Places to see during an exploration of Munich

Hi Everyone, so happy I found this forum. I might be transferred to Munich for work and have never been (traveled all over Europe, not sure why I haven't hit Germany yet!). So, I'll have some time next Wednesday to explore the city and would love suggestions of things to see--not tourist attractions so much, but residential areas (im 25, single, and live in NY currently to get an idea of my background) or any favorite spots to check out. Also, I might have a choice between Munich and Frankfurt--so any reasons as to why you chose to live in Munich would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Curry night is good! read about it!
Happy now EB?

Exploring like, looking for a place you would enjoy to live?

Why Munich rather than Frankfurt?
less drug dealers, hookers and investment bankers
less looking like New York
better football team
beer instead of "Äppelwoi"
bigger TT community

Hi there, if I get it right you want to check out different residential areas for deciding where to get an apartment in Munich?

Well, if you like the Manhattan-like kind of living, with a lot of bustling and stores and nighlife and the subway right in front of your door, definitely check out Schwabing (the area between the Hohenzollernplatz, Josephsplatz, Münchner Freiheit and Giselastraße subway stations) and Haidhausen (the area between Ostbahnhof, Max-Weber-Platz and Rosenheimer Platz).

If you prefer the suburban kind of living (but still within munich city borders and an acceptable commuting time into the city center), try the Trudering / Waldtrudering neighborhoods. A 15-minute subway ride from the city center, you might transfer to an outbound 146 bus at the Trudering station and go all the way out to Iltisstraße, to see what the suburban-like residential areas of Munich are like.

Why choose Munich over Frankfurt?
First, Munich is much safer. Frankfurt has the highest crime rate of any German city, Munich one of the lowest.
Munich has much more inhabitants (twice as much as Frankfurt), thus there's a lot more to see, do and explore.
While the Frankfurt city center is mostly high-rise office towers, Munich features an intact and nice historic city center, somehow like in a small village.
Munich is much more fun for weekend activities outside the city, located conveniently close to lots of lakes, the alps, and a very beatiful countryside with typical bavarian villages.

If you like to, feel free to contact me via PM, I might give you some more specific information or even find the time to guide you around a bit on Wednesday.

In Munich? Is your guided tour open to those of us who've lived here for years but mysteriously missed that bit?!

Comparing Munich to Frankfurt is like comparing NY to tulsa. Munich is much better, fact.

Well, Schwabing is as close as you can get to urban life in Munich. Of course, no real comparison to Manhattan, but the most you can get here. All other parts of the city are literally dead after 8pm. That's somehow reminding me of the first few minutes of "28 Days Later", you know, the guy walking out of the hospital and no people or cars on the street

I didnt get a chance to thank everyone for the responses before my trip-- I got a chance to explore the various areas you all mentioned during my (quick!) trip and really enjoyed it--it looks like I'll be moving to Munich in January!

Now its time for the fun stuff... finding an apartment, a car, and learnign a bit of German before I come over!

Unless you work right out of town, it's unlikely you'll need a car, and certainly not in the beginning..

The better analogy for Schwabing would be Park Slope, B'lyn. Formerly alternative, now saturated with yuppies pushing baby carriages. Beautiful architecture though -- especially that stretch around Friedrichstrasse.

Agree that you probably won't need a car, at least if you live anywhere near the city center.