The original city centre and the surrounding boroughs present a cosy, harmonious flair, the cause for many a newcomer to succumb to its charm and settle in the metropolis on the river Isar. Many visitors confirm that in Munich, the clocks tick a little bit more leisurely. More than in any other season, this is noticeable during the summertime; the people relax in the city beer-gardens after a hard working day, they saunter through the English garden, which by the way is the largest city park in the world, they barbecue in the floodplains of the Isar, they populate the smart street cafes in Schwabing or enjoy a Happy Hour cocktail in the bars and restaurants of Haidhausen.

At the weekend there is the lure of a countless number of tourist attractions in the Munich area and the wonderfully calm lakes near the city. Clearly, people work hard in Munich too but there are also more important things in life. The motto “live and let live” seems to be embedded in the minds of most city residents and this Mediterranean lifestyle feeling has given Munich, the “cosmopolitan city with a heart”, the reputation of being the most “northern city of Italy”.

Munich is worth a visit at any time of the year. At Christmas time there is the attraction of those wonderful, cosy Christmas markets, lavishing you with an irresistible Glühwein; in Autumn naturally there is the world-renowned October festival; before Easter the “Starkbier” and three times in the year the Auer Dult Market and Folk Festival simultaneously. Culture-seeking tourists to the city on the Isar also get full value for their money: Then there are three “Pinakothek” art exhibitions (the old, the new and- more recently, the Pinakothek Modern), also the German Museum where you will need a complete holiday to visit fully, the Lenbachhaus, the Hypo-Kunsthalle, the House of Art and the Villa Stuck.

Many large and smaller theatres and concert halls offer sophisticated entertainment. Friends of jazz, rock and pop-music find a huge daily selection of international and local band ‘gigs’. Munich is also the city with the most publishing houses in Europe and as a forum for this vibrant scenario around the printed word, a House of Literature was built in 1997.

Munich has much more to offer. Munich is a sports colossus; in 1972 it hosted the Olympic Games in the summer with a specifically created Olympic Park, which is still today a main centre of attraction in the city. For the best part of a hundred years, two giants of German football, FC Bayern and TSV Munich 1860, continue to fight for dominance in the city, being joined in the mix by SpVggUnterhaching in recent years, a team originating from directly outside the city gates.

You can reach Munich by a daily Autozug service from Berlin and Hamburg. Additionally there are offers from Hildesheim and Düsseldorf.