💡 The Short Version: For a first visit, stay in the Altstadt: the hotels listed there are 40 to 690 m from Marienplatz in a straight line, and the Frauenkirche, the Viktualienmarkt and the Residenz are inside it. Lehel and Glockenbach are quieter and a short walk away, Maxvorstadt has the museums, and the streets round the Hauptbahnhof suit arrivals by rail, budget rooms and the Oktoberfest, whose grounds are 660 m from the station. Haidhausen and Schwabing are residential and further out. Munich charges no city tax. Prices change with the dates, so check yours on Hotels.com. Or book a walk: the city’s own two-hour Old Town walking tourad is from €22.
The areas, compared
The centre is small: in straight lines Marienplatz is 140 m from the Viktualienmarkt, 210 m from the Frauenkirche, 630 m from Odeonsplatz, 760 m from Karlsplatz and 1.4 km from the Hauptbahnhof. The last column counts how many of 13 English-language where-to-stay guides give the area a heading of its own.
| Area | What it suits | Guides naming it |
|---|---|---|
| Altstadt | Marienplatz, the Viktualienmarkt, the Frauenkirche and the Residenz on foot, and the Christmas markets | 11 |
| Lehel | A quiet base between the old town and the Isar, with the English Garden near | 9 |
| Maxvorstadt | The museum quarter and the university | 10 |
| Hauptbahnhof and Karlsplatz | Trains, the airport S-Bahn, budget rooms and the Oktoberfest | 6 |
| Westend and Theresienwiese | The Oktoberfest grounds on foot | 2 |
| Glockenbach and Gärtnerplatz | Bars, restaurants, the queer scene and the Deutsches Museum | 8 |
| Haidhausen and the Au | A village feel east of the Isar, and evenings | 11 |
| Schwabing and the English Garden | Cafés, bars and the English Garden | 11 |
| Bogenhausen | A calm residential base | 2 |
| Neuhausen-Nymphenburg | The palace and the Hirschgarten | 5 |
The hotels
The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com. Star grades are the German hotel classification, run by the Hotelstars Union (hotelstars.eu), which is voluntary: a hotel with no grade here is not in the register or prints none, which is true of most of the design and boutique hotels. Michelin’s Keys are the guide’s own ratings for hotels, and “Selected” means a hotel is in the guide without a Key. Distances are straight lines, so a walk is longer. For the hotels round the station, with the Marienplatz and Oktoberfest lists, see hotels near Munich Hauptbahnhof.
Altstadt
The old town round Marienplatz, with the Rathaus, the Alter Peter, the Frauenkirche, the Viktualienmarkt and the Residenz: see Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel, the Residenz and Munich’s viewpoints. Marienplatz station has the U3, U6 and the S-Bahn, Sendlinger Tor the U1, U2, U3 and U6, and Odeonsplatz the U3, U4, U5 and U6. The Christkindlmarkt fills the pedestrian zone from 20 November to 24 December 2026: see Munich Christmas markets 2026. Distances are from Marienplatz.
BEYOND by Geisel
Marienplatz 22 · 19 rooms · one Michelin Key · about 40 m · Hotels.comad
Nineteen rooms directly on Marienplatz. Michelin adds a living room with a library and an open kitchen, and a 24-hour concierge, all included in the price.
LOUIS Hotel
Rindermarkt 2 · 72 rooms · Michelin Selected · about 100 m · Hotels.comad
Beside the Viktualienmarkt. The LOUIS Rooftop above the market opens daily in good weather from spring, according to the hotel.
DO & CO Hotel Munich
Filserbräugasse 1 · 31 rooms and suites · one Michelin Key · about 140 m · Hotels.comad
In the same building as the FC Bayern flagship store, with two restaurants.
Hotel Schlicker
Tal 8 · 68 rooms · 3-star superior · about 260 m · Hotels.comad
On Tal, near the Viktualienmarkt. The hotel was renovated and reached 3-star superior in 2022, according to the hotel.
Platzl Hotel
Sparkassenstraße 10 · 167 rooms · 4-star superior · Michelin Selected · about 280 m · Hotels.comad
Family-run and a few minutes’ walk from Marienplatz, with a pub on site that serves seven Ayinger beers, according to the hotel.
Cortiina Hotel
Ledererstraße 8 · 75 rooms · one Michelin Key · about 310 m · Hotels.comad
A boutique design hotel three minutes from Marienplatz, with bog oak and Jura stone in the rooms and an award-winning wine bar, according to the hotel.
