Summer 2025: The warmer weather means that Munich’s beer gardens and open-air swimming pools have fully reopened. The event calendar is packed with neighbourhood flea markets and summer concerts, with the Tollwood festival bringing Roxette to the circus stage this year. Crowds will also soon start to gather on the Olympic Hill where you can listen to big acts performing in the nearby stadium.
I have lived in Munich for almost a decade and am still discovering different sides to this famously traditional city. When friends and family come to visit, we’ll of course visit the Old Town and other main attractions, but I also like to show them some lesser-known spots, such as the former Olympic Village or Bahnwärter Thiel, an alternative cultural space popular with street artists. Outside of Oktoberfest, you’ll find many other events and smaller folk festivals taking place, not to mention regular flea markets held in neighbourhood backyards.
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An imposing structure built for Nazi-approved art in 1937, the Haus der Kunst now has a cutting-edge programme of events and exhibitions. From here you can walk into Englischer Garten, stopping for coffee and cake at Fräulein Grüneis or Fräulein Müller Kiosk. Finally, head to Hofbräuhaus in the old town, the city’s iconic beer hall which dates back to 1589. Sure, it’s touristy, but you’ll have a great time drinking Helles (lager) from heavy glasses and tapping your feet to the Bavarian brass band.
Kate Mann is a writer based in Munich. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.