Munich has something of a reputation problem. Ask most people when to visit, and they’ll likely say Oktoberfest, which is fair enough, given that the Theresienwiese draws around six million visitors each September and October. But to pin your entire idea of Munich to a sixteen-day beer festival is a huge disservice to a city that completely changes character four times a year.
Being a short flight away from London makes it the perfect destination for a long weekend. The fact that the city is compact enough to walk in and varied enough to keep you busy is just the icing on the cake.
In this article, we’ll provide enough options for each season so people can once and for all stop pigeonholing Munich as a place where you go with friends for a beerfest.
Spring: Munich Comes Back to Life
Spring might be Munich’s most underrated season. The beer gardens start reopening as the weather warms around March, and the city slowly starts inching back outdoors after a winter spent mostly indoors. The English Garden is one of the best places to see that change, with its huge lawns filling up again with sunbathers, cyclists, picnickers and anyone looking for an excuse to spend the afternoon outside.
A Munich city break in spring makes the best argument against Oktoberfest-only thinking. You’re getting the same Bavarian beer garden experience, the same food, the same warmth of a city that takes enormous pride in its traditions, without the inflated hotel rates and the crowds that come with Europe's largest public festival. A litre of beer at the Chinese Tower beer garden in April costs much less than the same beer at the Theresienwiese in September, and the atmosphere is less frantic. Lighter days also mean more time outdoors without the summer heat.
Spring Day Trips
Neuschwanstein Castle is around two hours south of Munich by train to Füssen. Entry costs €21. Make sure to visit the castle early to avoid the peak-season crowds that arrive from May onwards.
You can reach the Bavarian Alps within an hour by regional train. Hiking routes are opening up around this time as snow clears from lower elevations.
Starnberg and the five lakes region south of Munich is an easy day trip, with cycling paths around the lake and several small towns worth stopping in.
Summer: Munich Outdoors
Unlike most European cities, Munich was built for being outside. And this is even more of a blessing now with rising summer temperatures. The English Garden is larger than New York's Central Park and London's Hyde Park, and it fills up with sunbathers, joggers, and cyclists from morning to night over the summer. The Isar River becomes Munich's unofficial outdoor swimming pool with locals lying out on the gravel banks, wading into the clear Alpine water, and barbecuing on the grass.
Then there’s the Eisbachwelle. The standing wave at the southern entrance to the English Garden has attracted surfers since the 1970s. Munich is considered the birthplace of river surfing. You need serious experience to tackle it yourself, but watching from the bridge costs nothing and is easily one of the strangest free spectacles you’ll find in a European city.
The Isar has more to it than riverbank lounging, though. Stand-up paddleboarding and canoeing are permitted in designated sections, and cycling routes run along both banks. The Isar-Radweg is a well-maintained path that connects the Deutsches Museum on Museum Island with the Großhesseloher Bridge to the south, passing Flaucher Park and the Floßlände raft landing stage. Add a stop at one of the riverside beer gardens and you have a full summer afternoon.
Summer Essentials
Beer gardens:The Chinese Tower in the English Garden is the obvious big-hitter and absolutely worth seeing, but it gets busy for a reason. Try Seehaus on Kleinhesseloher See if you want something calmer. The lake views are better, and it feels less like you’ve joined a Munich sightseeing conveyor belt.
Olympiapark: Built for the 1972 Games, Olympiapark still earns its keep every summer with concerts, events, and plenty of open space. Take the lift up the Olympic Tower for 360-degree views over Munich.
Cycling the Isar: One of the best ways to spend half a day is to cycle south from the Deutsches Museum towards Flaucher and loop back. The route is scenic and passes several places where locals stop for a swim. Pack something you don’t mind getting wet.
Rooftop bars: Munich isn’t exactly trying to compete with Bangkok for rooftop drama, but there are some good options if you know where to look. P1’s terrace is one to keep on the list, and the Olympic Tower can deliver Alpine views on a clear day. The key phrase there is clear day.
Yes, Oktoberfest really is as mad as everyone says. Six million people are expected to pass through the 2026 event over sixteen days. Beer is served in one-litre Masskrug glasses at prices expected to be in the €15 to €16 range in 2026. Every tent keeps some unreserved tables, but evening and weekend reservations fill within days of opening in spring. Book as soon as reservations open if you want a reserved table at Oktoberfest.
Munich also has two very different autumns. September and early October belong to Oktoberfest, with everything that it entails: higher hotel prices, crowds, and the city running at full festival capacity. Late October and November are a completely different story. Oktoberfest ends on 4 October, crowds drop by mid-October, hotel rates fall, and you’re left to enjoy the city without the pressure of Europe's most popular festival. Which is why late October is probably the best time to visit Munich for autumn colours in the English Garden and the Isar banks, cooler walking weather, and access to the city's excellent museum cluster in Maxvorstadt.
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If you’re planning to visit during Oktoberfest though, just make sure to book accommodation 12 months ahead, check the official tent websites for reservations when they open in spring, and arrive midweek for the tents if possible, when the atmosphere is strong but the crowds are manageable. If Oktoberfest is not the goal, late October to November gives the Bavarian experience at its most accessible.
Use the beer halls as your Oktoberfest backup plan:Hofbräuhaus and Augustiner-Keller are open year-round, which means you can still get the long tables, giant beers, hearty food, and full Bavarian atmosphere without needing to plan your life around sixteen festival days.
Walk the English Garden in the morning:Autumn is one of the best times to see it. The leaves turn, the crowds ease off, and cooler temperatures make a long wander much more appealing than they can feel in August.
Winter: Munich's Christmas Card Moment
Munich in winter surprises people who’ve only seen it in summer. The first thing you notice is the Glühwein: mulled wine served in ceramic mugs at every Christmas market stall, warming in a way that takes the edge off even a cold December evening. The city feels quieter in some ways, more atmospheric in others, and gives you the best excuse of all to spend time indoors. The Hofbräuhaus and the city's other beer halls, always good, become properly warm when it’s cold outside.
Munich’s biggest Christmas market, the Münchner Christkindlmarkt, takes over Marienplatz and the nearby Rindermarkt from 20 November to 24 December 2026. It’s free to wander, so there’s no need to overthink it: turn up hungry, follow the smell of roasted nuts and Glühwein, and see where you end up.
The market stays open until 9pm Monday to Saturday, and closes an hour earlier on Sundays. It looks the best in the evening, once the lights are on and Marienplatz starts doing its very convincing Christmas-card impression.
Winter Tips
Use Munich as your ski base: One of Munich’s best winter tricks is how quickly you can swap city streets for proper Alpine scenery. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is around 90 minutes away by regional train and has slopes for different ability levels. Go early, especially on weekends. Half of Munich seems to have the same clever idea once fresh snow appears.
See Neuschwanstein in the snow:Neuschwanstein is impressive whenever you visit, but snow makes the whole thing look almost unfairly picturesque. The surrounding peaks turn white, the summer crowds thin out, and the castle finally starts resembling the fairy-tale version you had in your head. Just wear proper shoes. Romantic Bavarian scenery is less romantic when you’re sliding around on an icy path in trainers.
Skip at least one obvious Christmas market: Marienplatz gets the headlines, but the Nymphenburg Palace Christmas Market is the one we’d suggest picking when you want something a little more elegant. The palace backdrop does a lot of the heavy lifting, especially once the lights come on, and the whole setting feels more special than another row of stalls squeezed into a busy square. Munich has enough Christmas markets that you really don’t need to spend every evening at the biggest one.
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Simon
