Munich/South-West

South-West Munich is an area of the city of Munich roughly bounded by the railway tracks north, A99 west, the River Isar east, and the tract of land along A96 south. It's mostly residential, with visitor accommodation and eating places northeast along its boundary with Ludwigsvorstadt. The main attractions are the Flaucher islands in the Isar, the Zoo and Blutenburg castle.

Understand
Sendling was a village within walking distance of the city. It's best known for the Sendlinger Christmas Massacre of 1705, when a peasant revolt was crushed with the loss of 1100 lives. Sendling became an industrial and residential suburb during the 19th century and was incorporated into the city in 1877. Its main attraction is Westpark.

Thalkirchen is a little further south but industrialised early using waterpower from the Isar; its main attraction is the riverside area of Flaucher and the zoo. In 1992 several small neighbourhoods were combined to form the district of (deep breath) Thalkirchen-Obersendling-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln.

Hadern west remained rural into the 20th century, being incorporated into the city in 1938. It's the site of Waldfriedhof, the woodland cemetery.

Laim (not to be confused with Berg am Laim east of the city) is older than Munich itself - the name indicates loam or clay, made into bricks. It's on the main railway line and was incorporated into the city in 1900.

Obermenzing (site of Blutenburg Castle) and Pasing became semi-rural upmarket suburbs in the 20th century. They formed a combined district upon incorporation in 1938.

Aubing-Lochhausen-Langwied away west remains largely rural. You might visit the Langwieder lakes.

By train
the main railway station is just east of this district. See Munich for inter-city connections, which span Europe. From the airport take S1 (or the slower S8) and change for lines heading southwest.

is a secondary station 10 km west where several mainline trains stop on their way into Hauptbahnhof. These include trains from Cologne, Leipzig and Salzburg, and regional trains from Buchloe, Burgau, Dinkelscherben, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Memmingen and Weilheim. Pasing is an interchange for S- and U-Bahn trains, trams and buses.

S-Bahn suburban trains run east-west across city centre then fan out on either side. This means that most routes radiate out through the southwest, or form its boundary with northern Munich.
 * S1 runs from the airport via Laim and Hirschgarten to Hauptbahnhof, then east across Altstadt to Ostbahnhof. You could also take S8 from the airport, slower as it runs first to Ostbahnhof, Altstadt and Hauptbahnhof, then Hirschgarten, Laim and south to Westkreuz and Herrsching.
 * S2 starts northeast of the city at Erding and crosses Altstadt to Hauptbahnhof, Hirschgarten and Laim. It then heads north to Obermenzing, Untermenzing, Allach, Dachau and Petershausen.
 * S3, S4, S6 and S8 cross city centre via Hauptbahnhof, Hirschgarten and Laim to Pasing, which has DB mainline trains. S3 there turns north to Mammendorf, while the others go south: S4 to Geltendorf, S8 to Herrsching and S6 to Tutzing.
 * S7 crosses city centre but turns south before Hirschgarten, traversing Sendling district (Heimeranplatz, Harras, Mittersendling), Siemenswerk, Solln, Großhesselohe Isartalbahnhof, Pullach, Höllriegelskreuth and out to Wolfratshausen.
 * S20 starts at Pasing and swings south to Heimeranplatz (missing Hauptbahnhof) then along the S7 route as far as Höllriegelskreuth.

U-Bahn underground trains are the way to go north-south across the city.


 * runs from Olympic Park in the north to Altstadt and Sendlinger Tor then across Sendling to Thalkirchen (Tierpark) (for zoo), Obersendling and Fürstenried West.
 * and run across Altstadt to Hauptbahnhof then Heimeranplatz, Westendstraße and Laimer Platz.
 * runs from the north via Allianz Arena, University district, Altstadt and Sendlinger Tor, then across Sendling to Harras, Westpark, Holzapfelkreuth and Klinikum Großhadern.

Trams 18 and 19 run from Altstadt and Hauptbahnhof and make six stops to Lautensackstraße. Tram 18 then trends south to Gondrellplatz while Tram 19 continues west to Pasing.

By road
Road access is straightforward except in rush hour as A99 arcs across the district, with autobahn connections to all points of the compass. The problem is that it's very difficult to park, and street parking is mostly reserved for residents. If making a day-trip, use one of the Park & Rides signposted from the autobahn: these have good S / U-Bahn connections.

Get around
This is a sprawling district though within cycling range. Use S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram or bus to get around and don't try to use a car, parking is a nightmare. All the attractions described on this page are within the M inner city travel zone, see Munich for fares and ticket deals.

