When it comes to church bells and beer halls, Munich’s city center will certainly deliver, but it's the neighborhoods beyond its core that offer a real insight into daily life.
01.05.2024 - 09:17 / lonelyplanet.com
With snowy winters, hot summers and plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to fit all seasons, Munich has something to appeal to visitors throughout the year.
Whether you want to flock to (or avoid) the city’s famous beer festival, explore the famous Christmas markets, or find the perfect sunny day things to do, here’s our guide to help you decide the right time for your visit to the Bavarian capital.
High summer can mean high temperatures in Munich, but the city’s ample outdoor offerings certainly help to take the edge off. The clear waters of the Isar River are perfect for a cooling dip (with deck chairs, umbrellas and barbecues lining the banks it feels almost beach-like), while the green parks and leafy beer gardens offer plenty of shade and refreshment.
Even though it's the high season, visitors may find they spend most of their time outside doing free activities, which helps to reduce costs – perfect for budget travelers. Plus most beer gardens allow you to bring your own picnic if you buy a drink.
Because of the Bavarian school holidays, August can feel quiet in town as families head out on vacation. Munich still offers plenty to do, however, as open-air concerts, outdoor cinemas and street festivals continue to provide a great summer program. Pack summer clothes and sunscreen, but also a light waterproof or umbrella as sudden thunderstorms and downpours are not uncommon.
The transitional seasons of March to June and September to October are a great time to visit Munich. The comfortable climate means you can whizz around on bikes without breaking a sweat while making the most of this easy-to-navigate city.
Come in spring for the start of beer-garden season and the so-called strong-beer season (Starkbierzeit) with breweries throwing parties to celebrate it.
Folk festivals that get going in April bring carousels, roasted almonds and beer tents to the city, as well as more people than normal wearing Tracht (traditional Bavarian dress).
June sees summer start to ramp up with long lines at ice cream parlors and packed tables at beer gardens. The annual Munich film festival attracts movie buffs from around the world, while arts lovers flock to festivals of opera, theater, and the circus arts.
In fall for the city's big beer event, Oktoberfest attracts millions of visitors every year, resulting in inflated hotel prices and early bookings. Despite its slightly misleading name, Munich’s famous beer festival kicks off in September. While Oktoberfest takes place on Theresienwiese, the excitement spills out onto the streets and into public transport all over town. In other words, you can’t miss it.
If you want to include Oktoberfest in your trip, plan well ahead. If you don’t want to take part in the
When it comes to church bells and beer halls, Munich’s city center will certainly deliver, but it's the neighborhoods beyond its core that offer a real insight into daily life.
If the residents of Munich look pleased with their lot, it’s little wonder. Not only is this cosmopolitan city a fantastic place to live, it also serves as a great base for exploring the nearby mountains and lakes, as well as other cities and countries. When you've had your fill of art collections, parks and rollicking beer halls, head a little farther afield for new cultural thrills and outdoor adventures.
Boasting impressive architecture and charming streets packed with delights at every turn, Mérida is renowned as the cultural highlight of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Of all the ways to explore southern Germany this summer, the most memorable is not by train, bus or hire car but by boat. Lake Constance, nearly 40 times bigger than Windermere and two hours south-west of Munich by public transport, is a wonderful water world ringed by harbour towns, and it makes an idyllic break from the Bavarian capital.
Beyond the Netherlands’ biggest and best-known cities, a patchwork of farmland, fields, villages and towns laced by canals, polders, dykes and windmills unfolds across the flat, low-lying Dutch landscapes.
Much of Challengers’ runtime not spent on a tennis court goes down in a suite and lobby bar at an unnamed luxury New Rochelle hotel. (The film was shot in Boston.) While the techno-pulsing tennis piece of erotica never establishes whether or not these lodgings have a place to play on the premises, there are allusions to sports power couple Tashi and Art Donaldson’s (Zendaya and Mike Faist, respectively) preferred vacation destinations when off the clock. Considering the former’s clinging obsession with the game, and use of the latter as her proxy (she cannot play following an injury), it would be difficult to imagine tennis isn’t somehow involved.
The English capital is one of the most touristed cities anywhere in the world, with nearly 19 million arrivals in 2023—but when is the best time to visit London? While many choose to travel here during the summer to make the most of the many of the destination's parks, rooftop bars, and outdoor activities, all four seasons have something unique to offer for the traveler heading to London. Below, we break down when to visit for the best weather, the best rates, and more.
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Settling yourself for a week or a weekend on a car-free island can come with unexpected benefits: the joy of getting around via bicycle, the conversations that happen while walking from one place to another, the hilarity of golfcart transportation. But while we all love a good road trip, sometimes the car is just a means to getting from point a to point b. On these islands, even the getting around is part of the fun. Not to mention its stress-free and incredibly freeing for everyone coming along on the trip.
There’s something quite particular about small but perfectly formed Assos – butterscotch and rose-pink houses line a horseshoe bay, with Venetian ruins scattered between the narrow alleys. There are two small beaches, but the real joy is to rent a motor boat and discover the small bays and coves that fringe this part of the Cephalonian coast. Walkers can follow the path out on to the headland to the ruins of Assos’s 16th-century castle; there’s not a huge amount to see, but the views make the walk worth it. Roi Suites is a bougainvillaea-clad cluster of well-equipped studio flats in a waterfront neoclassical building, with gorgeous sea views from the pool terrace. Doubles from £117 (minimum seven nights), roisuites.com
Thanks to a great public transport system, an extensive bike lane network and a growing number of shared-mobility initiatives, getting around Munich is not only easy, it's enjoyable.