Hostelworld Guide for MunichNobody likes to harp on about the stereotypes attached to a city when describing it, but it's hard not towhen talking about Munich. The Bavarian capital is birthplace of the beer hall where men and women

decked in lederhosen line larger than life beers in front of thirsty tourists to the sound of traditionaloompah bands. But there is a lot more to the city than that. Munich gets increasingly cosmopolitan everyyear and it has one of the best selections of museums in Germany. This is why it now rivals Berlin as the

most popular city in Germany with travellers.

In this Guide...

Useful InformationAfter Dark

Places to EatTop Attractions

Budget TipsWhere to Shop

The Essentials Climate

Getting There

By plane: Munich International Airport is just under30km northeast of the city centre. It is connected tothe city centre via the S1 and S8 train. The journeytakes 40 minutes approximately.

By train: Hauptbahnhof in the city centre is thecity's main train hub and where all internationaltrains terminate.

By bus: The majority of long-distance busesterminate at Hauptbahnhof also.

Getting Around

On foot: Using Marienplatz as your focal point,covering Munich's city centre on foot is easilyachievable.

By U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Thanks to this integratedunderground/suburban rail network, getting aroundMunich couldn't be easier. A single journey costs2.20 (same as on all modes of transport).

By bus/tram: As efficient as the U-bahn service is,trains don't cover all parts of the city. Conveniently,trams/buses serve most places that trains don't.Trams in particular are also a good way of seeingthe city.

Useful phrasesHello: HalloGoodbye: TschssPlease: BitteThank you: Vielen DankYou're welcome: Gern geschehenYes: JaNo: NeinOf course: NatrlichExcuse me: EntschuldigungHow are you?: Wie geht es dir?Open: GeffnetClosed: GeschlossenWhat is your name?: Wie heisst du?My name is...: Ich heisse...How much?: Wie teuer ist es?May I have the bill?: MKann ich die rechnunghaben?

Due to Munich's inland location, it experiences acontinental climate with warm summers and coldwinters. If your visit happens to be in winter makesure to pack your winter woollies as it can get verycold in the Bavarian capital between November andJanuary. February is still quite cold with the averagetemperature being below OC. Between April andOctober are the best months to visit as this is whenMunich is at its warmest. Just as in any city, thebusier months are between June and August, andthen again in October due to Oktoberfest. Due to aphenomenon known as Fhn, it can be extremelywarm in this month.

Useful InformationLanguage: GermanElectricity: 220 Volts AC, 50 HzArea Code: +49 (Germany) 089 (Munich)Emergency Codes: Ambulance 112 / Fire 112 /Police 110Time Zone: Central European Time (GMT +1)Central Post Office: Bahnhofplatz 1 (oppositeHauptbahnhof Station)Main Tourist Office: There are two -Bahnhofsplatz 2 (at the train station) andMarienplatz in the New Town Hall

Embassies / Consulates

USA: +49 (0)89 28 880UK: +49 (0)89 211 090Canada: +49 (0)89 2199 5700Australia: +49 (0)30 880 0880 (Embassy in Berlin)South Africa: +49 (0)89 231 1630Ireland: +49 (0)89 2080 5990Spain: +49 (0)89 998 4790Italy: +49 (0)89 418 0030New Zealand: +49 (0)30 206 210 (Embassy inBerlin)France: +49 (0)89 419 4110

Hostelworld Guide for Munich www.hostelworld.com

Cheap Eats After Dark

Tizian, Maxburgstrasse 4 Tizian is a quaint Italiancaf/restaurant which deals in good pasta andbetter pizzas. During the summer there is a terraceout back where you can sit near a fountain, while onFr iday and Saturday nights there is a goodatmosphere as a DJ spins tunes. Open Mon-Fri9am-1am, Sat 10am-1am, Sun 10am-6pm.

Friesiche Teestube, Pndterplatz 2 FriesicheTeestube is the perfect pit-stop for a quick lunch inthe afternoon in Munich. Choose a dish from thevaried lunch menu or, if you simply need a breakfrom the sightseeing, enjoy a cake with a cup of tea- there are over 150 different flavours to choosefrom. Open daily from 10am-11pm.

