17 Things Munich is Known and Famous For

Everyone knows Munich as the birthplace of Oktoberfest, but did you know it’s famous for so much more than that?

As the crown jewel of Bavaria, Munich is the perfect blend between old-world traditions and modern, urban life. The hustle and bustle of city living amongst the medieval buildings creates a cool, distinct atmosphere and explains why people absolutely love it here.

Munich is known for being a progressive leader in Germany, for promoting a happy lifestyle, maintaining eco-conscious sustainability, and celebrating the arts. Munich is also famous for producing some of the world’s most beloved beer! Munich’s bold architecture, stunning nature, and countless museums make it a one-of-a-kind place.

L​et’s explore the 17 things that make Munich one of the most unique cities in Germany.

1. Beer gardens

When you think of beer in Germany, it’s natural to immediately think, “Oktoberfest”. But the beer culture runs so much deeper, especially in Munich.

Munich loves their beer; in fact, they even consider it a type of food. With six main breweries and over sixty beer gardens to choose from, people are not lacking in finding a place to drink.

The atmosphere of beer gardens can range from a quiet, outdoor scene to a rowdy beer hall with beer maidens carrying steins as big as your head! People will sit in these gardens for hours, catching up with friends or singing along to the band playing a classic German tune.

2. Bavarian f​ood

Have you ever wanted a sausage the size of your plate? A pretzel even bigger than that? Look no further than Munich.

The people of Munich take great pride in their food and aren’t afraid to suggest some unique options. When I was in Munich, I tried the famous Wienershcnitzel that I’ve heard about all my life. While I’m not one to normally go for this thin, breaded meat topped with lemon slices, I have to say it was surprisingly good.

Munich also has a famous pastry called Schmalznudel, which is like a flat donut without a hole. It’s light, airy, and tastes delicious — the perfect afternoon snack.

3. Oktoberfest

If you ask anyone on the street what they know about Munich, my guess would be Oktoberfest. And they’re not wrong. As the world’s largest Volkfest, Oktoberfest draws in around 6 million people annually. That’s about five times the population of Munich itself!

Starting in October of 1810 as a five-day celebration of the marriage between the crown prince of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, Oktoberfest showcased Germany’s finest breweries, agricultural developments, and overall pride of its people.

4. Clothing

W​hile most people assume the traditional Bavarian outfits are only worn during festivals, the people of Munich have found a way to modernize and incorporate traditional dress into everyday wear.

The dirndl (woman’s Bavarian dress) and lederhosen (Bavarian leather shorts) are a representation of German pride and a nod to the peasant life of the past.

Nowadays, people hint at these traditional outfits by pairing lederhosen with a casual shirt or by wearing a much more relaxed form of a dirndl. Or, at some kitschy restaurants, they still go full out, which as a tourist I happen to love.

Fun fact: If you tie your dirndl apron on the right, this signals to others that you’re taken. If you tie on the left, it signals you’re single!

5. M​arketplaces

With over 40 marketplaces, Munich is a shopper’s paradise. Its most famous shopping street is Maximilianstrasse which boasts exclusive, high-end designer brands like Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci.

A little less high-end, Neuhauserstrasse is one of the oldest and most noteworthy shopping streets. It’s a long street filled with more affordable and independent boutiques where you could find anything from the newest in fashion to unique antiques.

Munich also has an incredible selection of flea and farmers markets where there is an abundance of fresh produce, second-hand clothing, exciting art pieces, and other collectibles.

However, perhaps the most famous market in all of Munich is for the jolly at heart. The Christkindlmarkt, or Christmas Market, in Marienplatz is considered the original in Munich. Christmas lights, themed stalls, and decorations pepper the medieval streets and create a truly magical place. And to top it all off, it houses Germany’s oldest Nativity scene!

6. T​ollwood Festival

W​hile everyone has heard about Oktoberfest, it’s not the only festival that Munich is famous for. Tollwood Festival, nicknamed “Market of Ideas”, is Munich’s cultural festival, which lasts 26 days twice a year; once in summer and once in winter.

Tollwood feels like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival of Bavaria as it celebrates breathtaking live performances, music, and so much more. Some unique acts that have come to the festival include an impressive acrobatic show, painting with light, and a daily fire show.

But perhaps the most interesting and distinct element of Tollwood is its commitment to sustainability. The festival aims to keep its carbon footprint to a minimum by serving organic food, using renewable energy, and choosing vendors who use products with seals of fair trade.

