Where to stay

Maxvorstadt has Munich's main art museums and independent galleries, making this central-north neighborhood the cultural hub of the city. The hotels of this university neighborhood are also within walking distance of the cultural attractions of the Munich City Centre, including the opera house, national theater and Kunsthalle. The first borough of Munich, Altstadt-Lehel, takes in the medieval and gothic-style Altstadt (Old Town) and the Lehel district just to the northeast. Some of the city's most sought-after hotels are in and near the central Marienplatz. Those staying here can follow the monument-rich Sendlinger Straße shopping street out to the iconic Sendlinger Tor. This city gate is on the edge of Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt, a district where art lovers should stay to be surrounded by the galleries and boutiques of the creative Glockenbachviertel and youthful Gärtnerplatzviertel areas by the river.

Even the breweries and beer halls are heritage-listed in Munich, providing history lovers with the perfect excuse to start with a medieval-looking mug of beer. The very central Maxvorstadt and Altstadt-Lehel neighborhoods have some of the city's oldest brewhouses and from the upscale hotels here in the Munich City Centre it's not too far to walk to the most iconic ones. For those on a budget, the modern hotels around the Munich Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) or accommodations in the gentrified Ludwigsvorstadt neighborhood to the south may be a better fit. Find a place to stay near the Sendlinger Tor, a medieval gate just down the street from the 18th-century Asam Church. The fully restored gate separates the Old Town from Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt, which is also home to St Paul's, Munich's huge gothic revival-style church.

Munich's northern Schwabing-Freimann and Schwabing-West neighborhoods have typical Bavarian taverns with atmospheric beer gardens where huge glasses of ale and lager are served with plates of sausages and sauerkraut. Lovers of German beers may also appreciate staying in Maxvorstadt just to the south, since this neighborhood is home to the Löwenbräukeller beer garden, with its vaulted medieval food hall, and Augustiner-Keller beer garden with restaurant. Just to the south in the heart of the Munich City Centre is the 16th-century Hofbräuhaus, the city's most iconic Bavarian beer, food and music hall. If the upscale hotels of the Altstadt-Lehel neighborhood break your budget, find accommodations in the southern Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt neighborhood by the Isar River. Here, the annual Oktoberfest turns the city's Theresienwiese fairground into one giant beer garden.

Find a hotel in or near the royal avenues of the atmospheric Altstadt-Lehel, in the heart of the Munich City Centre, to be able to stroll to its many elegant restaurants and wine bars after seeing all of the historic highlights. Hotels in or near Maximilianstraße and Marienplatz are great places to stay for those who love fine dining and browsing fresh food markets. To the north, Maxvorstadt is a good place to stay for both fine dining and Middle Eastern takeout meals. The neighboring northern district of Schwabing-Freimann combines chic European restaurants with bohemian German cafés and Middle Eastern snack bars. In this neighborhood, the hotels around the huge Englischer Garten park are scenic places to stay. Just to the south of the Old Town, the combined Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt neighborhoods have Munich's more trendy cafés and restaurants. The hip, artistic and young Glockenbachviertel and Gärtnerplatzviertel city blocks are affordable and fun places to stay.