Hotel Blauer Bock
Sebastiansplatz 9 · about 340 m · Hotels.comad
A listed building on Sebastiansplatz that the hotel dates to 400 years of history. Breakfast and Wi-Fi are included in the room price.
Mandarin Oriental, Munich
Neuturmstraße 1 · 73 rooms · 5-star superior · two Michelin Keys · about 400 m · Hotels.comad
A 19th-century building on Neuturmstraße, moments from Maximilianstraße and Marienplatz, according to the hotel. Michelin says it became a hotel in 1990 and that locals still call it by its old name, the Rafael.
Hotel am Viktualienmarkt
Utzschneiderstraße 14 · about 26 rooms · about 400 m · Hotels.comad
A small family-run hotel with a lift, a short walk from the market. City bikes and e-bikes can be rented nearby.
Hotel Bayerischer Hof
Promenadeplatz 2-6 · 337 rooms · 5-star superior · one Michelin Key · about 430 m · Hotels.comad
Five restaurants, six bars and 74 suites on Promenadeplatz, according to the hotel. Michelin says it became a hotel in 1841 and that the Volkhardt family has run it since 1897.
Rosewood Munich
Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße 1 · 132 rooms and suites · 5-star superior · two Michelin Keys · about 450 m · Hotels.comad
The first Rosewood hotel in Germany, in the former headquarters of the State Bank of Bavaria and the Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, according to Michelin.
Hotel Torbräu
Tal 41 · 4 stars · about 490 m · Hotels.comad
Its restaurant, Schapeau, says it has “tradition for 530 years”.
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski
Maximilianstraße 17 · 298 rooms · 5-star superior · one Michelin Key · about 540 m · Hotels.comad
King Maximilian II built it in 1858 on the boulevard that still bears his name. It has a heated indoor pool, a sauna and a steam room, according to the hotel.
Motel One München-Sendlinger Tor
Herzog-Wilhelm-Straße 28 · about 690 m · Hotels.comad
A budget chain hotel at Sendlinger Tor, where the U1, U2, U3 and U6 stop. Motel One does not use star grades.
Lehel
A residential quarter between the old town and the Isar, east of the Residenz. Lehel station is on the U4 and U5, and Odeonsplatz is on four lines. The English Garden is on the other side of the Isar: see the English Garden. Distances are from Marienplatz.
Hotel Opéra
St.-Anna-Straße 10 · 4 stars · about 880 m · Hotels.comad
A Renaissance-style palais near Maximilianstraße. The hotel says the English Garden, the Isar and the Bavarian State Opera are a few steps away.
Hotel Splendid-Dollmann
Thierschstraße 49 · about 990 m · Hotels.comad
A boutique hotel in the historic Lehel, to the side of Maximilianstraße.
Maxvorstadt
The museum quarter and the university, north-west of the old town. München Tourismus describes world-famous museums and a mix of visitors and students, and the Königsplatz is 860 m from the Hauptbahnhof. The U2 stops at Königsplatz and Josephsplatz, and the U3 and U6 at Universität. See Alte Pinakothek tickets, the best museums in Munich and the NS-Dokumentationszentrum. The medieval Christmas market is on Wittelsbacherplatz in Maxvorstadt. Distances are from the Hauptbahnhof.
The fountain on Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, in front of the university’s main building. Photo: Felix Edelmann, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
The Charles Hotel
Sophienstraße 28 · 160 rooms · 5-star superior · two Michelin Keys · about 480 m · Hotels.comad
Michelin says many rooms look over the Old Botanical Garden. The hotel advertises an award-winning spa.
Eurostars Grand Central
Arnulfstraße 35 · 237 rooms · 4 stars · Michelin Selected · about 860 m · Hotels.comad
The Hackerbrücke S-Bahn stop is about 20 m from the main entrance, according to the hotel.
Hauptbahnhof and Karlsplatz
The station quarter and the gate to the pedestrian zone. The Hauptbahnhof has the U1, U2, U4, U5 and the S-Bahn, with the S1 and S8 to the airport, and Karlsplatz (Stachus) has the U4, U5 and the S-Bahn. München Tourismus describes the Bahnhofsviertel south of the station as multicultural, loud and colourful, and unlike the rest of the city. The station is being rebuilt, so expect building work round it. The city has a knife and weapons ban zone in the Alter Botanischer Garten, the park beside the station (Landeshauptstadt München). The Oktoberfest grounds are 660 m from the station: see Oktoberfest 2027. Distances are from the Hauptbahnhof.
