Munich: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: validate your paper transport ticket before stepping onto the platform, carry some notes and coins alongside your card for market stalls and beer gardens, do your shopping before Sunday, and remember that in a traditional Munich beer garden you are legally allowed to bring your own picnic food as long as you buy your drink at the counter.

How the city is laid out

Central Munich sits west of the clear, green Isar River. The medieval core is the Altstadt, ringed by the former city gates (Karlstor, Sendlinger Tor and Isartor) and centred on Marienplatz. Immediately north of the Altstadt begins Maxvorstadt (the university and Kunstareal museum quarter) and Schwabing beside the vast English Garden. South of the Altstadt lies the lively Glockenbachviertel, while across the Isar to the east sits leafy Haidhausen.

The traditional beer garden rule

Protected by a 19th-century royal decree issued by King Ludwig I, genuine Munich beer gardens (Biergärten) distinguish between two seating areas: tables covered with tablecloths are waited on by staff, while the much larger area of bare wooden benches under the chestnut trees is self-service. At those bare wooden tables you are welcome to bring your own tablecloth, bread, cheeses and radishes from the Viktualienmarkt; the only rule is that you must buy your beer, water or Radler shandy from the beer garden's own taps. Read more in our beer garden guide.

Sundays, cash and tipping

By law, nearly all retail shops, department stores and supermarkets across Bavaria are closed on Sundays (only bakeries for a few morning hours and shops inside the main train station and airport open). Conversely, Sunday is the best day for art: several state-run museums in the Kunstareal charge just a symbolic Sunday entrance fee. While hotels, restaurants and larger stores take contactless cards, many Viktualienmarkt stalls, traditional beer tents and cash-deposit mug returns (Pfand) still operate cash-only. In restaurants and beer halls, do not leave coins on the table when leaving; tell the server the rounded-up total (usually adding 5 to 10 percent) as you hand over your card or cash.

Transport checks and bike lanes

Munich's U-Bahn and S-Bahn have no turnstiles, but plain-clothes inspectors check tickets frequently; see our transport guide for how the Airport-City-Day-Ticket works.