Munich was never on my radar as a place to stop for this trip but with all good backpacking adventures, plans always change. Instead of heading to Austria as originally planned I came here as it allowed the easiest path to my new destination in Italy and what would be the end of my trip around Europe.
Quickly made plans don’t always pans out well and as such I could only find 2 nights accommodation in this captivating city. Unlike Berlin where I was easily lost, Munich felt safer and easier to navigate from the start. It might have only been two days but the sun warmed my body and the beer cooled it down making me dream of returning.
| Day | Transport | Hostel | Attractions | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Misc | Total EU | Total $AU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 22 | – | 5 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 63 | 92.64 |
| 2 | 15 | 22 | 18 | – | 15 | 10 | 15 | 95 | 139.70 |
Transport
Like all of my favourite cities visited to this point, I’ve used my feet to get around. The only travel costs I incurred were reservation fees for my Eurail pass. The first day was how much it cost me leaving Prague and the second was the one leaving Munich.
Hostel
My accommodation choices were limited to a list of expensive hotels and just one hostel. Some major car conference was happening in Munich at the time of my arrival and the result of that meant finding a bed for the night was almost impossible. To add to my misfortune it was also a weekend and we all know how much busier these can get.
I got lucky with my hostel in the end but would have loved to have stayed longer. It had wifi, bar, laundry facilities and pretty darn comfortable dorm rooms.
Attractions
I had just one full day to explore Munich so lined up a free walking tour (tipped 5 euro) and the evening pub crawl as the main events of the day. The walking tour was really good but I would have loved to catch the tour detailing Hitler’s story in Munich. I got such a small taste that it left me wanting to know more.
Between the tour and the pub crawl I also climbed the tower at St Peter’s Church for the cost of 2 euro to get a good look out over Munich.
The pub crawl cost 11 euro which walked a happy bunch of backpackers around to three different beer halls while providing the first stein free at each. Our reasonably small group allowed us to bond quickly which fuelled the fun we had on such a warm evening. Drinking games naturally occurred and by the time I crawled home there was grave concerns for my ability to be up early for the train to Italy.
To read about everything I saw and did in Munich including the Glockenspiel check out my post Munich in a day.
Food
Food was little bits here and there as I was always on the move. My favourite meal however was stopping at Hofbrauhaus for lunch after the walking tour. Crispy pork knuckle and potato dumplings sure go down a treat with a nice cold stein of their finest. It wasn’t really cheap at 15 euro but really how can you not want to stop at the Hofbrauhaus when in Munich.
Miscellaneous
Some snacks along the way, extra beer on the pub crawl and a souvenir bottle opener from the great beer city were my only other expenses. I’d have loved a stein to take with me but they were just too big and I didn’t fancy my chances of not breaking it between here and London.
Total Cost for Munich
I loved my very short stay in Munich but it kicked a big old hole in my planed expenditure. I put part of that down to having been travelling through the cheaper eastern half of Europe and my inability to sacrifice a good time over a bit of money. I’m travelling for fun and to enjoy myself not lock myself away after lunch time because I reached the spending limit for the day.
A total cost of 158 Euro or $232.34 AUD (at an exchange rate of 0.68 Euro = 1 AUD) over the two days exploded my recent below expected average daily cost out too $116.17 AUD a day.
I know my short stop does have an effect on this as had I stayed longer my activities would have been spaced out over time. Still it was a bit of a shock and it quickly reminded me of the vast variations in costs you will meet while travelling around Europe.
Had I travelled to Munich now (November 2014) the total cost for the 2 days would have been $225.84 AUD. A little better for the wallet but still on the high side for such a short stay.
I can only imagine how much Munich would hurt your bank balance around Oktoberfest time but when the surroundings are this beautiful city and you have beer that goes down oh so well, it’s hard to deny the cost isn’t worth it.
Chris, these posts get more and more impressive.
Really good, honest information about European destinations that too often get hyped.
High-five1
Thanks mate. I’d love to have known this stuff before I left so hopefully it helps someone out there planning a trip to Europe.
I’ll be one of those making good use of your posts! These are awesome, thanks! 🙂 I jot down my expenses when I backpack as well, but they’re all in my notebook for reference. LOL… I do, however, share my info on travel forums whenever I can 🙂
Keep it up! Holler if you’re ever visiting the Philippines! 🙂
Ouch that would kill me. Do you think if you stayed longer it would be cheaper?
Ayngelina if I’d have stayed longer I still would have done everything I did but spaced it out over days where I just explored on my own walking the streets for free which would have brought my average daily cost down.
As it was I didn’t have much time so packed it all into a short period of time.
Hey mate,
Great website with interesting reads. Oktoberfest certainly costs a bit but I recommend. It’s a great party!
Cheers,
Cheers Dan. I’m with you I haven’t been to Oktoberfest yet but it’s on the list so hopefully I’ll get there this year or the next.
Yeah Munich is expensive, much prefer Berlin.
Btw Oktoberfest is definitely worth doing once mate. My suggestion is to camp or share a hotel room with a bunch of mates. But be prepared for 10 euro steins of beer – ouch!
Do you know of, or can you remember the hostel you stayed at in Munich? I’ll be there for two nights after TBU and would love to know a good place that someone else has stayed in who I know. Looking forward to sampling the beer!!
Kirsten, I stayed at the Easy Palace City Hostel when I was there. I was stuck with it due to everything being booked out when I was in Munich at the time. In saying that the place was clean and friendly with about a 10-15min walk from the main train station.
Going to Munich soon for the Oktoberfest, cheers for the information you’re sharing, might turn out to be useful ^^ 10 Euros the Stein? Ouch indeed…