Ask 100 people what they know about Munich, and you will hear Oktoberfest at least 95 times, but there's much more to the Bavarian capital.

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The centre of the city is made up of countless historic buildings and beautiful narrow alleys. There are dozens of huge malls and departments stores where you can find virtually everything that you ever dreamt of. Of course there are also lots of cafes, restaurants and small diners. It's also one of the popular locations for parades and exhibitions.

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Nature enthusiasts can also visit the English Garden (Englischer Garten), which is a huge public green space reaching from the city centre all the way to the north-eastern limits of the city. Activities cover everything from casual relaxing, over biking and sitting in a beer garden, to riding horses or boating in a lake or even wedding.


Tourists with interest in technique can also meet their expenses. Amongst others there's the Deutsches museum, which is the largest museum dedicated to science and technology on the planet. There are also several expositions of various car manufacturers located throughout the metropolis. Many of those will present their newest creations there before they are on the market. There might also be previews of future technologies and creations.

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Fans of football (soccer) can also visit the Allianzarena, which is the home-ground of world-famous FC Bayern. With some luck you might even be able to see your idols up-close during training or a real game.

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Have you ever dreamt of being a prince or a princess in a romantic and palatial castle? Why not visit Castle Neuschwanstein? Admittedly, it's about 130 km away from Munich, so it's a bit off-topic in this article. However, given how popular it is, it's certainly worth mentioning here. It was made partly by and for Ludwig the seconds, who was a mysterious Bavarian King in the late 19th century.



Last but not least: beer. Obviously I can't rob Munich of its beer! Bavaria, and especially Munich, have a long tradition of brewing beer. So it doesn't come as a surprise that the Oktoberfest is located there. The legendary 427 year old Hofbräuhaus, one of the oldest still existing breweries. There are obviously hundreds of beer gardens in and around Munich. You'll find them at every possible location. In the centre of the city, in some unsuspecting alley, simply next to a street, in a park, in the backyard of buildings. They're virtually everywhere. In most of them you can also get some typical German food like sausages or cabbage.

In light of recent geopolitical events I feel obligated to write something about that as well. You might, or you might not know that there has been a huge flow of refugees to Germany in the past few years since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. Certain political movements use this situation and publish highly exaggerated or even false information in order to gain popularity. The threat posed by extremism did indeed rise, both from right-wing extremists as well as Islamists. However, German security forces are keeping everything under control and you do not have to be afraid of getting injured. However, if you want to be 150% sure, keep track of the social media accounts of the police (Bundespolizei).

--- Katie

[1] http://www.muenchen.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/webcam.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englischer_Garten#
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allianz_Arena#
[4] http://www.neuschwanstein.com/englisch/tourist/index.htm