“Laptop meets lederhosen”: the slogan is both catchy and correct, yet there is much more to the Bavarian capital than just that. With over 1.3 million inhabitants, Munich is Germany’s third-largest city. With over 4,300 inhabitants per square kilometre, it has the largest population density in Germany.

“Minga”, as the Bavarians call their capital, was first documented in 1158 as “Villa Munichen”, and the first settlements at Petersbergl go back to the 8th century. Today, the city is one of Germany’s most important centres for industry, media and culture, and one of the most prosperous cities in Europe.

In addition to the multifarious architecture, the busy shopping precincts and business centres, Munich’s “green lung” is remarkable: the English Gardens, established in 1789, stretch from the centre of Munich right to the city limits to the north. With a surface area of 3.7 km2, the park even dwarfs Central Park in New York.

 

Concerts

27 March - Mika

The British press were already naming Mika’s debut album Life in Cartoon Motion the best newcomer record of the year before it had even hit the shelves . Mika’s songs reflect a broad spectrum of musical influences ranging from Queen, the Bee Gees and Scritti Politti to The Darkness and the Scissor Sisters..



Zenith

Lillienthalallee 29

80939 München

12 April - Nena

Nena shot to international fame in the 80s with hit single 99 Red Balloons. But the German artist has never really had a quiet patch over the past three decades. Her latest album Made in Germany came out in October 2009.



Olympiahalle

Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21

80809 München

28 April - Ich + Ich

Ich + Ich’s hit single Pflaster was the band’s maiden number one in the German single charts. Gute Reise entered the album charts at number one and stayed there for a further five weeks.



Olympia Park

Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21

80809 München

 

Show

3-13 March -Mamma Mia

So far, more than 40 million people have seen this musical comedy about love, family and friendship. The original Mamma Mia featuring 22 of ABBA’s biggest hits is now playing selected towns and cities in Austria and Germany.



Deutsches Theater

Werner-Heisenberg-Allee 11

80939 München-Fröttmaning

 

The Atomic Café (Neuturmstraße 5) has long since established itself as the place to be in Munich. Affordable drinks, the beats of soul away from the mainstream and the cosy atmosphere attract visitors in droves to the Neuturmstraße, and guarantee an exuberant atmosphere.

The P1 discotheque (Prinzregentenstrasse 1) is familiar to people well beyond the Bavarian border. Even if you don’t necessarily get past the bouncers first time, once you have managed to get in there, you find yourself bang in the middle of a high-class disco surrounded by stars and starlets.

Expect a more relaxed atmosphere in Café Cord (Sonnenstrasse 19). You can get in here even if you are wearing a T-shirt and trainers. The music programme changes daily: amongst other things, Munich’s musicians offer an insight into their very own hit parades.

The Augustiner Keller (Arnulfstraße 25) is a long-established institution in Munich. The “Augustiner” is without doubt the most typical of all Munich’s beer gardens. Right next to the city centre, its old chestnut trees afford shade for almost 5,000 people.

No less well-known and just as original is the Hofbräuhaus (Platzl 9). The vaults of the beer hall are traditional, and full of tourists from all over the world. Waitresses dash backwards and forwards serving up the hundreds of roast pork and duck dishes consumed every day – not to mention the amounts of two-pint tankards of beer…

Much less Bavarian yet practically an institution in its own right is Tokami (Theresienstraße 54). Well-known for its authentic Japanese cuisine, the restaurant serves up sushi, hot meals and exquisite desserts daily between noon and 2.30 p.m. and again between 6 p.m. and midnight.

A tasteful setting and a new five-course meal every evening await you in Broeding (Schulstraße 9). The restaurant seats 40, and its good reputation means that it is wise to reserve.

Designer fashion can be found alongside traditional loden and national dress at Lodenfrey in Maffeistrasse, for example. Not far away, the shop of the former purveyor to the court and Germany’s oldest shoemaker Eduard Meier in Residenzstraße offers first-class footwear for him and her.

Lots of little boutiques bearing jewellery, accessories and clothing line the street between Stachus and Marienplatz: the shopping temples of Karstadt and Kaufhof are also at home here.

To the north of Marienplatz and the Town Hall, you can find exclusive ingredients, expensive clothing, presents for (dear) friends and high-class furnishings aplenty.

Last but not least: the Viktualienmarkt (victuals market) in the old town is a feast for the senses and, in fact, an essential part of any trip to Munich. Deli stalls boast regional specialities and many an exotic speciality, small bistros and butchers’ invite you in for a snack and to tarry a while.