Il Soprano, Kochelseestrasse 8 While it can getvery busy in this small Italian restaurant, the food istop notch and the reasonable prices lure people inall day. Along with all the pasta on offer, thisrestaurant is also renowned for it's fish dishes.Open daily from 10am-10pm.

Viktualienmarkt

Founded by the first King of Bavaria back in1807, Viktualienmarkt is one of Munich'snumber one attractions. It is also a great placefor lunch on the run. All around this colourfulmarket are outlets dealing in fruit andvegetables, but most sell traditional Bavarianfare. A 'leberkassemmel' (bread roll with withliver sausage) washed down with a cool beer inthe beer garden will keep you going for hours.Open Mon-Fri from 10am-6pm, Saturday from10am-3pm.

Zum Drnbru, Durnbrugasse 2 Munich isawash with restaurants dealing in typical Bavarianspecial i t ies, although al l too many are quitecommercialised. This one in the city centre is still afavourite among locals and you'll definitely findsomething on the menu for less than 10. Worthchecking out. Open daily from 9am-midnight.

New Munich Pub Crawl If you want to see some ofMunich's best known bars and clubs, and want toparty well into the night at the same time, embarkon this pub crawl. The 'New Munich Pub Crawl'goes every night at 8pm and can booked atwww.hostelworld.com/tours.

Augustiner Brustuben, Landsbergerstrasse 19The German beer hall is a wonderful thing. The onlyproblem is that every tourist who goes to Munichagrees with me on this. This beer hall just four tramstops from Hauptbahnhof is an authentic beer halland well worth the three-minute journey. Open dailyfrom 10am-midnight.

Gay / Lesbian MunichWhile the gay scene in Munich isn't as evidentas in other German cities such as, let's say,Berlin, there are still more than a handful of gayclubs and nights in the Bavarian capital.Carmen's Lounge (Theklastrasse 1) is one ofthe city's most popular gay bars, attractingpeople from all walks of life. New York(Sonnenstrasse 25) is another populardisco-bar, while Ochsengarten (Mllerstrasse47) is where the leather-fetish hounds go.

Kunstpark OST Ever imagined what it would belike if all the main nightclubs in your town were inthe same place? Some Bavarians did, and thenmade their thoughts a reality and created KunstparkOST! Some of the venues here are a bit cheesy,but with so many bars and clubs on offer, it's a goodplace to head for after dark.

Kilian's Irish Pub, Frauenplatz 11 Every city hasits token Irish bar and Munich is no different.Located just minutes from Marienplatz, here you'llbe treated to live music on most nights while it'salso a good place for food. Open dai ly from11am-late.

Hofbruhaus, Platzl 9 The Hofbruhaus issomewhere you can't avoid. It is just as much atourist attraction as it is a beer hall. You won't meetany Bavarians here, and there isn't anythingextremely authentic about it, but the beer is goodand the oompah bands that play there create ajovial atmosphere. Open daily from 9am-midnight.

The Twisted Bavarian, Tengstrasse 20 This pub,owned by a Bavarian and a Texan, is one of thenewest in Munich and is quickly becoming one ofthe most popular. Open daily from 5pm-1am, Fri &Sat 5pm-3am and Sun 11am-1am.

Don't Miss Mark Your Calendar

Frauenkirche, Frauenplatz 1 Dating back to the15th century, the Frauenkirche is the Bavariancapital's most instantly recognisable building thanksto its onion-domed towers. While much of thechurch was destroyed dur ing World War I I ,thankfully its towers remained unscathed. Open7am-6pm/7pm/8.30pm; admission to towers 3.

Marienplatz The focal point for any traveller whovisits Munich, Marienplatz is the city's main square.D o m i n a t e d b y t h e N e w T o w n H a l l , t h i spedestrianised square dates back to the 12thc e n t u r y a n d w a s o r i g i n a l l y k n o w n a sS c h r a n n e n m a r k t . T o d a y i t i s w h e r e t h e'Glockenspiel' takes place daily (see 'Budget Tips').

Munich Residence, Residenzstrasse 1 Thisbuilding is one of the most ornate in the whole ofGermany as it was the political and cultural centreof first the Dukes, then the Electors, and finally theKings of Bavaria. Over the centuries the variousrulers furnished the rooms to their personal tastesand today they can be viewed by the public. Opendaily from 9am-6pm (summer), 10am-5pm (winter) ;admission 6 (residence or treasury).