Sofitel Munich Bayerpost
Bayerstraße 12 · 396 rooms and suites · 5-star superior · Michelin Selected · about 130 m · Hotels.comad
In a listed building 100 m from the main station, according to the hotel.
25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian
Bahnhofplatz 1 · 165 rooms · Michelin Selected · about 310 m · Hotels.comad
Opposite the main station, by exit B on Schützenstraße. The Swan and Peacock suites take their themes from the building’s royal history, and the NENI restaurant serves Middle Eastern sharing plates, according to the hotel.
Cocoon Hotel Hauptbahnhof
Mittererstraße 9 · about 310 m · Hotels.comad
Alpine-styled rooms three minutes from the south exit on Bayerstraße. Cocoon puts the walk to the Oktoberfest at about ten minutes.
Eden Hotel Wolff
Arnulfstraße 4 · 214 rooms · about 350 m · Hotels.comad
Open since 1890, beside the main station and the Lufthansa airport bus. The hotel puts the Altstadt 15 minutes away on foot.
Eurostars Book Hotel
Schwanthalerstraße 44 · 4 stars · about 350 m · Hotels.comad
Next to the main station and about 500 m from Karlsplatz. The hotel says the Oktoberfest grounds are a short walk away.
Hotel Excelsior
Schützenstraße 11 · 114 rooms and suites · 4 stars, according to the hotel · about 400 m · Hotels.comad
A country-house style hotel on Karlsplatz, five minutes’ walk from the main station, with a wine Vinothek.
Bayer 89 Vi Vadi Hotel
Bayerstraße 89 · about 430 m · Hotels.comad
Air-conditioned rooms with box-spring beds, and an Italian restaurant, Ottantanove, downstairs.
Cocoon Hotel Stachus
Adolf-Kolping-Straße 11 · about 470 m · Hotels.comad
Next to Karlsplatz, a few minutes’ walk from the old-town sights. Cocoon puts the walk to the Oktoberfest at about 13 minutes.
Hotel Mirabell by Maier Privathotels
Landwehrstraße 42 · 3-star superior · about 490 m · Hotels.comad
A family business a stone’s throw from the main station, which serves what it calls a unique Sunday breakfast every morning.
Hotel Jedermann
Bayerstraße 95 · about 490 m · Hotels.comad
A family hotel. The hotel says the Jenke family and its staff have run it since 1961, and it markets itself for the Oktoberfest.
B&B Hotel München-Hbf
Landwehrstraße 77 · about 550 m · Hotels.comad
About five minutes’ walk from the station, across Bahnhofsplatz and into Landwehrstraße. It has underground parking.
Koenigshof, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Karlsplatz 25 · 106 rooms · 5-star superior · one Michelin Key · about 580 m · Hotels.comad
On Karlsplatz, with a collection of modern and contemporary art and a highly regarded South American restaurant, according to Michelin.
Hotel Uhland
Uhlandstraße 1 · 25 rooms · about 750 m · Hotels.comad
Renovated in 2024. The hotel says it stands directly on the Theresienwiese.
MEININGER Hotel München Zentrum
Landsberger Straße 20b · about 890 m · Hotels.comad
A hostel-style hotel with family rooms and a guest kitchen open 24 hours. The hotel puts the main station 10 to 15 minutes’ walk away and says it is next to the Theresienwiese.
Hotel Brack
Lindwurmstraße 153 · 3 stars · about 1.71 km · Hotels.comad
Run by the same family for three generations, with the U-Bahn entrance at the door. Breakfast is served from 6:30 to 12:00, and the hotel gives the Theresienwiese as within walking distance.
Westend and Theresienwiese
The west side of the Theresienwiese, once a workers’ district and now, München Tourismus says, a melting pot with 25 nations and young businesses and cafés. The Oktoberfest and the Tollwood Winterfestival, from 24 November to 23 December 2026, both use the grounds. Schwanthalerhöhe station (U4, U5) is one of the three the Oktoberfest organiser recommends to families instead of the busier Theresienwiese. Distances are from the Hauptbahnhof.
Schwan Locke
Landwehrstraße 75 · 151 apartments · Michelin Selected · about 520 m · Hotels.comad
Apartments beside the Theresienwiese, with a gym and a leafy courtyard.
Boutique Hotel Krone
Theresienhöhe 8 · 30 double rooms · about 930 m · Hotels.comad
A Wilhelminian villa “directly above the Theresienwiese”. The hotel gives 100 m to the grounds and 500 m to Theresienwiese U-Bahn.
