More features:

• Lenten & Easter traditions

  In the Catholic state of Bavaria they take their religious holidays very seriously, which means that shops and offices close on Good Friday (April 9) and Easter Sunday and Monday 11-12 April)....

• The Bavarian Menu

  So you can't tell your weisswurst from your schinken? That's where our handy menu decoder comes in....

• Spring Festival

  From April 16 to May 2, Munich is celebrates its 40th Frühlingsfest (Spring festival) on the famous Theresienwiese....

• Skiing

  
  Some beautiful German villages near the Austrian border offer great skiing in stunning landscapes. Read more here....

• Crazy castles

  
  Read all about Mad King Ludwig's famous castles here. ...

• Football

  Berlin may be the capital of Germany, Frankfurt its financial centre, but when it comes to football, there is really only one town that matters: Munich, and its all-conquering Bayern team, which usually wins the German championship by some distance....

• The night of 25,000 blades

  Blade Night sounds like it could be fencing or it could refer to the night of the undead, when you can fulfill your vampire slaying fantasies while attempting to be as sexy as Wesley Snipes....

• A trip to Burghausen

  For sheer contrast to the Munich metropolis, how about a day or two away in deepest rural Bavaria? One of the prettiest little towns in Oberbayern but virtually unheard of by most foreign visitors is Burghausen....

• Auerdult Market

  This historical market festival (held from Oct 16 – 24) is little known to tourists but has fair prices and appealing wares....

• Beer!

  Einz...Zwei...Drei...Suffa!Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is perhaps most famous for beer. The Oktoberfest, the biggest party in the world, has been held here every year since 1833, but the brewing goes back much further than that....

• Munich's Districts

  Old TownAction is centred in the medieval Old Town (Altstadt), originally located within the old town walls, which have long ceded to a ring road....

• New Year's Eve

  
  On Silvesterabend (New Year’s Eve) the whole of Munich becomes a party zone. Nearly every restaurant offers pricey five-course dinners and entertainment, and club parties that last well into the new year....