1. Take a German Beginners Language Course
2. Watch these video travel clips about Munich and other German cities
   
3. See these Munich Live Cams
4. View this MAPQUEST map for location information.
   
5. View these panoramic views with sound
6. See this 32 minute movie by the Intrepid Berkeley Explorer about Munich and other German cities, including Cologne, Dresden, Hamburg. and Berlin.
   
7. Never get lost in Munich again
8. See these  Oktobetfest clips
9. Look at these  web cams.
10. See this multimedia slide show
    
11. See these Videos about Munich and Oktoberfest
    
12. Watch these Videos about Ludwigs castle and Munich
    
13. View this Oktoberest article
    
14. Listen to these Audio tapes about Munich
    
15. Check out the Munich interactive Map
    
16. Listen to German folk and popular music
    
17. Watch German TV
    
18. Check the Current Room Rates
19. See this Munich Stars and Stripes Article
20. Read these 41 visitor's comments about Munich.

Sprawling Munich (Muenchen), home of some 1.3 million people, is the capital of southern Catholic Bavaria, and one of Germany's major cultural centers.  Only Berlin outranks it in terms of museums and theaters. It's also one of Germany's most festive cities, and its location, at the foot of the Alps, is idyllic. It's a beer lovers paradise with many outstanding beer halls and restaurants. Oktoberfest is a world renown event.

Munich is an enchantingly sophisticated city with a baroque spirit and with inhabitants possessing an unusual sense of humor. This is the capital of "gemutlichkeit", the untranslatable tongue-twister that refers to a supremely cozy state of well-being. Travelers, of course, are drawn like a magnet to the city's fairy tale charm, superb museums and annual Oktoberfest. Munich has sometimes been referred to, by other Germans, as the "City with Heart".
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Originally named after the group of settler monks who set up shop by the crystal waters of the Isar River, Munich has at its core a huge pedestrian zone delineated at its far corners by gigantic gates or "Tors". The city's wide boulevards and tempting side streets spell paradise for historians, sigh gazers, shoppers and gourmands. The colorful Marienplatz, in Munich's heart, is site of the magnificent gothic Rathaus, crowned with a working Glockenspiel of jousting, dancing figures. Just around the corner are the tantalizing aromas of the Viktualienmarkt (food market).

Fasching is the pre-Lenten carnival season, which is played out VERY BIG in Muenchen with costume and comedy balls, dances, parties, both private and public that go on until morning almost every day of the week in various venues such as the famous Deutsches Theater on the Schwanthalerstrasse not far from the Oktoberfest fairgrounds on the west side of the city. The center of Fasching celebration in downtown Munich is the Viktualienmarkt, where on certain days the lady food vendors (famous in their own right) "let it all hang out" and do a little wild street dance in some pretty amusing costumes.

The 19th century architectural treasures that ring the Marienplatz were commissioned by the beloved but somewhat unusual Wittelsbach Royal Family. They left behind a legacy of lovely palaces, wide boulevards, soaring statues and nearby fantasy Alpine castles - whose admission tickets, by the way, add substantially to state revenues.

The Marienplatz (city square) is historic heart of Munich with many cobbled streets, cultural monuments, shops, cafes, restaurants and plus the Glockckenspiel that chimes daily, 11am- 5pm & 9pm in summer. Its also the place to be during the annual Oktoberfest celebration and the winter festivals such as Fasching.

GETTING AROUND 

The taxi fare from the Franz Joseph Strauss Airport costs around $55.00 USD. Try other means to get to town such as the subway (S-BAHN) or Airport Van. Read this article on how to get to town from the airport. Munich has a marvelous subway system known as the U-Bahn; it covers the inner-city efficiently and soundlessly. A single ticket or Einzelkarte, valid for both the U-Bahn and S-Bahn (which covers the outer suburban areas) costs $1.50. Like most European subways, the U-Bahn offers discount passes such as the 24-hour Tageskarte ticket which costs $5 or a Mehrfahrkarte - a strip ticket good for 10 rides at $8. Click here for a map of the  Munich U-Bahn and S-Bahn.

MUNICH HOTELS

The Hotels in Munich are very reasonable in the off seasons and tend to be a bit pricey during Oktoberfest and Fasching. A good 3 star hotel costs between 70 to 100 Euros, while a 4 star hotel costs between 110 to 140 Euros. The Exchange rate is about 85 Euros to $100.00 USD Click to locate the Munich City Hotel Map.