See

 * (U-Bahn U3: Thalkirchen (Tierpark)) is a broad expanse of parkland and river islands along the Isar. It's one of the main areas for city folk to relax in the sun, or to stroll in winter when they're less likely to trip over nude sunbathers. It's crossed by the ring road 2R, and barbecues (but not campfires) are permitted outside that ring. (You can buy food, beer and disposable barbecues at EDEKA supermarket next to the U-Bahn station.) Until the 19th century the area near Thalkirchen village was floodplains, only suitable for rough grazing. Several side-channels were then cut to manage the river flow and supply industry, including the power station to the north. The banks became popular for leisure time; in 1870 Zum Flaucher inn (see Drink) was opened and the name caught on. Leisure use has been in conflict with wildlife habitat, and since 2000 the city has re-wilded some sections.

Do

 * Jogging and walking: one popular area is the long island ribbon between the Isar and the adjacent canal.
 * (U-Bahn: Brudermühlstraße) until 2027 is the home of the philharmonic orchestra and others displaced by the rebuilding of the Gasteig cultural complex in Haidhausen. HP8 refers to this temporary site at Hans-Preißinger-Straße 8.
 * Golf: Munich Golf Club main course is at Strasslach 15 km south of the city, 3 x 9-holes. However they also have a 9-hole course on the riverbank, 200 m south of Asam Schlössl restaurant and west side of Thalkirchen campsite.
 * (S-Bahn S3: Lochhausen then Badebus) are three, accessed by Kreuzkapellenstraße off A8: Langwieder See itself, Lußsee and Birkensee. Thy were created by gravel extraction in the 1930s. You can swim, rent rowing boats or play minigolf. You can even scuba-dive to the narky depth of 8 m, ideal for beginners or skill-refreshers. The restaurant is open Tu-Th 17:00-23:00, F-Su 10:00-23:00 and has a beer garden, hotel rooms and campsite. The lakeshore gets busy on hot summer days.
 * (S-Bahn S3: Lochhausen then Badebus) are three, accessed by Kreuzkapellenstraße off A8: Langwieder See itself, Lußsee and Birkensee. Thy were created by gravel extraction in the 1930s. You can swim, rent rowing boats or play minigolf. You can even scuba-dive to the narky depth of 8 m, ideal for beginners or skill-refreshers. The restaurant is open Tu-Th 17:00-23:00, F-Su 10:00-23:00 and has a beer garden, hotel rooms and campsite. The lakeshore gets busy on hot summer days.
 * (S-Bahn S3: Lochhausen then Badebus) are three, accessed by Kreuzkapellenstraße off A8: Langwieder See itself, Lußsee and Birkensee. Thy were created by gravel extraction in the 1930s. You can swim, rent rowing boats or play minigolf. You can even scuba-dive to the narky depth of 8 m, ideal for beginners or skill-refreshers. The restaurant is open Tu-Th 17:00-23:00, F-Su 10:00-23:00 and has a beer garden, hotel rooms and campsite. The lakeshore gets busy on hot summer days.
 * (S-Bahn S3: Lochhausen then Badebus) are three, accessed by Kreuzkapellenstraße off A8: Langwieder See itself, Lußsee and Birkensee. Thy were created by gravel extraction in the 1930s. You can swim, rent rowing boats or play minigolf. You can even scuba-dive to the narky depth of 8 m, ideal for beginners or skill-refreshers. The restaurant is open Tu-Th 17:00-23:00, F-Su 10:00-23:00 and has a beer garden, hotel rooms and campsite. The lakeshore gets busy on hot summer days.
 * (S-Bahn S3: Lochhausen then Badebus) are three, accessed by Kreuzkapellenstraße off A8: Langwieder See itself, Lußsee and Birkensee. Thy were created by gravel extraction in the 1930s. You can swim, rent rowing boats or play minigolf. You can even scuba-dive to the narky depth of 8 m, ideal for beginners or skill-refreshers. The restaurant is open Tu-Th 17:00-23:00, F-Su 10:00-23:00 and has a beer garden, hotel rooms and campsite. The lakeshore gets busy on hot summer days.