The Dean Munich, Autograph Collection
Landsberger Straße 68 · 281 rooms · Michelin Selected · about 1.19 km · Hotels.comad
Formerly Roomers Munich. A design-led hotel with a wellness and fitness club. The hotel says the airport is about 40 minutes away by train to Donnersbergerbrücke.
Cocoon Hotel Theresienwiese
Opened on 1 April 2025, with apartments that have kitchenettes. Cocoon puts the walk to the Oktoberfest at about three minutes.
Glockenbach and Gärtnerplatz
München Tourismus describes scene bars, quiet courtyards and workshops, the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in the middle of a ring of red buildings, and the centre of the city’s queer scene. Gärtnerplatz has no U-Bahn station: Fraunhoferstraße (U1, U2) is about 260 m away, and Sendlinger Tor is the interchange. The Deutsches Museum, on its island in the Isar, is 970 m from Marienplatz: see the Deutsches Museum. Pink Christmas, the queer market, is on Stephansplatz from 20 November to 20 December 2026. Expect noise in the evening on the main streets. Distances are from Marienplatz.
The Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz on Gärtnerplatz, with the fountain and flower beds in front. Photo: Burkhard Mücke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hotel Deutsche Eiche
Reichenbachstraße 13 · 3-star superior · about 490 m · Hotels.comad
A long-standing meeting place of Munich’s artists and of the gay and lesbian scene, beside the Gärtnerplatz. It has a restaurant and a sauna.
The Flushing Meadows Hotel
Fraunhoferstraße 32 · about 930 m · Hotels.comad
A design hotel with a rooftop bar on the top floor that doubles as the breakfast room. The studios facing south have terraces looking towards the Alps.
Haidhausen and the Au
East of the Isar, with narrow lanes, small shops and green courtyards that München Tourismus says feel like a village in the middle of the city. The stations are Max-Weber-Platz (U4, U5) and Ostbahnhof (U5 and the S-Bahn). The Haidhauser Weihnachtsmarkt is on Weißenburger Platz from 23 November to 24 December 2026, and the Hofbräukeller on Innere Wienerstraße has a strong-beer festival: see the best time to visit Munich. Distances are from Marienplatz.
Wiener Platz in Haidhausen, with its maypole and market stalls. Photo: Burkhard Mücke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Design-Hotel JAMS
Stubenvollstraße 2 · 65 rooms · Michelin Selected · about 1.31 km · Hotels.comad
A music-themed hotel: every room has a record player, and the lobby lends out more than 250 LPs.
Motel One München-Deutsches Museum
Rablstraße 2 · about 1.43 km · Hotels.comad
A budget chain hotel on the high bank of the Isar, served by Rosenheimer Platz S-Bahn.
Hotel München Palace
Trogerstraße 21 · 89 rooms · 5 stars · one Michelin Key · about 1.94 km · Hotels.comad
A natural-light spa with a sauna and steam room, a roof terrace over a garden, and the French-Bavarian restaurant La Grenouille, according to the hotel.
MOMA1890 Boutique Hotel
Orleansplatz 6a · 51 rooms · about 2.34 km · Hotels.comad
Each room is designed differently by the architect Kurt Seidel, with furniture from Vitra, Hansen and Eames. The owner family is in its fourth generation.
Schwabing and the English Garden
The artists’ quarter round the university and the art academy, where München Tourismus says Kandinsky and Münter lived in the Ainmillerstraße and the Lenbachhaus holds the biggest Blue Rider collection. Münchner Freiheit, on the U3 and U6, is 2.9 km from Marienplatz. The Schwabinger Weihnachtsmarkt is at the Forum Münchner Freiheit from 25 November to 24 December 2026. See the English Garden. Distances are from Marienplatz.
Schwabinger Wahrheit by Geisel
Hohenzollernstraße 5 · 81 rooms and suites · Michelin Selected · about 2.55 km · Hotels.comad
Rooms for one to six people, 600 m from the English Garden, with a textile Finnish sauna. The hotel puts Marienplatz about ten minutes away on the U3 and U6.
Gästehaus Englischer Garten
Liebergesellstraße 8 · about 3.06 km · Hotels.comad
A guesthouse of almost 60 years’ standing that passed to a new family on 1 January 2024.
Hotel Biederstein am Englischen Garten
Keferstraße 18 · 34 rooms · 3 stars, according to the hotel · about 3.15 km · Hotels.comad
Near the English Garden. Arrivals after 10 pm are not possible.
