Munich is vibrant. In 2024, the Bavarian metropolis will again be offering surprising events, new openings and premieres – whether culinary, sporty, service-oriented or "exceptionally classic". Read on for an overview of the highlights.
The face of the Bavarian metropolis is constantly changing. Tech giants, start-ups and pop-up locations are turning Munich into a vibrant city with international flair. Apple, for example, will move into its Maxvorstadt atriums in mid-2024.
But it's not just the city center that’s changing rapidly. To the west of Munich, Freiham is now one of Europe’s largest newbuild districts. A little to the north in Aubing, Bergson Kunstkraftwerk will open in spring as an event location that’s unparalleled in the entire region west of Munich. This former heating plant will offer art exhibitions, concerts, corporate events, and restaurants.
But of course, the city center and the districts surrounding it are still the epicenter of Munich, especially when it comes to gastronomic highlights.
After only opening in summer 2023, the Schwabing restaurant Portun was already in the Michelin Guide by fall. The impressive cuisine of the former co-head chef of Les Deux, Gregor Goncharov, is influenced by the Alps-Adriatic region and on request, Portun also offers special business lunch experiences.
Two more newcomers to the Guide Michelin since fall 2023 are Schwarzreiter in Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Maximilianstraße and Bogenhauser Hof. The latter looks back on some 200 years of gastronomic tradition. Following a comprehensive renovation, Karl Rieder and Kian Moussavi took over the restaurant in spring 2023 and now serve "Alpine cuisine with an Asian twist" – naturally for event guests too.
"Robinson Crusoe luxury" is what star chef Christoph Kunz calls his cuisine. He’s been fulfilling a lifelong dream at Komu since it opened in Hackenstrasse in mid-2023. This restaurant aims to bring together culinary diversity and serve up international delicacies.
The press used to describe St. Emmeramsmühle as a "gem of a restaurant" so everyone was that much sadder when it had to close last spring. Now the restaurant with its adjoining beer garden is about to reopen in Oberföhring. Next year, Oktoberfest gastronome Michael Schottenhamel is planning to reopen the doors together with star chef Peter Kinner and his son Julian.
From spring 2024, guests can also expect a traditional Bavarian atmosphere when Haxnbäurin opens very close to Marienplatz in Sterneckerbräu, a restored listed building. The restaurant will be run by the Kuffler Group, which also owns the wine tent at the Oktoberfest, Mangostin and Seehaus in the English Garden, and other locations.
Munich is not just a culinary hotspot. Eight years of planning were brought to a successful conclusion with the opening of Germany’s first Rosewood Group hotel in fall 2023. This high-end accommodation is located in an out-of-the-ordinary building – the former Bavarian State Bank in Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße and the adjacent Neuhaus-Preysing Palace. As with all Rosewood hotels, the aim is to offer "ultra-luxury" while at the same time fitting the hotel as perfectly as possible into its surroundings. The name of the hotel is written in small letters on the neo-baroque façade, for example, and preference is given to working with local or regional businesses and producers.
Another high-class reopening will follow in 2024 when MHP Hotel AG resurrects the iconic Königshof München am Stachus under the Marriott "Luxury Collection" brand. A restaurant and a modern bar with an exciting culinary and event concept on the roof of the building will offer great views over the city from the roof terrace.
The Stay Kooook, Nena Apartments and Aparthotel Cocoon have a completely different concept. What they all have in common is that they are mainly aimed at long-term guests and offer self-catering apartments and work facilities. Nena Apartments and Cocoon Hotels’ Aparthotel will both open on Theresienwiese in 2024, as will Staykooook between Stachus and the main railway station in Schützenstraße.
Munich is a city of trade fairs and congresses. This is reflected every year in the full business event calendar. Of particular interest in the coming year will be Inhorgenta, the trade fair for watches and jewelry that opens its doors with a new design concept in mid-February. IFAT in May focuses on a topic that is more topical than ever – solutions that contribute to a climate-friendly circular economy. In July, the international AIDS Conference will bring world-class scientists to Munich and in October, leading real estate experts will be at München Exhibition Center for EXPO REAL.
For 2025, Munich is already proud to present a number of world congresses. In June, for example, the 2025 ISAKOS Congress of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine will be held at the International Congress Center Messe München (ICM).
Any city that has as much to offer as Munich definitely needs a functioning infrastructure. Just this year, Munich Airport was named the Best Airport in Central Europe and is preparing for a record summer in 2024 with 190 long-haul departures – for example, with direct flights to the North American metropolis of Seattle for the first time.
There’s also good news on the local transport front – a night line program with subway trains running every 30 minutes after the switchover to the 2024-2025 timetable.
And who knows, maybe the business trip can be combined with a top-class sporting event? There’ll certainly be numerous opportunities. Munich not only has its own top-league soccer, basketball and ice hockey teams, but will also host some of the preliminary rounds of the European Handball Championship in January and soccer’s UEFA European Championship, which is being held at stadiums all over Germany from June 14 to July 14. For e-sports fans, the League of Legends EMEA final will also be staged in Munich in late summer 2024.
That’s when the SAP Garden will also open its doors. This new sports arena on the edge of the Olympic Park is where Red Bull Munich's ice hockey team will play their home games from the 2024/25 season. Bayern Munich's basketball team will also be playing their EuroLeague home games in what will then be Europe's most modern sports venue. And if you want to do some sport yourself, you can always try out O2 Surftown Munich from summer 2024.
Anyone who prefers culture and learning to sport will be delighted to experience Sir Simon Rattle as chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The world-famous native of Liverpool, who’s been leading the orchestra and choir since the start of the 2023/24 season, can be seen in action at the Isarphilharmonie in April, for example.
Museum lovers can also look forward to some new developments, for example when the State Archaeological Collection on the edge of the English Garden reopens at the beginning of 2024 after around eight years of renovation work. The collection was established back in 1885 and has around 6,000 exhibits on the history of the origins of mankind.
The Alpine Museum, which will reopen in spring 2024, focuses on mankind's relationship with the Alpine region. Located on Prater Island – embedded in the River Isar, so to speak – this museum houses a permanent exhibition on alpinism, an extensive library, and annually changing special exhibitions.
