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Since moving to Germany eight years ago, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring nine of the country’s 16 federal states. I live in Germany’s capital city, Berlin, and on my first visit to Munich, I discovered these two sides of the country are polar opposites: Berlin is gritty and futuristic, rooted in the center of old East Germany; Munich is the clean, traditional stronghold in Germany’s largest state, Bavaria, and the economic center of old West Germany. Both have their charm, but Munich more accurately reflects the culture and aesthetics that many Americans associate with Germany: alpine landscapes, lederhosen and dirndls, and, of course, fairy-tale castle architecture.
As someone who has explored Munich several times, here are my favorite places to visit in the city.
Maxvorstadt
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Surrounded by impressive architecture dating back to the Bavarian monarchy, I love wandering the streets of Maxvorstadt, the arts and university district where students spill out of buzzy cafes and record stores. The area is also home to two universities and some of the city’s best museums, but for me, stepping into the passageways where you can sit and enjoy the sunlight is one of the best parts. The art cafe and homemade cakes of Garden salon make me feel like Munich is just a small, friendly town I get to enjoy by myself.
Modern Pinakothek
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The Modern Pinakothekone of my favorite museums in all of Germany, is made up of four distinct modern art houses: fine art, prints and drawings, architecture, and home design. From the history of Volkswagen cars and models of post-war architecture to modern art photography and the sleek design of household appliances in the “100 Years, 100 Objects” exhibition, I’ve spent many hours exploring the Pinakothek der Moderne. It’s the one museum I know I’ll always visit.
Westpark
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In Berlin, parks are usually just some trees, scraggly wild grass, and rugged natural paths mixed in with a monument or statue here and there and several walls scattered with graffiti. So when I first visited Munich’s Westpark, I was stunned at the immaculately designed landscapes surrounding me. The park was constructed in 1983 for a garden exhibition and still contains gorgeous rose gardens, a pagoda surrounded by Asian gardens, and several ponds and water features. In the summer, open-air cinema and theater performances take over an amphitheater on the edge of the lake, which makes for a stunning setting for watching the sunset. Cafe goose on the water (that’s “Geese on the Water”) is a cozy hangout, with mismatched furniture and DIY artwork.
Munich Film Archive
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A special section of the Münchner Stadtmuseum (Munich City Museum), the film archive is home to more than 5,000 copies of German films, which are regularly screened in retrospectives and programs. As a filmmaker myself, I was excited to see rare silent films with live music (like the 1927 classic “Metropolis”) and enjoy a program of German masterworks. Don’t be fooled by the building’s nondescript exterior—the tiny displays of classic photos and stories inside, combined with the affordable €5 ticket for retrospectives and programs with filmmaker participation, won me over immediately.
