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Garching

Garching is a small town to the north of Munich. Population: just over 15k.

Because it is almost connected to Munich by the U-Bahn (U6) many people think of it as actually part of Munich (although technically it's not). The MVG has almost finished extending the U6 to Garching and the Institutes: this work will finish in October 2006, in the meantime there is a five minute bus or twenty minute walk between Garching-Hochbruk (the final U6 station) and the centre of Garching.

Munich's Technical University, Germany's Plasma Physics Institute, several Max Planck Institutes and a couple of reactors sit about a kilometer to the North of Garching.

They have a "Sommerfest" sometime in the Summer, and the usual Christmas market. Neither is a patch on what you would find in Munich, but they are often cheaper.

Other than that, not much else to say, other than to advise you to check out the beer garden. Cheap beer, friendly staff, water wheel. All you need really.

Check the website: http://www.garching.de/

See also: Munich city districts

Some Experiences:

Q: We are on the verge of signing a contract for a (rented) house in Garching. It's a little detached house with garden and roof terrace, the like of which is difficult to find in Central Munich. It's newly renovated and has a lot of space and character. It is also a decent price. It's also convenient for my husband's job. We have a child and this was our consideration is moving so far out. I've never actually been to Garching so I'm clueless as to what it is like. I did a search on TT and most references to Garching are people moaning about how far away it is. So my question is, does living in Graching really mean social death? Isn't there any life at all there? What about the international/student community who work there, don't some of them live there? Ok, so I'don't need to be in a pub everynight but every couple of weeks would be nice. I want my child to be happy (any body know about schools/kigas here?) but I don't want to be as miserable as hell. Does anybody have anything good to say about Garching? Crosslink by admin: Garching

A: I've been living in Garching for about 6 months now and while there are pros and cons on balance I think I live in the right place, mainly because I can be bed -> work in half an hour and all the commuting I do is for fun, not because I have to. First off: Winegirl is right that the *maibaum* (291) bus finishes fairly early, and if you only ever went to the institutes that is the bus you would have to worry about - it goes through garching and on to TUM/Instutes. In fact there is a different bus for Garching town, the 290, which essentially circles the maibaum, dropping you off a stops which probably land you closer to the majority of the residential areas. If you're going from Universitat, the last ubahn+bus is at 0:41, getting you into Garching at about 01:05... probably late enough for a work night! At the weekends this goes later, the last ubahn+bus connection is 01:27. On both occasions there are later ubahns, but they don't have busses connecting. I've never seen a taxi at the ubahn station, but it is only a 15 minute walk from GH to Garching. If you feel flush, I'm reliably informed that it's no problem to get a taxi from Schwabing.

Q: Thanks to the both of you for your replies. I also cycle a lot and thought that I could bike it to the Ubahn station if I want to go into town. We will be living in the Southern part of Garching. How far is that on the bike? (Rosenstrasse). Is it safe to leave your bike? Do you know where the new Ubahn station will be (the street name)? Also, if I am not depending on a connecting bus, when are the last Ubahns? Is it safe to cycle from the Ubahn station to home? We'll have a car, so major grocery shopping is no problem (we can bring you with us Benpanther) What kind of people live in Garching? Young families? Working class/Professional etc? Thanks again, Tara

A:I have lived in Garching now for a year and a half, and it basically was a conscious decision..partly because I work in the University and partly because I like the place...The only draw back is that it takes around 40 minutes to reach to the Hbf( if we consider it 2 be a reference)...but garching has many positive points..you can have a stride around the most serene parts of the Isar

A:I prefer not to leave my big mountain bike at the station, but in the past I have and it's been fine. My work commuting bike is left there virtually everytime I go into town, secured with a tiny little back wheel lock attached to the frame. Quite often if I get a lift back from town it stays there a couple of nights! There are big metal bike posts to lock to if you have a nicer bike, and the area is well lit. Regarding the new Ubahn stop, it will be in the centre of the town, between maibaum and rathausplatz/burgerplatzh. All the Ubahn info is at http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/. Last train on all days (although without a bus) is at 1:24 I think. I have never had a problem while cycling home, but then I being a big strapping chap I don't really ever have problems of that nature so possibly I'm not the best person to ask. Families I guess. A higher than usual quotient of proffesionals working at TUM/Institutes... plus a fair number of students, postdocs, and all the support staff required for them. Quite a few old people, who don't seem as grumpy as those I've encountered in the city!

A: I just thought I'd add to this. The supermarkets in Garching aren't too hot, but just a few minutes drive away in Ismaning there's a large Minimal that's a lot more like grocery stores most of us are used to. They've even got a small selection of curry sauces there, and I've occasionally found chocolate chips. I normally first do a grocery shop at Penny to get the staple cheap-cheap stuff and then head over to Minimal for the better selection. As for biking from the train station, it's perfectly safe. I've done it by myself plenty of times and never had a problem, even in the blackness of night on unlit streets. A standard ride-around-town bike is perfectly safe there, but I'm not sure if I'd want to leave a really nice one. My guess would be that your typical family in the Garching international community would be young professional families. You'll probably run into more of your standard share of science geeky people, but we're not so bad. I personally think that Garching would be a great place for a family. It's close enough to town for 30-somethings with kids who want to occasionally have a night out, but far enough away to be peaceful. I've never tried out any pubs in Garching myself. I think you'll find that you end up going into town for that, though there's a place in Ismaning I've been meaning to try out that has jazz on Mondays. That one might be worth it. Garching has a really good video store (that is, for German video store standards). I hope you invite all of us Nord-Muencheners to your housewarming!

Related pages:

• Life in Garching

Towns in GermanyMunich