Is Munich worth visiting? 10 reasons why you need to visit Bavaria's capital

10 reasons why you need to visit Munich, Germany

I am sure you are currently in the process of preparing your Europe or German itinerary. And now you are at the point where you are wondering if Munich is worth visiting. Well is it? Absolutely!

I am not only saying this as a local, even though I love my hometown. Instead, there are quite a lot of objective reasons why you should visit Munich. In this post, I’m going to give you ten awesome reasons why you need to stop in Bavaria’s beautiful capital.

You probably might think of lederhosen and folklorist dances, when you first hear of Munich, but there is actually infinitely more about the third-largest city in Germany it will take more than a month to explore it all.

Here are all the reasons to answer your questions if Munich is worth visiting once and for all:

1. More tourist attractions than you can count

The Antiquarium inside the Munich Residence Palace — *The fantastic Antiquarium dining hall inside the Residence Palace*

The very second you start planning your days in Munich, you will notice that there are just so many tourist attractions. Here is a post with the top 20 things to see in Munich, but there are in fact easily 30 more sights. Germany has many beautiful towns. Berlin, Erfurt, Bayreuth – but none of them has so many highlights as Bavaria’s capital!

2. Amazing castles only a short ride on the bus away

Neuschwanstein castle in winter - only a short day trip from Munich away — *The beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle in winter*

There are 5 castles and palaces in the city alone, and 10 more castles near Munich. Illustrious names like Nymphenburg, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Salzburg or the Imperial Castle in Nuremberg instantly come to mind. And that is not even counting the uncounted smaller castles in the many small towns in Bavaria. If you want to walk through a real fairy tale, then my hometown is an excellent home base! A day trip to Neuschwanstein Castel from Munich couldn’t be easier.

3. More Museum than you could possibly visit in one trip

An exhibition room inside the Alte Pinakothek in Munich — *An exhibition room inside the Alte Pinakothek*

Did you know there are more than 60 museums in Munich? Well, there are – and I am not talking about small private collections with a room or two. To give you a good impression of what I am talking about, here is a list of the 20 best museums in Munich. You’ll find both the oldest and the most visited museum in Germany in my hometown. There are technical museums, natural history museums and places for old masters, Egyptian art and contemporary art. I’m sure you’ll find something that interests you!

4. It is the safest major city in Germany

A lot of travelers are concerned about their safety when they go abroad. And naturally, that is a valid issue. Everything is a bit different, you may not speak the language, etc. Almost everyone has relatives or acquaintances who became targets of pickpockets or scammers. In Munich, you really don’t need to be afraid at all. It’s by far the safest major city in Germany and a particularly good spot for solo female travelers.

5. Plenty of outstanding day trip opportunities

The beautiful half-timbered town hall of Bamberg - one of the best day trips from Munich — *The beautiful half-timbered town hall of Bamberg*

Munich is one of the most affluent regions in the world. It’s also the place with the highest rents and most jobs. You know why? Because it is also one of the most liveable cities in the world. One major reason for this are the many day trips you can take from Munich. There are 7 UNESCO World Heritage sites only a short day trip away. And of course, there are beautiful medieval towns with half-timbered houses like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Innsbruck or Oberammergau. Even if you stayed a month, you would not be able to see it all.

6. One of the best places to go shopping in Europe

The Marienkirche as seen from the new Town Hall

Did you know that Munich has one of the largest and oldest pedestrian areas in Europe? Almost the entire inner city is free of cars and you’ll find a lot of amazing shops here. The famous Maximillanstraße is where you’ll find the high-end labels, while the area around the Platzl is the best place to shop for souvenirs. The whole length of Munich’s pedestrian area is almost 3 kilometers!

7. Many fantastic festivals, like Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest in Munich, crowds walking along the road of the folk festival — *View along the main street of Oktoberfest*

Of course, you will have heard of Oktoberfest. The biggest folk festival in the world draws millions of tourists each year to Munich. But did you know that there are actually quite a lot of other festivals as well? There is the Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival), the Winter Tollwood, the Auer Dult and the Kocherlball. In December, the whole inner city is turned into one big Christmas Market. There’s actually a festival for each season. So, yes, Munich is worth visiting!

8. Excellent food and beer

The beer garden on Viktualienmarkt in Munich, Gemrany — *The beer garden on Viktualienmarkt*

Munich is home to the oldest continuously brewing brewery in the world. Augustiner Bräu has been producing the finest beer ever since 1328! There is actually even an older brewery: Weihenstephan can trace its roots back to the 8th century. Hacker-Pschor was founded in 1417, while Löwenbräu dates back to 1383. In short, beer has a very long and active history in Bavaria. In fact, there was even a civil war once because they increased the beer prices. As a tourist, you can sit down in one of our beer gardens (we invented them after all) and be part of that long history.

9. A good combination of history and modern lifestyle

The entrance of the BMW world and the bwm musuem in munich — *The BMW World & museum*

Munich is one of the younger cities in Germany. It was “only” founded in 1158 but quickly rose to prominence when it became a major power center for the ruling dukes of Bavaria. There are many beautiful historic sites you can explore. Very popular among tourists is the Nazi walking tour through Munich, but obviously there are many other ways to experience the city as well.

But there’s also a modern side of Munich. Head out to the fantastic BMW World and you’ll quickly realize that Bavaria’s capital is quite the global player. Both the car and the IT sector are extremely strong. The mixture of old and new, ancient traditions and a modern way of life makes Munich particularly enchanting.

10. Very close to the mountains & great lakes

Autumn in the park of Nymphenburg Palace in Munich — *Autumn in the park of Nymphenburg Palace*

Locals don’t visit Neuschwanstein Castle every weekend. But we love hiking, skiing, and swimming. The mountains are so close (you can actually see them on clear days). There are 4 major lakes only a couple of minutes outside Munich and there are ski resorts aplenty. You can actually even go surfing in Munich itself (make sure to visit the famous Eisbachwelle!). In summer, the many public parks and the River Isar are also very popular. It’s a very green city with lots of different ways to spend your free time!

is Munich worth visiting? Absolutely!

Munich is absolutely worth a visit. There are so many amazing tourist attractions, important historic sites, beautiful parks and castles, an active nightlife, good shopping opportunities, and amazing festivals. Above all, it’s in the center of a cultural landscape that humans have been shaping for eons and many outstanding UNESCO World Heritage sites are only a short train trip away. Munich is an amazing place to visit and you can easily spend 3 days in Bavaria’s capital or more.