edit Munich Travel Guide

• Englischer Garten - a beautiful park that is over twice the size of New York's Central Park! Entrance is free, and it is a wonderful place to relax. Munich's second-biggest beer garden is located here, a nice place to stay and talk to the locals. Just drive to "Münchner Freiheit" or "Ostbahnhof" by S- or U-Bahn and take bus number 54 to "Chinesischer Turm".
  
• Pinakotheken - The Alte Pinkothek features 15-18th century religious paintings, the Neue Pinakothek 19-20th century impressionist and expressionist art and the Pinakothek der Moderne has 20th century paintings, modern art, design and architecture sections.
• Deutsches Museum - one of the largest technical museums in the world. It has hand-on, interactive section for natural science, engineering, construction etc.
• Christmas Markets - if you're visiting around Christmastime, these are a must-see. Stands with beautiful wooden toys, christmas biscuits, souvernirs, and the traditional Glühwein, a delicious hot red wine with spices.

When Germans are polled about where they would most like to live, Munich finds its way consistently to the top of the list. Being within easy driving distance of the Alps, Italy and the Mediterranean, the Czech Republic, Austria and some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe, it's not surprising everyone wants to be there! Add to its benefits beautiful architecture, especially Baroque and Roccoco, green countryside which starts a mere half-hour away on the S-Bahn, the second largest university in Germany, and the greatest beer culture on the planet, and you have one awesome city!

By plane

Munich International Airport (IATA: MUC) is the second biggest German airport and has two terminals. Terminal 2 is used by Lufthansa and its partner airlines from Star Alliance. All other airlines used the older Terminal 1. The Munich airport is located outside of Munich in a northeastern suburb. Due to the increased number of flights the airport has expanded and now offers connections to all domestic airports and most international airports in the world. If you are unable to fly to Munich directly, travellers can arrange a transfer via Frankfurt. Flight time from Frankfurt to Munich is about 35 minutes. Increased traffic has not been met with an improved check-in system, so travellers wishing to depart from Munich International Airport are advised to be there two hours before flight time. Self-service check-in machines are available, but still the waiting time to check in is phenomenal for European standards.

The airport connects to central Munich by S-Bahn (commuter train) on S1 or S8 lines. The journey (single) costs €8.80 (or €9.60 for a day pass) and takes 30-40 minutes to get to the central station.

By train

Most major European cities connect to Munich by rail. Munich's Hauptbahnhof (main station) is conveniently located in the center of Munich. The Deutsche Bahn uses Munich as one of its main German hubs and has good connections to neighboring countries (Austria, Switzerland and Czech Republic) and to all southern German cities.

The main station is west of Marienplatz (two S-Bahn stations) or a short walk away from the city center. The main station also has a traveler-friendly infrastructure including several restaurants, a tourist's bureau and a Deutsche Bahn ticket and travel agency office.

By car

Highways from many directions lead to Munich, however they often get congested at peak times and on weekends, especially during the ski season. For day trips to Munich, it's probably best to leave your car in a Park&Ride car park.

By bus

By boat

By Car

By Mass Transit

Bus, Tram, U-Bahn (subway) and S-Bahn

The best way to travel around Munich is the Tram (streetcar), bus and U-Bahn (subway) system. For connections to the suburbs use the S-Bahn. You can get individual, group, day and week tickets. The metro (U-Bahn) stations are signed with a white capital "U" on a blue background. To go to the suburbs or airport use the S-Bahn, signed with a white "S" on green background. All lines come together in a tunnel in central Munich.

If you arrive at the airport and intend to explore Munich by the public system, the best option is to buy a day ticket for the whole network (Gesamtnetz). This ticket will let you travel to and from the airport and all the S-Bahn and U-Bahn stops, as well as on the busses.

A day ticket is worth buying if you plan to take more than one trip in the same day. It's available for a single person or as partner card for up to five adults and is valid until 6am next morning. The day card is available for four areas: Inner district/Innenraum(white zone) for €4.80 (single) or €8.50 (partner) (enough to explore the city), Outer district/Außenraum (green, yellow and red zone) for the same price, Munich XXL/München XXL (white and green zone - good for trips to Dachau) for €6.50 (single) or €11.50 (partner, and All zones/Gesamtnetz (entire network) for €9.60 (single) or €17 (partner).