So, while you wander through the festival grounds admiring the sights and sounds, know that you could do that with a guilt-free conscience!

7. Grand parks

Munich feels like a constant fairytale surrounded by nature. With green trees that glow like neon and countless parks to wander through, it’s no wonder why Munich is known for its greenery.

One of the most famous spots to experience the beauty of Munich is the English Garden. As Munich’s largest park, it stretches from the city center all the way to the outskirts of town, making it even bigger than Central Park in New York!

When wandering through, you’ll encounter performance artists, dashing pergolas (yes, the hopeless romantic in me did imagine a wedding underneath one), and even various beer gardens. But the most unique thing you’ll find is surfers enjoying the waves of the Eisbachwelle River.

Yes, you heard that right. Surfers. For over 40 years, adventure seekers have flocked to this spot to try their luck on the icy waters.

W​hile smaller than the English Garden, Olympia Park attracts an astonishing amount of visitors per day. Over the years, it has become a hub for sports lovers to visit the stadium, zip line, skate, play tennis and so much more.

One of the most historic features of the park is the Olympia-Alm, the city’s highest beer garden where you can enjoy a pint (or two) and watch the day go by.

8. A People’s City

Munich is known for being a city that functions for its people: it’s eco-friendly, surrounded by nature, and filled with social spots where people congregate. The city even went so far as to shut down major streets in 1972 when they hosted the Olympics to make it a more walkable city and have kept it that way ever since.

Munich is also known for how kind, generous, and full of life its people are. Walking around Munich as a young woman, I never once felt worried for my safety and always felt welcomed wherever I went. At the very first restaurant I went to, the passionate servers treated me with such warmth and spent a generous amount of time helping me pick the perfect beer to pair with the perfect sausage.

Munich’s kindness is best showcased in a “pay it forward” campaign called Brot am Haken, or in English, “Bread on a Hook”. Created in 2015, Brot am Haken is a system where a customer pays for two pieces of a good (could be baked goods, ice cream, etc.) but only takes one home. The other becomes a voucher that hangs on a hook in the business and becomes a “gift” to whoever decides to redeem it.

While Munich isn’t the only city to have a program like this, it’s a beautiful, uniting campaign that shows how group-oriented and generous the people of Munich are.

9. Architecture

Munich navigates a perfect blend between old and new in the most charming way.

Just outside of the city center, you’ll find modern and innovative buildings used for offices, housing, and more. But venture over a block or two to Old Town and find bold, almost neo-Gothic Baroque-style buildings with Renaissance interiors that give off the feel of walking in the medieval times.

The most famous architectural establishment in Munich is the Marienplatz, the city center of Old Town. For centuries, it was the most important spot in Munich where all important roads joined together.

The most amazing architectural feature of the Marienplatz is an enchanting Glockenspiel that chimes every day at 11 am, midday, and 5 pm. It’s essentially a cuckoo clock with animatronic parts that recount a royal wedding, jousting, dancing, and more in the span of fifteen minutes. The performance ends with a golden bird chirping three times.

It’s an event that people flock to every day and I mean, can you blame them? It’s the most delightful thing in the world.

10. Jaw-dropping stadiums

I’ve never really been a sports person, but even I’m impressed with the magnitude of Munich’s stadiums.

Home to Munich’s soccer, er, football club Bayern, Allianz Arena can fit over 75,000 fans and is nicknamed the “inflatable boat” due to its appearance. The coolest part about the arena is the fact that it’s the first stadium in the world with the ability to change the color of its exterior to represent the colors of whichever home team is playing!

Munich’s other crowned arena is the aptly named Olympia Stadium, built in 1972 for the Olympic Games. It was crucial to the architects to create an arena that felt airy, transparent, and didn’t disrupt the beauty of the park surrounding it.

The huge half-indoor, half-outdoor stadium seats roughly 63,000 and stretches about half the length of the park. Since its successful launch at the Olympics, the stadium has been a performance venue for many artists including legends like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Elton John.

There are many ways to tour the stadium, but perhaps the most unique is to climb to the roof and admire the stunning views of Munich’s skyline. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can zipline through or scale down the height of the stadium by rope.

11. A​utobahnen

Grab your high-speed sports car and hit the road on one of Munich’s most impressive expressways. If you’re new to the vast highway, make sure you keep right, as many experienced drivers take advantage of the “no speed limit” luxury.

Although not entirely scenic, it’s the most convenient way to travel by car. And if you ever get tired along the road, there are roughly sixty rest stops to use the bathroom, tune up your vehicle, or just sit and watch the cars zoom by.

