederhosen-wearing reputation, and while the rest of the country may resent this image, Munich proudly embraces its unique, vibrant heritage.
Although Munich is one of the most expensive cities in Germany, visitors need not turn their money purses inside out to have a good time; there are plenty of free activities to fill up your trip and give you a taste of the history and culture of the Bavarian capital.
Road Trips from Munich
Want to explore further then Munich? Here are some of our favourite recommendations:
- Traveler Spotlight: A family road trip from Nice to Munich
- Munich Monday–Romantic Road, Dinkelsbühl
Food
- My Favorite Places to Eat in Munich
- What To Eat In Munich
- 7 Badass Bavarian Foods You Must Try
- Beer Tour Alert: 9 Craft Beer Hotspots in Munich to Visit on Your Beer Trip to Germany
Oktoberfest in Munich
Oktoberfest: 5 Things Women Need to Know
Ladies if you’re planning to attend Oktoberfest, in Munich, Germany, there are a few things you need to know before you go.
Oktoberfest: 7 Tips for the 30+ Year Old Crowd
I live in Munich. I know that I’m supposed to like Oktoberfest. Not liking Oktoberfest when living in Munich is comparable to being the Grinch at Christmas.
It’s not that I don’t like Oktoberfest. I do, but I don’t love it. But not wanting to be the Grinch (neon green is not my color), I do go every year and actually have a good time – with these tips:
Messy in Munich – Oktoberfest Tips and Travel Guide
For me Oktoberfest was one of those love/ hate relationships. Yes, I love beer, singing with a bunch of strangers, and getting good food, but I hated the daily headache I woke up with every morning from to much grog.
These are some things of the Oktoberfest Tips I wish someone told me before I hit the beer tents.
A Backpacker’s Guide to Oktoberfest
When I first heard of Oktoberfest in Munich, I wondered what all the fuss was about. “Yes OK, so you drink beer at tables, but what’s the big deal?!” Well, now I can honestly say that Oktoberfest is the best thing I have been to in my travelling life to date. It’s difficult to explain what makes it so incredible…but let me try.
Oktoberfest In Munich – Tips For First Timers!
So whether you’re a first timer at Oktoberfest or looking at Munich flights and growing your moustache in preparation for next year, here are some tips for how to survive the crowds and really get into the spirit of this exuberant two-week celebration.
Where To Stay During Munich’s Oktoberfest
While some of the beer tents can accommodate 10,000 people, the city’s hotels are on the smaller side, and often book up a year in advance; so securing your room ahead is key. From champagne and VIP seats in the beer tents to some carefully planned R&R for after the celebration, Munich’s high-end accommodations show the classier side of Oktoberfest.
Here are Forbes Travel Guides three picks.
More travel tips for Munich:
- Best Tips for Munich’s Oktoberfest
- An Insider’s Guide to Oktoberfest
- Oktoberfest Tips & Survival Guide
- 29 Essential Oktoberfest Tips: The Ultimate Festival Cheat Sheet
- A First Timer’s Guide To Oktoberfest
- Oktoberfest: the ultimate guide to Munich’s beer festival
Plan Your Trip to Munich
We’ve been traveling consistently for 17 years and have come to rely on a few trusted websites that save us money and time when booking accommodation, flights and car rental. Below are our preferred partners:
- Booking.com has over 350 properties in Munich including hotels, apartments and hostels. You get free cancellation on most rooms and a best price guarantee.
Flights
- Skyscanner is a comparison website that searches millions of flights. Once you find your best deal, book directly through the airline (no extra fees).
Car Rental
- RentalCars.com is the world’s biggest car rental booking service that compares all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Alamo, and Europcar.
What are your favourite things to do in Munich?
