The capital of Bavaria, Munich, is Germany’s third biggest city and is known worldwide for its famous celebration of Bavarian culture – the annual Oktoberfest.
Set alongside the banks of the Isar river, Munich is filled with a wealth of interesting historic sites, cultural attractions and beautiful architecture which attract visitors from all over the world looking for fun and adventure in the German city.
Munich is home to many students and along with an immigrant population have added to the depth of culture over the centuries. Delicious food and drink is served from all over the world in small streetside cafes, along the banks of the river and in upper scale restaurants.
As night falls, Munich’s bars and clubs heat up: they are well known to be lively and attract those looking for a fun night out dancing.
Map of Munich’s top neighborhoods
The city is well connected by public transport with an extensive tram network as well as the famous U-Bahn and S-Bahn, underground trains and overground high-speed train network. Hotels can be reasonably priced with some great accommodation options available for everyone’s budget, so to help you get planning where to stay in Munich, we’ve rounded up the best neighborhoods in the city.
Altstadt (Old City)
© Vazquez / DreamstimeThe center of Munich, Altstadt, is a beautiful old town that attracts visitors with its historical architecture and pleasant streets. This is the place to stay if you are visiting Munich for the first time and only have a few days to spare.
Altstadt is more expensive than other districts further out of the city centre and hotels can be more costly, but if you can afford to stretch your budget it is one of the best places to stay in Munich. You can spend your time in Altstadt exploring the old streets, taking in the interesting architecture and doing a spot of shopping.
The central Marienplatz square in Altstadt attracts visitors with its gothic architecture along with the Frauenkirche cathedral, which is a Munich landmark, and St. Peter’s Church. The area is also home to Chinesischer Turm: the second largest beer garden in the city.
The accommodation, although at the higher end of many people’s budgets, is excellent and right in the middle of many of the big tourist sites. Being central also means great links with Munich’s public transport.
Where to Stay in Altstadt
- Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski – With its elegant, traditional, and historic interiors, this hotel boasts a restaurant that serves local Bavarian fare. If you want good views of Munich, head up to the spa or rooftop pool.
- Bayerischer Hof – This 5-star hotel boasts a number of dining options, including an incredible 3 Michelin starred restaurant and a cozy bar. There’s an in-house cinema and a gym with a spa attached, too.
- Platzl Hotel – Staying at this hotel means enjoying home brewed beers and Bavarian dishes in the onsite pub and beer garden, for a real taste of Munich. You can rent a bike here to get around Munich at your own pace.
Maxvorstadt
Known as “the brain of Munich,” Maxvorstadt is close to the university and where to base yourself if you are visiting Munich to explore its many art galleries and museums. Its location close to the city’s universities means that there are many options for budget accommodation as well as a wide range of cuisine available.
The cultural Maxvorstadt is a vibrant hang out for the city’s creatives and academics, and its streets are often packed with young people.
The museum quarter of Munich, Königsplatz, is in the district, with neoclassical architecture and a plethora of history to delve into in the numerous museums. The grand three-arched Siegestor Gate is an interesting spot to discover in this area.
There is some luxury shopping in the area in the glamorous boutiques of Amalienpassage. And at night, lively bars and cafes open up around Schellingstraße and the surrounding streets and a lot of fun can be had enjoying food and hanging out with the locals. Public transport is easy to come by in the area, but many of Munich’s top destinations are easy to reach on foot too!
Where to Stay in Maxvorstadt
- Hotel Europa – This hotel is a bit of an oasis in the city. There’s a leafy courtyard and garden, where guests can enjoy dining outside in the summer months.
- Eden Hotel Wolff – This is a great choice if a convenient location is important to you; it’s just opposite the central train station and housed in a grand, historic building.
Ludwigsvorstadt
© Nuta / DreamstimeIf you are visiting Munich for Oktoberfest then Ludwigsvorstadt is the area to stay in. One of the top destinations in the city, Ludwigsvorstadt is located to the south of Munich’s central station and is easy to reach if you are arriving in the city by train.
The convenient transport links mean that it is a great spot to base yourself to explore what the rest of the city has to offer to. Most tourists in Munich will head to the famous Theresienwiese for Oktoberfest, which is a huge celebration of Bavarian culture; across three weeks in October people head here to drink beer, eat delicious food and have a lot of fun.
Most of the accommodation in the area are nestled around Hauptbahnhof which has been labelled Little Istanbul for its many Middle Eastern cafes and shops that give the area a strong multicultural feel. The area is mainstay of Munich’s immigrant population and although there is a seedier side it remains safe.
Ludwigsvorstadt is well connected to Munich’s public transport system with many U-Bahns, S-Bahns and trams across the area, making it easy to travel around the city.
Where to Stay in Ludwigsvorstadt
- Maritim Hotel München – This 4-star hotel features well equipped, modern rooms. There’s a sizeable indoor pool situated on the roof for panoramic city views.