Want to continue your love of cars? Visit ​Munich’s impressive and famous BMW Museum! The museum takes 100 years of automotive innovation and creates 25 distinct, interactive, and captivating exhibitions detailing the past and future of car engineering.

12. Museums

W​ith over 40 distinct museums, Munich is a hub for those who love to learn.

Some of the most famous museums include Munich Residenz (the largest city palace in Germany known for its impressive architecture and decorations), the Bavarian National Museum (the largest art museum in Germany), and the Glyptothek (where King Ludwig I housed his impressive statue collection).

13. Secret Capital of Germany

Munich is known for being the birthplace of Germany’s prosperity and has continued to be an example of economic growth. Munich is also the home of progressive political and societal beliefs and houses the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (very fancy sounding).

Many Germans view Munich as a vision of what society could be— a place where positivity, economic flourishment, and overall happiness are achievable. Hence, the nickname The Secret Capital of Germany.

1​4. An important past

F​or all the amazing things that Munich is known for, the city still acknowledges its dark past. The Third Reich has an everlasting thumbprint on the city of Munich, the most prevalent one being the Dachau Concentration Camp.

On my trip to Munich, I was able to spend a whole day at Dachau and witness the profoundly haunting, devastating, and tragic history there.

Munich does an impressive and commendable job at acknowledging the horrors of their past and memorializing the lives lost on their land. A city cannot heal from its tragedy until it has recognized it and Munich is leading the way in respectfully doing just that.

15. Opera

Have you ever been inside a building that’s immediately taken your breath away? Be honest, was it The Bavarian State Opera House?

Munich’s most impressive, elaborate, and gorgeous opera house was built in 1653 by Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy and has continuously housed some of the most famous opera directors throughout history. It’s been noted as the perfect blend between the flashiness of King Ludwig II’s style and modern times, which makes it both a relic of the past and an innovator for the future of opera.

 If you’re ever in town, catch one of their 400 performances or, if you’re not that into opera, just go to admire the beauty of the space.

1​6. A book lover’s paradise

Munich has many independent bookstores that offer the latest selection in popular literature. It’s also known for its famous City Library, in the heart of town, which has served as a cultural hub since 1984. It’s most known for having impressive children’s, scientific and legal sections.

Munich has been the home to many famous authors, including several Nobel Prize winners. Perhaps it’s because Munich has a well-known university that harbors brilliant minds or because its history and architecture are so rich with stories.

Munich is also known for its Literaturfest, founded in 2010, which takes place every winter and lasts approximately three weeks. With endless panels discussing the annual theme, book lovers can hear from world-famous authors and get a glimpse of the newest trends coming out of the Munich Book Fair.

The festival culminates in an award ceremony where the Geschwister-Scholl Prize and the LiteraVision Television Award are given out.

17. Fairytale palaces

Germany is famous for producing some of the most iconic fairy tales of our time. And with the abundance of dreamy castles throughout Munich, it’s no surprise why. One of the most famous castles in Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle is located just a couple hours outside of Munich.

Rumored to be the inspiration for the iconic castle at Disneyland, this 19th-century palace was built for King Ludwig II and sits nestled in the mountains surrounded by giant, deep green pine trees. Sadly, King Ludwig II wasn’t able to witness his home completed, as he died before then.

But don’t worry Ludwig, I got to see it for you and may I say excellent work, my friend.

The best view of the castle is from the tiny bridge, a short hike up from the base. It teeters high above a rushing river, tucked in by mountain walls. Despite there being tons of tourists, the view is absolutely breathtaking and definitely validated every fairytale I’ve ever been told.

The castle has been undergoing restoration efforts since 2017 and is aimed to be completed by the spring of 2024.

Another absolutely remarkable fairytale-like castle is Linderhof Palace located a short train ride away from Munich’s city center. Inspired by French architecture, its ornate and extravagant exterior makes you feel like you’ve teleported back in time and are walking among the royals.

This palace is known for its incredibly detailed interiors that scream LUXURY. Surrounding the castle is a beautiful park that features many statues, ponds, and elaborate fountains.

Lastly, the Nymphenburg Palace rests in the heart of Munich to the west of the city center. Its Baroque exterior feels powerful, rising up from the flat land that surrounds it. Nymphenburg Palace became a summer home for royals and is now surrounded by a lovely, classic park that has remained virtually unchanged from its construction.

Have you been to Munich? Let us know what your favorite experience was in the comments!