Munich vs Hamburg
Which would you pick?
The short answer
They cost about the same day to day — Munich $150–240, Hamburg $140–220 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in May–Jun, Sep, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇩🇪 Munich | 🇩🇪 Hamburg | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $150–240 | $140–220 |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $10–16 | $5–10cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $150–250 | $135–215 |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $4.80 | $4.70 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $3,300 | ≈ $3,300 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇩🇪 Munich
Germany's richest big city and its most Bavarian — beer gardens under chestnut trees, a gold-and-baroque old town, the Alps on the horizon on a clear day, and the most expensive hotel rooms in the country.
- Augustiner-Keller$Beer halls & beer gardens
- Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel$Sights & museums
- English Garden$Outdoors & markets
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial$Day trips
- Chinese Tower beer garden$Beer halls & beer gardens
🇩🇪 Hamburg
Germany's port city — red-brick warehouses on canals, container ships sliding past the fish market, a concert hall shaped like a wave, and the Reeperbahn for when the sun goes down. Wetter and grander than you expect, and more fun than its reputation for reserve suggests.
- Speicherstadt$Harbour & water
- Miniatur Wunderland$$Museums & sights
- Reeperbahn$$Nightlife
- Lübeck$Day trips
- Elbphilharmonie Plaza$Harbour & water
Practicalities
| Munich | Hamburg | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | German, with a heavy Bavarian accent. English is widely spoken in hotels, museums and beer halls. | German, spoken briskly. English is widely understood; 'Moin' is the all-day local hello. |
| Tap water | Excellent — it's piped from the Alpine foothills. Restaurants charge for water, so drink it at the hotel | Safe and good. Restaurants charge for water, tap included |
The same in both:
- Currency
- Euro (€). US$1 ≈ €0.88
- Time zone
- CET (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer)
- Power
- Type C/F plugs, 230V — the standard continental two-pin
- Emergency
- 112 fire & ambulance · 110 police · 116117 out-of-hours doctor