City guide

Munich

Beer gardens, Alps and Oktoberfest

Munich runs on a rare combination of old-money Bavarian tradition and genuine cosmopolitan comfort: beer halls and the Viktualienmarkt sit close to the Pinakothek museums and the sprawling Englischer Garten, where surfers ride a standing wave on the Eisbach. It's a wealthy, orderly, walkable city that takes its beer gardens and its Oktoberfest as seriously as its art collections.