Buy

 * Laim main supermarket is EDEKA, at Fürstenrieder 21 just south of the S-Bahn station. It's open M-Sa 07:00-20:00.
 * Sendling has four branches of EDEKA, similar hours.
 * Pasing Arcaden is south side of Pasing station on the S- and U-Bahn. It's a huge shopping mall over three floors, with stores open M-Sa 09:30-22:00. It's got pretty much everything including cheap eateries.
 * Wochenmarkt Solln (S-Bahn: Solln) is a food market held F 08:00-12:00 on Fellererplatz outside St Johann Baptist church, 100 m west of Al Caminetto restaurant.
 * Wochenmarkt Solln (S-Bahn: Solln) is a food market held F 08:00-12:00 on Fellererplatz outside St Johann Baptist church, 100 m west of Al Caminetto restaurant.

Eat

 * Sendling restaurants cluster north of Harras S-Bahn station. They include Sendlinger Treff at Plinganserstraße 14A and Öeins Stemmerhof at No 6, Sendlinger Augustiner at Alramstraße 24, Tannengarten at Pfeuferstraße 32, and Ayurveda at Ganghoferstraße 76.
 * Laim offerings are mostly Italian and Greek. They include Taverna Anemos at Willibaldstraße 24, Ristorante Cleo corner of Genovevaweg, Laimers at Agricolastraße 16, Trattoria Lindengarten at Agnes-Bernauer-Straße 115 and Polatsch at No 98, Asado Steak at Landsbergerstraße 292, Il Cortile at Fürstenrieder Straße 8, Am Ziel at Aindorferstraße 137, Taverna München-Laim at Camerloherstraße 91 and Speis Zimmer at No 82, La Ruota at Gotthardstraße 8 and Gotthardgarten at No 1, Kadifekale at Elsenheimerstraße 2 plus Hoa Quynh at No 26 and Bami at No 49.
 * Sendling restaurants cluster north of Harras S-Bahn station. They include Sendlinger Treff at Plinganserstraße 14A and Öeins Stemmerhof at No 6, Sendlinger Augustiner at Alramstraße 24, Tannengarten at Pfeuferstraße 32, and Ayurveda at Ganghoferstraße 76.
 * Laim offerings are mostly Italian and Greek. They include Taverna Anemos at Willibaldstraße 24, Ristorante Cleo corner of Genovevaweg, Laimers at Agricolastraße 16, Trattoria Lindengarten at Agnes-Bernauer-Straße 115 and Polatsch at No 98, Asado Steak at Landsbergerstraße 292, Il Cortile at Fürstenrieder Straße 8, Am Ziel at Aindorferstraße 137, Taverna München-Laim at Camerloherstraße 91 and Speis Zimmer at No 82, La Ruota at Gotthardstraße 8 and Gotthardgarten at No 1, Kadifekale at Elsenheimerstraße 2 plus Hoa Quynh at No 26 and Bami at No 49.
 * Laim offerings are mostly Italian and Greek. They include Taverna Anemos at Willibaldstraße 24, Ristorante Cleo corner of Genovevaweg, Laimers at Agricolastraße 16, Trattoria Lindengarten at Agnes-Bernauer-Straße 115 and Polatsch at No 98, Asado Steak at Landsbergerstraße 292, Il Cortile at Fürstenrieder Straße 8, Am Ziel at Aindorferstraße 137, Taverna München-Laim at Camerloherstraße 91 and Speis Zimmer at No 82, La Ruota at Gotthardstraße 8 and Gotthardgarten at No 1, Kadifekale at Elsenheimerstraße 2 plus Hoa Quynh at No 26 and Bami at No 49.

Bars & clubs

 * : see Ludwigsvorstadt  for this wacky venue on the railway tracks along the district boundary - a steam boat finds itself perched on the railway bridge. Beneath it is Zur Gruam bar and across the tracks is Bahnwärter Thiel.

Budget

 * Hangover Hospital is an Oktoberfest pop-up glamping site within Thalkirchen campsite.
 * Hangover Hospital is an Oktoberfest pop-up glamping site within Thalkirchen campsite.
 * Hangover Hospital is an Oktoberfest pop-up glamping site within Thalkirchen campsite.

Connect
As of Nov 2022, the entire city of Munich has 5G from all German carriers. Wifi (WLAN in German) is widely available in public places.

Go next

 * Munich/Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt is the central district just west. The big attractions are Deutsches Museum and Bavaria Statue & Hall of Fame. Oktoberfest is held in this district.
 * Munich/North across the railway tracks is extensive, but Nymphenburg Palace and park are near the boundary with the southwest.
 * Andechs has a monastery that brews a renowned beer.
 * Starnberg is an attractive lakeside resort.