If you are staying longer than 3 days in a week in Munich, a good option is to buy a week ticket. The week ticket is valid from Monday to Monday. The price of the week ticket depends on the number of rings you want to travel during the week (starting from the center of the city). Almost all U-Bahn stations are within the rings 1-4.

For several journeys on different days the blue strip card (Streifenkarte), with 10 strips, is a better value than buying lots of individual tickets. The cost is €10.50, and may be purchased at dispensing machines at every station. You need to use two strips for each colored ring on the map. If your are making several trips in a day, the day ticket is a better option.

All tickets need to be stamped, except for the week tickets; without a stamp the ticket is invalid and you are can be fined €40 if you don't have a valid ticket. Stamping machines ("Entwerter") are found at the entrance to the S-Bahn or U-Bahn platforms, and on the buses and trams. In most other German cities, passengers can validate tickets on the train; however, this is not the case in Munich, so be sure you validate your tickets before boarding any U-Bahn or S-Bahn train.

Public transportation operates with only limited service from 2:00 to 5:00 in the morning. The U-Bahn (Metro) doesn't operate at all, and the tram and some buses operate only on the hour from Monday to Friday, and on the half hour on the weekend. On Friday, Saturday and nights before public holidays, there is a single S-Bahn on each line between 2:30 and 3:00. So if you're staying out late, try to get the schedule of the so called Nachttram (night tram) in advance or don't leave the place before 5:00 (or you can take a taxi of course).

The Munich MVV website has maps of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn network that shows the zones and rings, and maps of the Park&Ride car parks attached to U-bahn stations (under the Pläne menu), as well as timetables. The official urban rail network map is indispensable.

If you plan on exploring Munich and taking a regional Deutsche Bahn train to another city in the same day on a weekend, consider getting a Deutsche Bahn Schoenes Wochenende ticket. This ticket covers all regional train travel and all Munich S-Bahn travel for up to five people for a single weekend day for 33 euros.

By Foot

A great way to explore Munich. You'll want to stop and take in the beauty of this pedestrian-friendly city.

By Bike

With over 200km of bike trails, one of the very best ways to explore the city is on a bicycle. Guided tours are available, or for the independent-minded, rentals and maps are available at the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) and other areas of the city.

Bikes can also be rented by the Call-A-Bike system, which is run by Deutsche Bahn (national rail service). You need to call a number listed on the bikes from your mobile phone and register with the callabike.de website in order to use them. The service is convenient, as you just spot an available bike throughout the city and just leave it at your destination. However, this is not an economical alternative, if you are planning many trips in a single day. In that case, it is better to get a day or multiday rental from one of the rental services located throughout central Munich

Mike's Bike Tour, located near the Hofbräuhaus, offers historical tours of the city. Discover Munich offers free bike tours around Munich's old town and the English Garden.

Munich is a bike-friendly city that assigns many paths (especially along river Isar and in the parks, even in the city center) for joint usage by pedestrians and bikers alike. This is a notorious source of trouble since strollers tend to ignore the bike traffic to the detriment of everybody involved - themselves, their pets and the bikers.

Munich has four seasons and a fairly mild climate. It never gets unbearably hot or cold, although summers can be humid and winters can produce several feet of snow.

Police

Fire Department

Hospitals

Crime

Munich is in general a very safe city. The only thing that ever seems to be an issue for travellers is becoming excessively intoxicated. Use precaution while drinking to prevent from inciting a fight, being drugged, or injuring yourself.

Munich is one of Germany's international cities and has a great emphasis on the mixture of traditional values and modern work attitudes. For this reason, locals welcome travellers. Despite Berlin's status as the nation's capital, Munich sees themselves as the "capital" of the alpine region.

For the gay, lesbian and transgender groups there are few reports of attacks against this group.

Smoking

• Maximilianstrasse - This street in the city center is the place to go if you are looking for high end luxury goods.
• Shopping Centers For a collection of shops under one roof go to the shopping centres PEP (U-Bahn stop: Neuperlach Zentrum, U5), OEZ (U-bahn stop olympia Einkaufszentrum) or Riem Arkaden (U-Bahn stop Messestadt Ost, U2)
• Hohenzollernstr. This street has a collection of clothes shops, such as: Mazel, Vero Moda and a cheap traditional German clothing shop. You can reach it by getting out at the U2/U8 stop Hohenzollernstr. and then walking in the direction of Münchner Freiheit (the locals will be able to tell you which direction that is, or by going one stop on the 53 bus going towards Münchner Freiheit (that's the final stop, so written on the front of the bus). From then on continue going in that direction, until you start seeing the shops. You can walk down there in about 15 minutes, but when you're shopping, who knows? And that then brings you to the next shopping zone:
• Leopoldstr. This can be reached by the U-bahn U6 or U3 at the stops Münchner Freiheit, Giselastraße or Universität, and has chain stores such as the Body Shop, or coffee shops, such as Starbucks.

