As Germany’s most livable city, Munich is envied throughout the country for its historic center, pleasant restaurant scene, and surprisingly nice weather. The capital of the Bavarian state is an important place in European history so there is much to see in between stops at the famous beer halls.
This is a very outdoor city so many of the more interesting sights are free or quite cheap, which helps those on a low budget keep from going broke. Even the Oktoberfest itself is affordable if you don’t plan on riding the rides, as food and drink prices tend to be more or less in line with most restaurants, and everything else is free.
| Population | 2,600,000 |
| Area | 5,200,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+1 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Airports | Franz Josef Strauss International Airport (MUC) |
The historic square known as Marienplatz should be on your list to see the famous cathedral and other important buildings.
The English Garten is Munich’s most popular park where you’ll find outdoor restaurants unlike anything you’ve seen elsewhere.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 64.52 - 139.78 |
| 120.43 - 176.34 |
| 139.78 - 150.54 |
| 134.41 - 253.76 |
| 191.40 - 349.46 |
1st Creatif Hotel Elephant Doubles from €72/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central 3-star hotel in Munich |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 59.14 - 79.57 |
Wombats City Hostel Munich Beds from €22/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central hostel in Munich |
| Budget breakfast | Most hotels include breakfast in the price. If not you might be limited to sausages and other fast food options. | $5.91 - $9.68 |
| Budget lunch | As long as you like the local meat-and-bread-heavy cuisine, you can find good local food at decent prices. | $7.53 - $11.83 |
| Budget dinner | There are plenty of budget-friendly restaurants in the tourist districts, but few are extremely cheap. | $10.22 - $18.28 |
| Beer (.5l glass) | Your choices will generally be all the similar local lagers. Beer gardens and casual places are cheapest. | $4.03 - $6.45 |
| Beer (one-liter glass at Oktoberfest) | Beer in the big tents sells for similar prices as other Munich bars and beer gardens. | $12.90 |
The free (tips-based) walking tours of Munich are a great way to see and learn a lot about Munich in a few hours while getting oriented at the same time.
The hop-on, hop-off bus tours of Munich are a good way to see many of the better sights that are not in the historic center, including the BMW Museum.
| Month | High F | Low F | PRECIP (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37 | 25 | 1.9 |
| February | 40 | 26 | 1.8 |
| March | 48 | 32 | 2.3 |
| April | 55 | 37 | 2.8 |
| May | 64 | 45 | 3.7 |
| June | 69 | 51 | 5.0 |
| July | 74 | 55 | 5.2 |
| August | 73 | 54 | 4.4 |
| September | 66 | 48 | 3.4 |
| October | 56 | 41 | 2.6 |
| November | 44 | 32 | 2.8 |
| December | 39 | 28 | 2.4 |
Munich is said to have the best climate of all of Germany’s major cities, though that doesn’t mean it’s nice all year round. Summers tend to be very pleasant, only interrupted by sudden downpours on some days. During Oktoberfest, starting in mid September, the city has usually cooled off so a jacket or sweater will be needed. Winters can be quite cold, even during the day, but fortunately the city rarely has significant accumulations of snow.
| 21 Mar | 6:15am | 6:28pm |
| 21 Jun | 5:13am | 9:17pm |
| 21 Sep | 6:59am | 7:14pm |
| 21 Dec | 8:01am | 4:22pm |
Hotels and hostels near the main train station can be affordable and are convenient if you are only in town a couple of days on a tour of Germany. The public transportation system is excellent, so staying a bit outside the center can be good if you prefer a larger room at a modest price.
Hostels and hotels in Munich will usually double or triple their prices for Oktoberfest, which is from mid September through early October, so if you are coming then it’s best to book as early as possible. Otherwise the general high season is from April through mid September, with the low season being November through March. Munich is also an important business and trade-fair city, so it’s common that many of the mid-priced hotels are booked up well in advance of some of the larger events.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 64.52 - 139.78 |
| 120.43 - 176.34 |
| 139.78 - 150.54 |
| 134.41 - 253.76 |
| 191.40 - 349.46 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 59.14 - 79.57 |
Munich’s International Airport is one of Germany’s busiest and it has direct flights from all over Europe and a some major cities in North America and Asia.
The Hauptbahnhof (main train station) is central in the city and Munich has handy train connections to large cities all over Germany as well as Salzburg , Vienna, and Prague.
Thanks to an excellent system of the S-bahn and U-bahn trains, transportation in Munich is quite cheap, especially if you opt for the all-day pass. On the other hand, it’s difficult to find food and drinks on the cheaper end of things, unless you don’t mind the wurst (sausage) carts you see on many sidewalks.
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Taxi from airport to city center | 67.74 - 75.27 |
| Commuter train from airport to city center | 12.04 |
| Streetcar/metro ride in Munich | 3.01 - 5.59 |
| Day ticket on streetcar/metro | 7.10 - 17.74 |
| 3km taxi ride in Munich | 11.83 - 16.13 |