Munich

Where to stay

Most hostels cluster around the Hauptbahnhof, which drops you directly onto the U-Bahn and S-Bahn grid. The stretch along Bayerstrasse and Schillerstrasse has the highest concentration of budget beds, and Maxvorstadt, two stops north on the U2, puts you near the university and the Pinakotheken museums without much of a price premium.

Getting around

• Buy an MVV Tageskarte for the Innenraum zone instead of single tickets. It covers every U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, and bus in the inner city and pays off after two rides.
• The three Pinakotheken museums cut admission to a token fee on Sundays. Skip the full weekday rate and go then.
• Avoid booking during Oktoberfest, the last two weeks of September through the first weekend of October. Dorm beds that normally run a modest nightly rate regularly hit several times that, and the decent hostels sell out months in advance.

When to go

January through March is the cheapest window, while Oktoberfest in late September and early October is when prices genuinely collapse availability and you should either book six months out or skip the dates entirely.