Deutsches Museum

Deutsches Museum, Museumsinsel 1Science freaks will love this huge museumwhich is one of the largest science andtechnology museums in the world. Exhibits hereexplain everything from how glass is recycled tohow paper is made to how we use water. Visitthis museum and you will undoubtedly leave amore knowledgeable human being. Open dailyfrom 9am-5pm; admission 8.50.

Englischer Garten During the summer monthsthere is nowhere better to chill out for a few hours inMunich than in the English Gardens, the largesturban park in Germany. Covering 3.73 kilometres, ithas its own beer garden, and even its own waterfall.

January - FIS Snowboarding World Cup Thanksto the help of some artificial snow, a mountainperfect for snowboarding is created out in Munich'sOlympic Park for this annual competition.

February/March - Strong Beer Season As the restof the world gives up things every Lent, Bavariansgo to various breweries around the city to enjoyStarkbier, the strongest beer there is!

April - Frhlingsfest Munich's annual SpringFestival sees a fairground and numerous beer tentstake over Theresienwiese.

May - Theatron Pentecost Festival Music fans willlove this 3-day event which is held in the OlympicPark. Also a free event, it showcases the best upand coming bands in the area.

June/July - Summer Tollwood Festival Since itbegan back in 1987, this annual event is now one ofthe most popular summer festivals in Munich. Rock,jazz, and pop artists entertain thousands, whileplays staged attract theatre buffs.

July - Christopher Street Day This annual event isMunich's annual Gay Pride Festival and is one ofthe biggest in Germany. Over 50,000 pour on to thestreets and the highlight is an outlandish parade.

August - Isarlust Summer Festival Stagedtowards the end of August each year, the freeIsarlust Summer Festival sees an extravaganza ofmusic and entertainment attract thousands.

September/October - Oktoberfest Beginning inthe second last week in September and ending onthe first Sunday in October, Oktoberfest is thebiggest public festival in the world. Each year 6million people consume over 5 million litres of beer!

October - Long Night of Museums For one nightonly every October over 70 museums in theBavarian capital stay open until 2am. Visitors canbuy one ticket costing 15 which gives them accessto all participating museums for the day.

November/December - Winter Tol lowoodFestival Once again Theresienwiese is the locationfor Tollwood's winter festival, and once again beertents attract thousands.

December - Christkindlmarkt Germany is famousfor its Christmas markets and Marienplatz is whereMunich's main market is every Christmas.

Hostelworld Guide for Munich www.hostelworld.com

Get Connected Retail Therapy

easyInternetcaf, Bahnhofplatz 1 Located acrosst h e r o a d f r o m H a u p t b a h n h o f , t h i s w a seasyInternetcaf's 1st store to open in Germany.With over 430 PCs to choose from you'll never havetrouble finding a free terminal. Open 24 hours daily;2 per hour, minimum purchase 80c.

Munich Internet Service Center, Tal 31 MISCoffers 100 workstations with speedy internet accessin the city centre. Along with the facility to log on tothe web, this cybercaf is also a call centre offeringcheap phone calls overseas. Open 24 hours; 1 for30 minutes, 2 per hour.

Times Square, Bayerstrasse 10a This internetcaf not far from the train station has a niceatmosphere as it is doubles up as a bar/restaurant.There's usually nice tunes in the background soeven if it's empty you'll enjoy checking your mail.Open daily from 7.30am-1am; 6 per hour.

Internet Caf, Altheimer Eck 12 There are arounda dozen terminals to choose from in this internetcaf which doubles up as an Italian restaurantmaking it a good place for lunch also. Open dailyfrom 11am-1am; 6 per hour.

Cyberice-C@f, Feilitzschstrasse 15 In thisinternet caf in Munich's Schwabing district you canenjoy soups, sandwiches and salads as you surfthe internet or send mails home. They also do agood select ion of cof fees. Open dai ly f rom10am-1am; 5 per hour.

www.

www.muenchen.dewww.toytownmunich.comwww.oktoberfest.dewww.deutsches-museum

Kaufingerstrasse This wide, pedestrianisedboulevard between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz isone of Europe's premier shopping streets and hasbeen since the 1970s. Each side of this 'goldenmile' has shops dealing in clothes, music and more.

