Munich

Munich's year is a village calendar dressed as a city of 1.5 million. Winter drops to -5C nights and pushes life into beer halls, spring brings Foehn wind days with sudden Alpine downpours, summer sends everyone swimsuit-clad into the Eisbach river through the Englischer Garten, and September opens Oktoberfest that actually runs into October.

Late September is the window that repays the flight: the tents are up, Bavarian larch turns gold on Zugspitze day trips, and beer garden shade at Augustiner Keller still holds through afternoon. Say Grussgott not Hallo, share every communal table, and skip Hofbrauhaus for Augustiner Brau where actual Munchners drink. Plan groceries by Saturday 6pm — Sunday closes everything.

Avoid January's -5C nights unless you're using Munich as an Alps hub for Garmisch skiing. Avoid the last week of November too, when the Christkindlmarkt hasn't opened but the damp cold has fully settled and the beer gardens have shuttered their chestnut shade.

For 2026, aim for the last week of September through the first weekend of October. Pack a collapsible day-pack for the Wandertag hikes that get invited over beer, watch the Isar river forecast for May-June thunderstorms, and rotate Viktualienmarkt breweries by month for a proper local tasting.