Best Car Rental Munich

History Munich

The history of Munich is not that long on the grand scheme of things. In fact, the first time the city was mentioned in any written document was 1158. However, this still means the city is almost 1,000 years old and hence has a lot of history to it. Guelph Henry the Lion, who was the Duke of Bavaria and Saxony decided to cross the river Isar with a bridge, right next to a settlement of Benedictine monks. These monks had been there for around 400 years, so in that respect, Munich has been around for much longer. If we look at archaeological records, Munich becomes even older, with traces of settlements dating back to the Neolithic era.

However, it wasn’t until 1158 that Munich became an official settlement, and this was after the bridge was built. The Duke thought it would be a good idea to force traders to cross this bridge, at a small fee naturally, and in order to do so he destroyed the other bridge that was in place. However, the owner of that bridge, Bishop Otto von Freising, was none too pleased and the two quarrelled fiercely. Eventually, the Emperor himself had to intervene and granted the rights to the Duke, who did have to pay the Bishop some compensation.

In the late 1800s, the first Oktoberfest took place, which really put Munich on the world map. Since then, it has become a hugely popular tourist destination, mainly because of the Oktoberfest. However, there is more to Munich than drinking beer and it does actually have a long and interesting history that made the city grow and grow since the Duke decided to build his bridge and since he was allowed to keep it there and turn it into a centre for trade and commerce.

When to go Munich

If you are thinking of when to go to Munich, the weather is likely to play an important factor in your decision. That is, if you want to go to Munich for anything other than the Oktoberfest. If you are hoping for a warm summer holiday, you should only go in July, which is the hottest month. For Alpine skiing holidays, December to February is probably better. Munich is in the temperate zone in terms of climate. Hence, it has four distinct seasons. Munich is very far away from the nearest body of salt water, which means that the weather is temperate continental, like in Austria. This is different from the more northern parts of Germany, where the weather is more temperate marine.

The temperate continental climate means that the winters are very cold and rainfall is a common occurrence. Mountains see snow regularly and the summers are hot, but also interspersed with rain showers. It is not uncommon for the temperature to drop to around -20 degrees Celsius in the winter. However, during the summer, the temperatures can get above 35 degrees Celsius, a difference of 55 degrees. The best time to visit Munich truly depends on what you want to do.

As stated earlier, if you want to go to the Oktoberfest, the weather is probably quite insignificant to you. After all, the dates for this fest are always set in advance. Similarly, if you want to go to any of the Christmas markets, you will need to visit Munich in December, regardless of the weather. Overall, however, it is quite hard to predict what the weather in Munich will do on a week to week basis, making it difficult to plan your trip far in advance. It is always recommended that you pack for every occasion. If you were to go in the summer, make sure you also take a rain coat, umbrella and perhaps a good jumper with you in other words.

Weather Munich

If you are thinking of travelling to Munich, you may want to know a little bit about the weather. After all, although a rain shower or snow storm does not guarantee that your holiday will be ruined, it would at least be nice to have packed for the occasion. Munich is in Bavaria and the Alps, meaning that it can have very cold winters. January is particularly cold, so you may want to be aware of this.

The summers, however, can be incredibly warm. However, even the hottest summer months get frequent rainy days, where the temperatures can drop dramatically. Most people feel that the vast majority of the time, Munich experiences either autumn or spring, with a short winter and short summer in between. Most tourists come between May and October. Naturally, a large part of this has little to do with the weather, but more with the fact that the Oktoberfest is on. However, there are also an increasing number of tourists that travel to Munich in the winter, because it is close to Alpine ski areas. Winter sports have recently seen a revival.

You may want to learn a few of the average statistics surround Munich. As stated, the coldest month of the year is usually January. The hottest month of the year is July, but do be aware that the most rain occurs in June and it is easy for this to still show in July as well. Considering global climate change or climate weirding as it is also called, you may want to check a local weather forecast for the time you intend to go to Munich. This is because it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict accurately what the weather will or will not do on a given day, week or even month. This information is available online from a variety of different websites.

Arrival Munich

The easiest way to get into Munich is via Munich International Airport. This is the second busiest airport in all of Germany and also ranks quite high in terms of busiest airports in Europe. In fact, every year, some 35 million passengers travel through here. It is also the main hub for the airline Lufthansa, as well as its many partner airlines. The airport itself is somewhat outside of the city, closer to Freising, which is a suburb on the north east of Munich. When it was first built, it was actually closer to the Riem city centre. However, it was moved in 1992 so that it could offer great capacity and deliver more modern facilities. The airport continues to grow constantly, since there are more and more flights landing and departing from the airport. It offers not just Internationalflights, but also domestic flights to almost every other airport in Germany itself, as well as the rest of Europe. Internationaldestinations include Bangkok, Atlanta, Boston, Beijing, Charlotte, Cairo, Delhi, Chicago, Dubai, Doha, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Jeddah, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Montreal, New York, Muscat, Osaka, Newark, Riyadh, Philadelphia, Sao Paulo, San Francisco, Shanghai, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Washington, Tokyo and so on.

