Bavaria · Germany
The city that didn’t just love beer — it wrote the rules for the rest of the world.
Overview
Munich didn’t just embrace beer — it codified it, celebrated it, and gave the rules to the rest of the world. Five centuries later, those rules still hold.
Munich is the city that wrote the rules. The Reinheitsgebot — the Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516 — stipulated that beer could only be brewed from water, barley, and hops. Five hundred years later, those rules still shape how the city’s breweries operate.
Home to the legendary Big 6 breweries — Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbrau, Paulaner, and Spaten-Franziskaner — Munich’s historic institutions collectively define what Bavarian beer means to the world. But beyond the famous names, the city has over 180 beer gardens, a growing craft scene, and a drinking culture so embedded in daily life that even the English Garden — the city’s vast public park — has a beer garden at its heart.
Munich rewards those who look past the obvious. Yes, the Hofbräuhaus is worth experiencing. But the locals drink Augustiner — from wooden barrels, at specific venues, where the gravity-dispensed unfiltered beer tastes unlike anything you’ve encountered before. The difference between tourist Munich and local Munich is roughly one U-Bahn stop and the willingness to ask where the regulars go.
“The Augustiner-Keller on a warm May afternoon — Maßkrug in hand, chestnut trees overhead, the city somewhere far away. This is what Munich beer culture actually is. Not Oktoberfest. This.”
The World Beer Tour
Where to Drink
Six venues across Munich — from the oldest beer hall in Bavaria to the craft pioneer the locals call their own.
Munich’s Oldest Brewery · The Local’s Choice
Occupying the former dray horse stables on the original Augustiner brewery grounds, the Bräustuben is the most authentic Munich beer hall experience available to a visitor. High amber ceilings, dark wood, copper bar details, the scent of hops in the air. Serves Augustiner Holzfass — gravity-dispensed directly from wooden barrels — which tastes categorically different from anything bottled. More down-home than any other hall in the city, packed with locals rather than tour groups. A short walk from the Hauptbahnhof.
Beer Garden · The One the Locals Choose
A 5,000-seat garden that somehow manages to feel intimate in sections — with ancient chestnut trees, a traditional beer hall for colder months, and sunbursts of afternoon light that make the Augustiner Lagerbier Hell taste like the reason this city exists. Arrive by early afternoon on weekends. Bring your own food — it’s not just allowed, it’s tradition. The most beautiful way to spend an afternoon in Munich.
The World’s Most Famous Beer Hall · Bucket List
Yes, it’s a tourist destination. Yes, there will be a tour group at the next table. Go anyway. Three floors, live Bavarian brass band, communal wooden benches, art covering every ceiling, and the weight of five centuries of history in every corner. Founded by Duke Wilhelm V in 1589, opened to the public in 1828. This is not the place for a quiet pint — it’s an experience that Munich genuinely offers unlike anywhere else on earth. Order one Maß of Hofbräu Original. Stay for the band.
Monastic Brewery · Home of Starkbierfest
Voted Munich’s most beautiful beer garden for multiple years — monks began brewing on this hilltop east of the Isar in 1634. High chestnut trees shade the garden year-round. The adjoining beer hall hosts the famous Starkbierfest every March, when the first barrel of Salvator Doppelbock is tapped by tradition and presented to the Bavarian Minister President. A quieter, more refined experience than the city-centre halls. Worth the short trek across the river.
Weissbier Institution · Hidden Alternative to the Hofbräuhaus
A quieter alternative to the Hofbräuhaus just a short walk from Marienplatz — same neighbourhood, dramatically fewer crowds. Famous for Munich’s greatest breakfast tradition: Weisswurst with wheat beer before noon. White veal sausages, sweet mustard, a soft pretzel, a Hefeweizen — consumed while the city wakes up around you. The Aventinus Doppelbock on draught is one of the finest beers brewed in Bavaria. The staff are notably less keen on photographs — consider yourself warned.
Craft Brewery · Reinheitsgebot + Beyond
Munich’s most beloved craft brewery — a neighbourhood institution in Haidhausen that has built a genuinely loyal local following. Giesinger brews everything according to the Reinheitsgebot but stretches the tradition intelligently across styles: classic Bavarian lagers, Baltic porters, Belgian-influenced ales. The Hell and the Kellerbier are standouts. Totally unpretentious, genuinely excellent. The brewery aspires to become the seventh Oktoberfest brewery — which would be historic.
Featured Itinerary
From Marienplatz to the English Garden, the bucket-list halls to the beer garden the locals love. Munich covered properly.
Day 1 Morning — 10:00 AM
Start at the heart of the Altstadt. Watch the Glockenspiel at 11am, then walk two minutes to Schneider Bräuhaus for the Munich breakfast tradition that no visitor should skip: Weisswurst, sweet mustard, soft pretzel, and a Hefeweizen. Consumed before noon — the rules are the rules.
Day 1 Afternoon — 1:00 PM
Walk to the Hofbräuhaus — one Maß, live brass band, tick it off properly. Then walk north into the English Garden — the vast city park with the surfers on the Eisbach river wave and a beer garden at the Chinese Tower. Arrive by mid-afternoon, bring your own food.
Day 1 Evening — 6:00 PM
The evening belongs to Augustiner. The Bräustuben is where Munich actually drinks — not where it takes tourists. Holzfass from the wooden barrel, communal tables, loud Bavarian conversation. Order the Schweinshaxe if you’re eating. This is the non-negotiable final stop of day one.