- Europäischer Hof – There’s a breakfast buffet served every day with plenty of local dishes to choose from. This 3-star option is located opposite the Munich central train station.
Isarvorstadt
Isarvorstadt is a more residential area to stay in compared to neighboring Ludwigsvorstadt but the laid back local atmosphere means interesting streets and some great eateries as well as some fun nightlife. A wealth of lively cafes, restaurants and bars mean the area is alive with the lively spirit of Munich.
It’s always fun for first time visitors to the city to spend time enjoying what is on offer. Discover the beautifully landscaped Gärtnerplatz, a square where you can find welcoming cafes and restaurants, and then catch a show at Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Munich’s theater district. The area is also home to the Munich gay scene with most of the city’s gay bars and clubs found along Müllerstrasse.
There is less accommodation here, but some more reasonably priced hotels can be found here compared to the more touristy districts; however, the more upscale hotels will inevitably cost more euros.
Being central also means that Isarvorstadt has excellent public transport connections and many of Munich’s interesting spots for tourists can be reached within 30 minutes on foot.
Where to Stay in Isarvorstadt
- Hotel Admiral – This traditional yet cozy boutique hotel is all about its Old World feeling. There’s a charming, sun-drenched garden which is perfect for enjoying breakfast in the summer months.
- Hotel Herzog München – This hotel really does boast a fantastic location in Munich to experience the fun that is Oktoberfest; the grounds for the festival are a mere 500 meters away.
Haidhausen
If you are in Munich for a party then you should stay in Haidhausen, the district around the Munich East railway station is famous in the city for clubbing. Kultfabrik is the spot to head for in search of nightlife and is packed with an abundance of bars and clubs which offer a raucous night out.
Nearby Optimolwerke also has its own nightlife scene, with more restaurants and bars to spend your evening eating and drinking in.
Along with the raucous night life there are clusters of chilled-out cafes along the Isar river as well as quaint back streets where you can discover old houses that have barely been touched in centuries. The area is a residential district where a lot of the city’s youth live and commute to work – this means that it is a great place to experience living like a local in Munich.
Some great accommodation can be found around here for a good price. Along with the fun of staying in Haidhausen, it is easy to explore the rest of Munich from here as it is simple to reach the center of the city via the S-Bahn and U-Bahn.
Where to Stay in Haidhausen
- Novotel München City – At this 4-star offering, guests will find a chic swimming pool and spa, as well as a fitness center. You can rent bikes from the hotel and there’s an S-Bahn station a stone’s throw from here.
- Motel One München – This large, purpose-built modern hotel is spotlessly clean and comes with comfortable rooms.
Nymphenburg
© Sergio Bertino / DreamstimeIf you want to spend time during your city break in Munich reclining and unwinding then you should stay in laid back Nymphenburg. Further out of the city center but still well connected by the public transport network by trams, Nymphenburg is a quieter area in the German city.
But this is where you will find the famous Nymphenburg Palace, which is a top attraction in the city, however it remains peaceful due to its distance from the center; nearby you can also spend time in nature at the city’s botanical garden.
Even though Nymphenburg is a laid back oasis in an otherwise vibrant metropolis it is where you will find the city’s biggest beer garden which has the capacity to hold over 8,000 people! The Königlicher Hirschgarten is popular during Oktoberfest, but it is open all year round.
It is a great place to sip on a cold beer amongst wildlife next to the deer park, and enjoy some delicious food being served at one of the many restaurants. Because this is a less central area there are less hotels to choose from, but what is on offer is often family-friendly, clean and modern.
Where to Stay in Nymphenburg
- Leonardo Hotel Munich City Olympiapark – Boasting 196 rooms, this vast hotel features a large, open concept lobby which features artwork from an Austrian artist. As for location, this 4-star hotel is just five minutes’ walk from the Olympiapark.
Schwabing
Lively Schwabing is the region of Munich to stay in if you like to hang out in trendy cafes and drink craft beer. This boho neighborhood is filled with eateries and opulent boutique shops that cater to a mix of students and laid back intellectuals.
Leopoldstraße is a main street in the district that is famous for its attractive architecture, cafes and local shopping, and along with Hohenzollernstraße that buzzes with life, makes up the two main streets where all the action in the district takes place. There are also some great shopping opportunities at the Elisabethmarkt in West-Schwabing.
The area is well known to be home to great thinkers such as the famous writer Thomas Mann and the revolutionary Communist leader Vladimir Lenin. Today the district has a middle class, diverse, off-beat atmosphere and offers a mix of Bavarian mixed with metropolitan living. Schwabing has good connections to the U-Bahn with stations across the neighborhood as well as tram links.
Where to Stay in Schwabing
- The Rilano Hotel München – Surrounded by office buildings and next door to a commercial center with convenient supermarkets and restaurants, this hotel is a quiet, contemporary option.
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