Andaz Munich Schwabinger Tor
Leopoldstraße 170 · 277 rooms · one Michelin Key · about 3.97 km · Hotels.comad
A steakhouse, a café, a two-storey spa and what Michelin calls the city’s highest rooftop bar.
Bogenhausen
Residential and calm, east of the English Garden. Prinzregentenplatz and Böhmerwaldplatz are on the U4, and Prinzregentenplatz is 2.4 km from Marienplatz. Distances are from Marienplatz.
Parkhotel Rothof
Denninger Straße 114 · 4 stars, according to the hotel · about 3.85 km · Hotels.comad
A boutique park hotel with its own garden, a restaurant and a bar.
Neuhausen-Nymphenburg
West of the centre, round Nymphenburg Palace, which is 5.8 km from Marienplatz. Rotkreuzplatz has the U1 and several tram lines, and the Neuhauser Weihnachtsmarkt there runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026. See Nymphenburg Palace tickets. Distances are from Marienplatz.
Hotel Laimer Hof am Schloss Nymphenburg
Laimer Straße 40 · about 5.56 km · Hotels.comad
Built in 1886 as a neo-Renaissance villa, one of the oldest buildings in the district, with a tower room popular for weddings.
Before you book
- The city tax. Munich charges none: Bavarian law does not allow a municipality to charge one, and hotels add no visitor tax to the room price.
- Getting around. Zone M covers the whole city. A single is €4.20 and a day ticket for one adult is €10.10, rising to €10.80 on 1 January 2027. From the airport, the S1 and S8 reach the Hauptbahnhof in about 45 minutes. See Munich airport to the city and Munich public transport.
- Dates to book around. The Christmas markets from 20 November 2026 (Munich Christmas markets 2026); New Year’s Eve (Munich on New Year’s Eve 2026); Shrove Tuesday on 9 February 2027; the strong-beer festival at the Nockherberg, 26 February to 21 March; the Frühlingsfest in late April; Tollwood’s summer festival from mid-June to mid-July; and the Oktoberfest, 18 September to 3 October 2027 (Oktoberfest 2027). No month is empty: every month of 2025 had more than a million overnight stays, and December 2025 was the busiest December on record, according to München Tourismus. Trade fairs fill the hotels too: the city’s statistics office credits the BAU construction fair for January 2025 and the IAA Mobility motor show for part of September 2025.
- Oktoberfest rooms. The organiser says hotels near the grounds are usually booked out months ahead. The rules for the weeks of the festival are in hotels near Munich Hauptbahnhof.
For the days themselves, see 3 days in Munich. Where to eat in Munich, Munich’s beer halls and beer gardens cover the meals, day trips from Munich covers the trips out, and the best time to visit Munich gives the weather by month. The Munich old town walk runs from Karlsplatz to Odeonsplatz, and the English Garden walk carries on from there.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Munich for a first visit?
The Altstadt. The hotels listed there are 40 to 690 m from Marienplatz in a straight line, and the Neues Rathaus, the Frauenkirche, the Viktualienmarkt and the Residenz are inside it. The centre is about a kilometre across.
Does Munich charge a tourist tax?
No. Bavarian law does not allow a municipality to charge one, so hotels add no visitor tax to the room price.
Where should I stay for the Oktoberfest?
Near the Theresienwiese: the streets round the Hauptbahnhof, which is 660 m from the grounds in a straight line, or the Westend. The 2027 Oktoberfest runs from Saturday 18 September to Sunday 3 October, and the organiser says hotels near the grounds are usually booked out months ahead.
Which Munich hotels hold Michelin Keys?
Michelin gives two Keys to the Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood Munich and The Charles Hotel. One Key goes to the Andaz Munich Schwabinger Tor, BEYOND by Geisel, the Bayerischer Hof, the Cortiina Hotel, DO & CO Hotel Munich, Hotel München Palace, the Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski and the Koenigshof.
Can I walk around Munich from one hotel?
In the centre, yes: Marienplatz is 210 m from the Frauenkirche and 760 m from Karlsplatz. Nymphenburg is 5.8 km from Marienplatz and the Olympiapark is further out, so use the U-Bahn or S-Bahn. Zone M covers the whole city, with a single at €4.20 and a day ticket at €10.10.
Which dates fill Munich hotels?
The Oktoberfest, from 18 September to 3 October 2027, and the Christmas markets, from 20 November 2026. No month is empty: every month of 2025 had more than a million overnight stays, and December 2025 was the busiest December on record, according to München Tourismus.