Day 2 Morning — 10:00 AM
Cross the Isar to the Deutsches Museum — the world’s largest science and technology museum. Then walk up to Paulaner am Nockherberg for a late-morning pint in Munich’s most beautiful beer garden. The Salvator Doppelbock is the one to order if it’s on. Take your time here.
Day 2 Afternoon — 2:00 PM
The definitive Munich beer garden experience. Five thousand seats under chestnut trees, Augustiner Hell from the barrel, afternoon light filtering through the canopy. Bring food from Viktualienmarkt if you’re planning ahead. Arrive early for a good spot under the best trees.
Day 2 Evening — 7:00 PM
End in Haidhausen at Giesinger Bräu — Munich’s best craft brewery and as different from the Hofbräuhaus as a bar can be while still following the same 500-year-old rules. Order the Hell. Ask what’s seasonal. You’ve covered Munich’s full range in two days.
Plan Your Visit
Munich rewards every season — but the beer gardens are the key variable. When they’re full, the city is extraordinary.
When to Go
Spring
March – May
Starkbierfest in March. Frühlingsfest in April. Beer gardens open by early May. Perfect weather for outdoor drinking without summer crowds.
Summer
June – August
Beer gardens in full swing. Long warm evenings, English Garden packed. Tollwood Festival in June–July. Munich Film Festival in June. Best for the garden experience.
Oktoberfest
Late Sept – Early Oct
Unmissable, but plan a year ahead. Tent reservations open in January. Hotels fill immediately. 2026: September 19 – October 4. Book everything 12 months out.
Winter
December – February
Christmas markets on Marienplatz. Warm beer halls. Starkbierfest begins in March. Quiet, cosy, and significantly cheaper than peak season.
For Runners
Held one week after Oktoberfest ends — making a two-week Bavaria trip (Wiesn + marathon) one of the great beer-running combinations. World Athletics Gold Label Road Race. The course passes Marienplatz, Siegestor, and through the English Garden before finishing in the Olympic stadium — one of the most storied finish lines in European running. Also features half marathon, 10K, and relay options.
A uniquely conceived global race — no finish line; instead a “catcher car” that starts 30 minutes behind you and eliminates runners as it overtakes them. Munich edition starts in the Olympic Park. 100% of registration fees go to spinal cord injury research. One of the most original race formats in world running, and the Olympic Park start gives it genuine Munich character.
Festivals Worth Planning Around
September 19 – October 4, 2026
The world’s largest beer festival — 16 days on the Theresienwiese drawing over six million visitors. Fourteen major beer tents plus 21 smaller ones. Tent table reservations open in January and fill within hours. Book hotels a full year ahead for this window. Entry to the grounds is free — it’s the tent reservations and Maß that cost money.
March · Annual
Munich’s quieter, more local answer to Oktoberfest. A celebration of Doppelbock and strong lager during Lent. The Paulaner Nockherberg is the original venue. Far less international than Oktoberfest — attended primarily by Bavarians. The satirical political comedy (“derblecken”) at the Nockherberg is a Munich institution.
April · Annual
The “little Oktoberfest” — two weeks on the Theresienwiese in April and May with beer tents, rides, and Bavarian atmosphere at a fraction of the autumn chaos. The best alternative for travellers who want the tent experience without the crowds. Beer tents serve the same Big 6 breweries as Oktoberfest.
June – July · Annual
A major international arts, culture, and music festival at the Olympic Park. Global musicians, theatre, film, food from around the world. A strong counterpoint to Munich’s Bavarian traditionalism — cosmopolitan, progressive, and excellent. Free to enter the grounds; ticketed for headline events.
Taste It Before You Go
Several Munich and Bavarian beers have strong international distribution. Find them before you go — they’ll taste even better when you drink them at the source.
Bavarian Wheat Beer · 5.5% ABV
One of the most internationally distributed Bavarian wheat beers. Available across North America, Europe, and Asia. A reliable approximation of what you’ll drink in Munich — though the on-tap version in a Paulaner beer hall is in a different class entirely.
● Widely available internationallyMunich Pale Lager · 5.1% ABV
Hofbräu exports to most major markets. Available at German-focused import stores and select liquor retailers. The bottled version is pasteurised — the genuine article is only in the Hofbräuhaus Maß — but the export bottle gives you the essential character of the style.
● Widely available internationallyMunich Helles · 5.2% ABV
The most beloved of Munich’s Big 6 among locals exports less aggressively than rivals. Available at specialty German import shops in North America and more widely in Europe. If you find it, buy it — Augustiner Hell is arguably the finest expression of the Munich pale lager style.
● Specialty import stores — worth seekingBavarian Wheat Beer · 5.4% ABV
From the world’s oldest brewery in Freising, 40km from Munich. Widely considered the benchmark Bavarian wheat beer and broadly distributed internationally. An excellent preparation for the Andechs and Tegernsee monastery experiences — same tradition, different hilltop.
● Widely available — most specialty beer storesBavarian Wheat Beer · 5.3% ABV
The world’s best-selling Hefeweizen, brewed in Erding 40km from Munich. Available in virtually every country that imports German beer — major supermarkets, liquor stores, many restaurants. A reliable entry point to the style before you arrive.
● Very widely available globallyMunich Craft · Various ABV
Munich’s best craft brewery is not available outside Germany. This is a beer that can only be drunk in Munich. Another reason to go.
● Munich onlyThe Reinheitsgebot of 1516 — why it was really about grain prices and politics, how it accidentally became the world’s most effective beer marketing, and what it means for every pint you drink in Bavaria today.
Read: How Lager Conquered the World →