Munich is the capital city of Bavaria; an ultra-modern business city which is home to three universities and 1.5 million inhabitants. It is also a city with a notable zest for life, a tradition of hospitality, and a cosmopolitan outlook. Located on the Isar river, this is a dream city in an ideal location for event planners.
Recent studies rank Munich as the city with the best quality of life in Germany. And no wonder: Where else can you find city life, countryside and recreation as closely interwove as they are here? With its broad, flat banks and spacious riverside meadows, the Isar is a blue lifeline where you can stroll, paddle and cycle to your heart‘s content. Countless extensive parklands make the whole city a green oasis: the Olympic Park, Westpark, Nymphenburg Park and Hellabrunn Zoo to name but a few.
First among equals, however, is unquestionably the English Garden! Germany’s largest urban park enchants locals and tourists alike with its picturesque streams, lakes and meadows, not to mention its cafés and beer gardens. Relax over a mug of beer or an apple spritzer under blossoming chestnut trees and experience pure joie de vivre!
Eisbach surfing is a world-famous attraction too: All year round, ambitious board artists balance atop the ultimate standing wave.
Munich’s surroundings are equally legendary. The charming Alpine landscape is full of wonderful opportunities for hiking, climbing or biking in clean air and the great outdoors. Lake Starnberg and Lake Ammersee, wildlife and bird sanctuaries plus a multitude of attractions and natural beauty spots have something to delight literally everyone.
Situated right in the heart of Europe, Munich is a cosmopolitan, international city whose metropolitan region embraces 27 districts and six independent cities. Nearly all German and European cities are within fast, easy reach.
Winner of multiple awards, Munich Airport is a major air traffic hub from which 70 airlines carry around 49 million passengers a year to over 190 destinations in more than 60 countries. The Bavarian capital also boasts excellent road and rail links. IC and ICE trains provide speedy and direct connections to Berlin, Rome, Paris, Zurich, Budapest, Prague and other key European cities.
Meanwhile, a well-developed freeway network quickly brings motorists into the city – or out into all of Germany and its European neighbours. Local public transport keeps passenger streams flowing smoothly. And given Munich‘s global appeal as a trade fair venue, it is also a popular, stress-free option to get international visitors to their congresses, shows and events.
Munich is Germany’s second-largest university venue, with more than 120,000 students and 17 universities and academies. The Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are recognized as elite universities and rank among the top 10 in the QS World University Ranking. Smart ideas mature more quickly here: New businesses launched in Munich – many of them spin-offs from TUM – regularly rank among the top 50 start-ups.
A raft of accelerators, incubators and events serves to pool the strengths of entrepreneurs, tech industries and academia. The Munich Urban Colab (MUC) is a flagship project, with coworking spaces, living labs and a high-tech prototype workshop being built on an 11,000-m2 plot. Starting in 2020, start-ups will team up with scientists and creative minds at this venue to design the city of the future.
Munich is also a world-leader in research and development, trailing only London and Paris. The Fraunhofer Institute, the Max Planck Institute, the DLR German Aerospace Center, the FfE Research Center for Energy Economics and the Helmholtz Center all embody the city‘s scientific prowess and innovative strength.
Straddling the Isar River, Munich combines a homely, traditional appeal with the flair of a cosmopolitan city, a thoroughly modern lifestyle and world-class culture. Its people are friendly, down-to-earth and open-minded. And there is no end of things to see and do: the towering Frauenkirche cathedral, the central Marienplatz square, beer gardens, the fabled Hofbräuhaus, the English Garden, the traditional Viktualienmarkt (food market) and luxury shopping in the city‘s exquisite retail districts.
Meanwhile, students shape the vibrant, charming and laidback scene in the hippest quarters: Maxvorstadt, Schwabing and the area around the Glockenbachviertel, for example. The bar and nightclub scene is similarly popular. Whether you are into house, techno or electronic music, a hundred or so clubs leave you no shortage of dancefloors.
Connoisseurs and foodies of all persuasions likewise thrill to the singular culinary diversity of Munich, where local and traditional influences blend with Mediterranean and international cuisine.
