Munich Area Travel Guide

Munich is located in Bavaria; Bavarians are the proudest of all Germans. Locals are loyal to their roots and traditions. Bavaria is also the most autonomous of German states, and many Bavarians see themselves as Bavarians first and foremost, Germans second. Some people have called it the "Texas of Germany". Bavarians also have no problem fulfilling the German stereotype of beer drinking, sausage eating and Lederhosen. This however is only found in rural Bavaria and mainly in the south and east either towards Austria and alps or the thick forests that border the Czech Republic and Bohemia.

Most Bavarians can speak a form of the Bavarian dialect (Bairisch). The dialect, however, is extremely difficult for most other Germans to understand—a person from Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) would have a hard time understanding a Bavarian. Bavarians are usually more conservative than the rest of Germany (or Europe for that matter). Munich, however, is a pretty liberal city with a huge number of people from other parts of Germany, Europe, and the world, and it has a large English-speaking community.