Munich
Huge steins and german super cars, high-end fashion and Lederhosen – Munich is a city where traditional and modern sit side by side like few places on earth
What you need to know about Munich
Language: German is the national language but English is fairly well understood, especially in the tourism sector.
Currency: Germany uses the Euro (€) as their currency, which is normally traded as one of the stronger currencies in the world.
Banking: ATMs are typical in shops, super markets and on most streets. All major bank cards are accepted by retailers generally.
Weather: The weather is fairly warm in the summer and pretty darn chilly in the winter with some weeks and months in peak winter being frosty.
MASSive glasses to toast with
Bavarian beer has been a fixture of local life in Munich for hundreds of years and the convention is still perfect and loved healthy today. No place else in Europe has enjoys a drinking tradition like the Bavarian capital with six mammoth bottling works siphoning out world-class their wonderful brown goodness to beer halls all over the city.
This all culminates in the renowned Oktoberfest festival, a huge event enjoyed by more than six million locals and visitors who travel in to have a good time. You can expect to toast friends, both new and old, with your own Mass (1L stein!) and then just let the good times roll.
Oktoberfest in Munich
Artistic view of all eras
Munich has for some time been known as a city famous for German craftsmanship, beer and art, so before you take off to the bar and indulge your tastebuds, enjoy the opportunity to see the best pieces of art from the city's collections.
The Kunstareal, Munich's quarter traditionally used as its home of art, is the place to begin, with four noteworthy exhibition venues showing everything from Dutch experts to contemporary design.
The city additionally showcases some world-class exhibitions halls and museums concentrating on subjects as different as Oktoberfest, porcelain design and German-made BMW autos. What's more, if all that wasn't sufficient, there are is more to see including the imperial royal residences – explore them and walk through over seven centuries of legacy left by the dynastic ruling family, the Wittelsbachs.
A Bavarian state of mind
Local people call it "Gemütlichkeit" which means that inimitable blend of feeling comfy and a laid-back outlook to life. In Munich you will detect it most under lights of a beer hall or maybe even a beer garden if the weather is agreeable.
It might be only the something locals really feel but Gemütlichkeit should be a state of mind that visitors should strive for. It's basically the German equivalent of Denmark's "hygge" feeling. Bavaria is warm, friendly which may or may not have something to do with the beer halls that locals love so much.
Warm locals and good times
Munich's different characteristics, the things that make the city the distinct place it is, may be what stick in the memory most for people who travel there.
Regardless of whether it be the intoxicated oompah band, that weird chopper used for eating massive radishes, the local's preposterous dialect, the wardrobe prerequisite to really be part of Oktoberfest (Lederhosen and Dirndl) or the fact that you can always, always find a beer (pretty much anywhere.... seriously), you're certain to find some outlandish part of Munich life you gel well with.
Munich Travel Guides