Your guide to Munich! Munich is one of my favorite European cities I have explored! It is the capitol of Bavaria, the largest German state, and is rich in history. The locals are so friendly! The atmosphere is so fun and inviting. And, bonus, it is a city full of lots of beer! This guide covers:
- The best time to visit
- Weather
- Currency
- Where to stay
- Expected food
- How to get around
Climb the St. Peter’s Church tower for views of the Marienplatz and the Bavarian Alps in the distance.
Best time to visit
Munich has something to offer year-round.
- Autumn
- Oktoberfest is at the end of September through beginning of October
- If you want to attend Oktoberfest, go then! If not, DON’T TRAVEL AT THIS TIME BECAUSE PRICES WILL BE HIGHER
- Otherwise, Autumn has great weather, amazing changing of leaves and better prices
- Oktoberfest is at the end of September through beginning of October
- Spring
- Along with Autumn, Spring is also a great time to visit Munich
- The weather is starting to warm up, but the peak crowd season of the summer hasn’t yet hit
- Winter
- Skiing just outside the city
- Christmas markets that are AMAZING
- Summer
- Mild weather makes for great outdoor adventures outside the city
- However, crowds are higher as well as prices, so I don’t recommend visiting Munich during the summer
You should really base your trip off of what you would like to do once you get there!
If you are wanting to go to Oktoberfest, you’ll have to plan your trip around cooler temps, higher prices, larger crowds and everything that comes with the larger crowds. However, despite all of that, going to Oktoberfest is still on the bucket-list despite having been to Munich twice 🙂
Weather
Located at the same latitude as the US/Canada border, it has more pleasant summers and makes for great skiing in the winter.
- Expect the highs to be in the 70s F and lows in the 50s F during the summer. GREAT summer weather! However, also expect high crowds during this time as well.
- Winters are QUITE cold with the high in the 30s F and lows in the 20s F. If you are specifically going to the Munich area to ski or see the Christmas markets, I advise to skip the winter and travel during one of the other seasons (unless visiting for the Christmas Market!)
- April will average in the 50’s F for highs and May will be more in the 60’s F
- We visited Munich during the second week of October, and we may have lucked out with the weather, but the weather was AMAZING for us. Sunny and in the upper 60s/lower 70s and the changing of the leaves was SO pretty to see!
Currency
Euro! Germany is part of the EU, so the national currency is the Euro. You can get by with paying for most things via credit card if you prefer.
Tipping is common etiquette in Munich. Tipping with cash is even more common and typically the tip is given to the waiter/waitress rather than left on the table.
Accommodations
There are accommodations galore in Munich. There are affordable hotels and lots of hostels to choose from. Whatever you choose, pick a place that is centrally located. A lot of the sights and activities are near the city center, so I recommend staying in walking distance of the city center. If you are going during peak season and the prices are too high you may opt to stay a little further from the city. The metro is easily accessible, so choose a place near a metro station entrance!
Truth time:
- We chose a hostel for our first trip and the location was amazing
- However, one girl woke up with bites on her and we haven’t decided if they were gnat bites or bed bugs, so I won’t throw our specific hostel out here as a recommendation 🙂
Our second trip we had to stay further from the city center (because procrastination lead to high prices! Don’t do that!) and had to drive to get to the main hub. I don’t recommend. Parking is not great in the city center, like most European cities.
Food
German food is hearty food. Expect lots of meats such as:
- Sausage,
- Bratwurst,
- Pork (pork knuckle was great!)
- The famous Wienerschnitzel
- If you like the American country fried steak, you can’t go wrong with the Wienerschnitzel!
- Also expect spatzel (dumpling kind of noodles) and sauerkraut on most menus. I honestly loved the food.
My one recommendation is don’t go for the meatloaf unless you like something that looks like a thick piece of bologna 🙂
Don’t forget to grab a pretzel; they’re commonly available as appetizers in most restaurants. And beer. Beer is everywhere and there is a long beer history in Munich!
Transportation
Your guide to Munich and getting around. No need for a car while you are in Munich. If you are driving into the city, find accommodations with parking and leave your vehicle there. Otherwise, take a bus or train into the city and take advantage of the metro or walk!
The S-bahn is the city train and the U-bahn is the underground metro. For metro maps and all information on times, prices and more, click here!
Guide to Munich Recap!
Munich is one of my favorite cities I have visited! It is easy to navigate, the people are friendly, the culture is rich and it is just a beautiful city. I hope this quick guide to Munich will make planning your trip a little easier. For recommendations on what to do while you are in Munich, click here!