The airport really is amazing and to celebrate this, it was again voted Best Airport in Europe in 2011. This was the third year that the airport received this prestigious award, which is given following surveys of over 8 million worldwide passengers. These same passengers also felt that Munich should have fourth place in terms of global ranking, with only the Asian hubs scoring higher. Clearly, across the two Terminal s that Munich Airport offers, as well as the Airport Centre, you will find everything that you could possibly need to set you on your way for your travels either in or out of Germany.

Best locations Munich

Munich is an absolutely massive city and it would be impossible to list the things that make it great in anything other than a huge encyclopaedia. However, we can look at some of the things that make this beautiful city so great, to give you at least some idea of what to expect whilst you’re there. Munich is home to tons of museums and galleries for you to choose from. One great museum is the BMW Museum.

As long as you are in Germany, you may as well enjoy one of the many things that make it such a great country. If you prefer history, you could opt for the City Museum of History that will tell you all there is to know about Munich. There is also a reasonably new Jewish Museum, which shows the history and the culture of Jews in Munich. For beautiful architecture, you could go to Villa Stuck, which also serves as an art museum. Do remember that most museums in Munich are shut on Monday and that admission is generally only 1 euro on Sundays. There are also many very beautiful parks and gardens to visit whilst in Munich. Often, entry to these parks is free or at least very expensive. You could try the Englisher Garten, for instance, or Riemer Park where you can also go swimming. Tierpark Hellabrunn is Munich’s zoo, which is also an absolutely fantastic place to go, particularly because it is very affordable compared to other zoos in Europe.

Munich being a very historic city, it should come as no surprise that there are also many castles and palaces to visit. Schloss Nymphenburg is one of these, which is truly amazing. You could also opt to go to Residenz, which is right in the city centre.

Nightlife Munich

Munich has an exciting and interesting nightlife, even outside of the yearly Oktoberfest. In fact, the atmosphere outside of this huge party is much cleaner and much safe. Munich has many beer gardens, where you can enjoy a lovely, cold German beer in comfortable surroundings. The Hofbrauhaus (Court’s Brewery) is probably the most famous beer hall, but there certainly are many others as well. There are also some very strong beers here, so you may want to check the alcohol percentage before you start drinking away.

If you are not a big alcohol drinker, you will be happy to know that people in Munich also love coffee, and there are plenty of cafes and bars where you can sit and have a nice brew. Interestingly, many tourists completely forget about this, being engrossed in the beer drinking culture instead. A beer garden is usually located underneath large trees, so customers can be shaded. There are generally many foldaway tables and the bars offer self-service.

The mugs of beer are tremendous and many beer gardens serve nothing else. However, some have now also started offering food. For those beer gardens that don’t, you are generally welcome to bring your own food. Many also have play areas for the children and if you find that there is no secluded space, don’t be afraid to join someone else table.

There are also a good number of clubs and discos in Munich, but you do have to be at least 18 years old to gain entry and this will be checked. There are even some nights that are designated as U30, which means you have to be at least 30 to get in. Jeans and sneakers are generally fine to get into a club, but there are some clubs that prefer you to wear a little bit less casual.

City of destination Munich

If you wonder why Munich is such a fantastic city of destination, the answer is: because of the Oktoberfest. The very first one took place in 1810, to celebrate the engagement of the then prince and princess, and it has been a yearly tradition ever since. To this original party, every citizen of Munich was invited and this invitation basically still stands. It is now also a huge tourist event, with thousands of tourists coming over every year to drink the bear, hoisted by very strong barmaids in traditional clothing.

Before you go to the Oktoberfest, however, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Firstly, you will struggle to find accommodation and the prices of hotels will be sky high. Secondly, there will be tents all over the city where you can drink, but you are not allowed to smoke in any of them. However, many of the tents to have smoking areas specifically set off just outside the tent. If you feel the urge for a nicotine break, you may want to consider chewing on some gum instead, because once you are out of the tent, you may struggle to get back in. Many people try to reach the tents through the Thersienwiese subway. As a result, this station becomes hugely overcrowded and has been known to shut. A better alternative is to take the subway from Goetheplatz. Naturally, this will also be crowded, but you will feel less like a sardine. In order to get from there to the tents, all you need to do is follow the crowds.

Tents are usually open for access until 10.30pm. Those who are already inside can remain there until 11.30pm, after which it closes. Make sure you have finished your beer, because you will literally be placed outside (without drink in hand) on the dot. However, it is unlikely that you are still standing by that time, since most tents open at 10am (or even 9am on Saturday and Sunday). However, beer doesn’t get served until noon, which still leaves you with a considerable amount of time to get completely drunk.