Munich Travel Guide: Where to Stay Across the Altstadt, Maxvorstadt, and Glockenbach

Two Michelin stars. Legendary modernist 1970s dining room — recently refurbished, kept its original Justus Dahinden orange-and-brown interior. One of Germany's most famous restaurants.

Tantris DNA opened in 2022 as a one-Michelin-starred sister.

Two Michelin stars. Chef Bobby Bräuer's modern German inside the BMW Welt showroom — the view of the BMW headquarters tower is the architectural bonus.

Three Michelin stars (achieved 2024). Chef Anton Gschwendtner's tasting menu inside the Hotel Bayerischer Hof — Munich's most refined contemporary dining.

Alfons Schuhbeck's modern Bavarian restaurant — Germany's most famous TV chef. The duck à la orange is the signature. Closed after a tax-evasion scandal in 2024; check current operations.

Munich's most famous beer hall (1589) — Bavarian classics (pretzels, white sausage, pork knuckle), the brass band on the central platform. Touristy now, but properly Munich. The liter Maß stein is the standard.

5,000-seat beer garden under chestnut trees — Munich's largest. Augustiner beer (the Munich locals' favorite brewery) straight from wooden kegs. Bring your own food in the self-service area; restaurant section has Bavarian classics.

Opposite the National Theatre — proper Bavarian classics done well. The schweinshaxe (pork knuckle), the Wiener schnitzel. Where Munich's middle-class actually goes for dinner.

The Bavarian fried-pastry institution — schmalznudel (fried sugar-dusted dough). Open at 5am for the early-morning crowd. Properly Munich.

Munich's reliable brunch chain — proper sourdough, eggs cooked properly, decent espresso. Multiple locations. The Gärtnerplatz outpost is the prettiest.

Bavarian pastry tradition — the Mozartkugeln (Mozart's-balls confection) and proper Strudel. Among Munich's most loved pastry traditions.

Munich's most respected specialty coffee — house-roasted beans, properly trained baristas. Among Germany's leading specialty coffee businesses.

Munich's central food market — multiple stands serving weisswurst (white sausage), pretzels, beer (starting at 9am, properly Munich). The white-sausage breakfast tradition: must be eaten before noon.

Charles Schumann's legendary cocktail bar — opened 1982. One of Europe's most influential bars; the menu and the bartender's-eye-view are properly serious. Among the world's most internationally important cocktail bars.

Inside the Haus der Kunst museum — restored 1937 Art Deco bar with gold-leaf ceilings. The most architecturally significant bar interior in Munich. Cocktails are properly mixed.

Properly serious cocktail bar in Glockenbach — the menu changes seasonally. Among Munich's most respected drinking spots.

Properly Italian aperitivo bar — Negronis, Aperol Spritz, antipasti. Where Munich pretends to be in Milan.

1,500-seat beer garden in the English Garden — chestnut trees, kids playing, Munich at its most relaxed. The Augustiner beer is the order.

7,000-seat beer garden around the Chinese Tower in the English Garden — Munich's most central beer garden. The most photogenic. Live brass-band music.

One of the world's largest design collections under one roof — plus 20th-century art (Picasso, Klee, Kandinsky), architecture, drawings. The Stephan Braunfels building is a landmark in itself.

A striking polychrome facade of 36,000 ceramic rods — Cy Twombly's Lepanto cycle hangs in a permanent gallery. Plus Warhol, Polke, Damien Hirst. Among the most architecturally significant contemporary art museums in Germany.

Among the world's most important Old Masters collections — Dürer's Self-Portrait, Rubens (the largest collection outside Antwerp), Rembrandt, Velázquez. The 1836 building. Plan three hours.

Currently closed for long-term renovation — highlights (including Van Gogh's Sunflowers) are displayed at the Alte Pinakothek and other venues.

The world's most important collection of Der Blaue Reiter (Kandinsky, Marc, Klee, Münter) — in Franz von Lenbach's preserved villa. Reopened 2013 after major renovation. Among Germany's most important modernist museums.

The BMW Museum (1973 Karl Schwanzer 'bowl' building) + the BMW Welt showroom across the road. A pilgrimage for car lovers; properly designed for non-car-people too. Free entry to BMW Welt.

Munich's central square — the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) Glockenspiel plays at 11am, 12pm, and 5pm (summer). The traditional Bavarian dancing-knights show takes 10-12 minutes. Touristy but iconic.

Bigger than New York's Central Park (3.7 km²) — the Eisbach standing wave (river surfers all year), four beer gardens, the Chinese Tower, the Japanese Tea House, naked sunbathers in the Schönfeldwiese meadow.

Munich's central food market since 1807 — proper Bavarian produce, the Augustiner beer garden at the center. Where central Munich does its food shopping. Closed Sundays.

The Eisbach river creates a permanent standing wave in the English Garden — locals surf it year-round, even in snow. Wave surfing in a Bavarian park. Free to watch.

The Bavarian royal family's summer palace — Baroque exterior with extensive gardens. The Magdalenenklause (a deliberately ruined chapel) is the architectural curiosity.

The 1972 Olympic park — Frei Otto's tent-roof architecture is among the most important post-war German buildings. Climb the Olympiaturm (290m) for panoramic city views.

The 'fairy-tale castle' that inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty — 2 hours south of Munich. Built by 'Mad' King Ludwig II in the 1880s. Pre-book online weeks ahead (huge crowds).

Full-day.

Covered above — the central proper green space. Walk from south (Stadtgarten) to north (Aumeister beer garden) takes 1.5 hours.

The Isar river runs through Munich — restored as a natural river course (no longer canalised). Walks along the gravel banks, summer swimming, locals barbecuing. Most central nature.

1.5 hours by train — Germany's highest mountain (2,962m), the Zugspitze cable car. Garmisch-Partenkirchen for skiing in winter, hiking in summer.

An hour south by train — an alpine lake surrounded by mountains. Where Munich's wealthy own holiday homes. Swimming in summer, skiing nearby in winter.

30 minutes south by S-Bahn — a clean alpine lake 21 km long. Public ferries, beaches, restaurants on the shore. Where Munich swims.