Galeria Kaufhof, Kaufingerstrasse 1-5 GaleriaKaufhof have four department stores in variouslocations around the Bavarian capital, but this onejust minutes from Marienplatz is the most central.Inside you can find pretty much anything you wantwith departments for food, jewellery, homeware,clothes and more. Open Mon-Sat 9am-8pm.

Munich's markets

Most of Munich's markets are held onweekends. Fussgngerflohmarkt (Leonrodstr.19) is held on the second Saturday of everymonth, Optimolwerke flea market (Friedenstr.10) is on more regularly, open every Thurs-Sun,while Elisabethmarkt in Schwabinger is thedistrict's answer to Viktualienmarkt.

Schwabing District While tourists and people witha lot of money to burn inflict damage to their creditcards on Kaufingerstrasse, students go shoppingfor cooler gear in this district just north of the citycentre. This is where you will find second-handshops, quirky jewellery stores and more.

Sendlingerstrasse I f you want to t ry somefamily-run shops in hope of finding cheaper prices,you should t ry th is street which stems fromMarienplatz. This is also where you will discover themore unusual type of gift shop.

OEZ, Hanauerstrasse 68 Located on the outskirtsof the city, the Olympia Einkaufszentrum (theOlympic Shopping Centre) covers an area of47,000 square meters, has 110 shops and twodepartment stores. Open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm.

Budget Tips A Day in Munich...

Visit a museum for free Most museums in Munichimpose an admssion fee, but those owned by thecity of Munich are free every Sunday. This includesthe Glyptothek with its collections of Greek andRoman Antiquities and the Mnchner Stadtmuseum(Municipal Museum) which offers an insight into thecity's history and the daily lives of its people.

Little amuses the innocent

Every day at 11am and 12 noon hundredsgather in Munich's illustrious Marienplatz andgaze at the New Town Hall to catch the'Glockenspiel', a 15 minute show where 32life-sized figures perform the traditional'Cooper's Dance'. After five minutes you'llwonder what all the fuss is about, but it's nice tocatch it if you're in the vicinity at the time.

Save money on transport If you're travelling in agroup of 5, don't pay for single journeys separately.Instead buy a 'partnerticket'. Costing 8, they arevalid for the day and by using them you'll save a lotof money.

Visit the Old Town's churches Some of Munichcity centre's most beauti ful bui ldings are i tschurches. This includes Peterskirche, the oldestparish church in Munich and with an interiordripping with gold, Michaelskirche where you'll findthe world's second largest barrel-vaulted roof, andTheatinerkirche, one of the city's Baroque churches.

Check out the Olympic Village In 1996 theInternational Olympic Committee decided thatMunich was to hold the 1972 Olympic Games. As aresult, Olympic Park was built. It costs money tovisit the main stadium and other attractions, but towalk around the grounds is totally free.

Start the day the same way typical Bavarians dowith a Weisswurst, a white veal sausage served ina roll with mustard.

Make Marienplatz your first port of call for the day.Damaged badly in WW2, it has been restored to itsformer glory and is the jewel in Munich's old town.

Catch the 'Glockenspiel' at the Rathaus (New TownHall) in Marienplatz. Afterwards spend the rest ofthe morning checking out the Old Town's churches.

G o t o V i k t u a l i e n m a r k t . G e t y o u r s e l f aLeberkssemme, a spicey meatloaf served in thickslabs.

After lunch, visit the Residence Museum, a buildinginseparable from that of Bavaria's ruling dynasty.

Just ten minutes walk from the Residence are theEnglish Gardens. This is the largest urban park inGermany and a great place to chill out for a fewhours.

Making your way back towards Marienplatz, visitHofbrahaus, Bavaria's most famous beer hall.There's nothing particularly authentic about it, butit's still worth a visit.

Get tram #18 or 19 from Hauptbahnhof and get offat the 4th stop. Go to Augustiner Brustuben, aproper beer hall located on Landsbergerstrasse. Itdoes great food also.

Get a train from nearby Hackerbrcke train stationto Ostbahnhof, just five minutes from KunstparkOST. Finish off the night in one of the complex'sbars or clubs!

Hostelworld Guide for Munich www.hostelworld.com

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