Markets

• Viktualienmarkt - Famous market in the city centre, where you will find any imaginable sort of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, spices, and so on.
• Elisabethmarkt - A tiny market, it has cute stalls, and an original feel. It is located at the tram stop Elisabethmarkt of the tram 27.

Christmas Markets

During Christmas time there are many of these Christkindl Märkte or Christmas Markets, including the large Tollwood, but also smaller markets.

• Münchner Freiheit is in Schwabing.
• Elisabethmarkt A tiny market, it has cute stalls, and an original feel. It is located at the tram stop Elisabethmarkt of the tram 27. Further information you will find here:
• Marienplatz A bigger market, it stretches across the shopping street, so you can mix Christmas market shopping (and eating) with "normal" shopping.
• Chinesischer Turm at Englischer Garten has a nice Christmas market in a pretty park surrounding. Highly recommended if there's snow! It can conveniently be reached from U/Bus station Münchner Freiheit on the Bus 54 which has a stop Chinesischer Turm.

The S8 and S1 both go to the airport from Marienplatz S-Bahn station, but be careful because the S1 line splits into two separate trains at "Neufahrn" just before the airport- be sure that you are riding in the section that is actually going to the airport, which is always last part of the train. If you find yourself in the wrong car, just wait until Neufahrn and change into the last part of the train.

The Bayern Ticket is an amazingly cheap way to do day trips from Munich. With it you can travel anywhere in Bavaria on the regional trains all day (only from 9am weekdays). It costs €27 for a group of up to 5 people, and €19 for a single. Make sure you buy it from the machines as there is a €2 surcharge if you buy it from the ticket office. There is also the Schönes Wochenende Ticket which is valid everywhere in Germany and even a fair way into the Czech Republic, but it is only valid on weekends. It costs €33 for a group of up to 5 and is also restricted to the regional trains.

• Dachau and Starnberg make for great day trips. Starnberg offers a great lake, where the King Ludwig II and his psychiatrist mysteriously drowned.
• Andechs Monastery If you miss the Oktoberfest it is worth to travel to the holy mountain of Andechs. It's a monastery up a hill from the Ammersee. Take the S5 from Munich to Herrsching and then either hike up the hill or take the bus. When you are there have a look at the old monastery church and the gardens before focusing on the excellent beer and Schweinshaxen in the beer garden or in the large beer hall. Makes a great day trip which can also be combined with some swimming the Ammersee.
• Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. About 1.5 hours by regional train (from the Munich Hautpbahnhof) or by car via Autobahn. The cog railway train to the top of the Zugspitze leaves regularly from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen train station.
• Salzburg, Austria, is an easy day trip from Munich. Trains run from the main Munich station just about every hour, and take about 1.5 hours. The Bayern Ticket is valid all the way to Salzburg.
• Prague If you have a few days to spare, this is the perfect trip. Many bus tours now offer very cheap transport and hotels in Prague. These trips can usually be undertaken quite spontaneously, and are truly worth the little money, if you don't mind bus journeys. You can get to Prague on the train quite cheaply with a Bayern Ticket or Shoenes Whochende Ticket, just take the regional train from Munich (about 6hrs, twice a day). With the Bayern Ticket just buy a cheap Czech ticket on the train (about €7 per person) once you cross the border. The Schönes Wochenende Ticket is valid until Plzen so the ticket to Prague is even cheaper.
• Nuremberg It was here that the some of the leaders of the Nazi regime faced justice. Nuremberg offers a lot of history for visitors. (Comment by a "local": when asking for it, preferably use the German name Nürnberg, the English name Nuremberg is usually unknown)
• Füssen is nestled in the Alps of southern Bavaria. A train from Munich's main station will take about two hours with one transfer at Buchloe (approximately 27 Euro). The town is famous for King Ludwig II's "fairy-tale castles," the most famous being Neuschawnstein.
• Oberammergau is a small town with unusual houses with brothers Grimm fairy-tale paintings on the walls.
• Berchtesgaden - a beautiful alpine village and popular tourist destination (about 3 hours by train)