Is it possible to mix hostelling, city sightseeing and hiking into one affordable European trip? That was the question I wanted to answer when planning an 8-day interrailing adventure through Munich, Mayrhofen and Vienna with my housemate, Shaun.
Even though we had both visited Munich and Vienna independently years earlier, this trip had a different goal: combine two classic European cities with a short Alps hiking escape in the middle. The plan was simple — travel by train, stay in hostels, keep the budget under control and maximise what was possible in early June.
This first part focuses on Munich, using Munich Wombats Hostel near Hauptbahnhof as our base for a short 2-day itinerary. From there, we explored some of the best Munich attractions, including Marienplatz, the city centre, the Englischer Garten, Allianz Arena, Hofbräuhaus and the Isar River.
This guide covers where we stayed, what we did, how much the interrailing trip cost, and why Munich remains one of my favourite European cities for a budget city break.
Munich
Overview: Capital of Bavaria and Germany’s third-largest city, Munich blends tradition with innovation. There is a wide range of Munich Attractions from sport, history and of course, Beer. The world-famous sports teams, Bayern Munich, play at the Allianz Arena, which has a great Stadium Tour or try watching a football game there! The Bavarian Beerhalls and Beer Gardens are famous around the world, with tourists flocking to enjoy these all year round. Hofbräuhaus, originally opened in 1589, is the most visited hall, so be patient in getting a table!
Oktoberfest runs from late September to early October, when around 6 million people visit for the celebrations. If you’re planning on visiting for Oktoberfest, book well in advance and be prepared for the increased prices. The Bavarian food is very traditional, with Pretzels, Sausages and Cheeses to try. Munich isn’t all about drinking, with a fascinating history linked to politics, art, and war. The Old Town has several Munich attractions near Marienplatz, such as the impressive Neo-Gothic Town Hall and Frauenkirche.
Outside of the city, there are popular day trips to Neuschwanstein Castle and the Bavarian Alps. Unfortunately, I haven’t visited the Castle yet. However, Berchtesgaden is a picturesque Alpine town worth visiting, next to Königsee and Eagle’s Nest. The mix of sport, nature and Bavarian lifestyle appeals to me, with enough Munich attractions for multiple visits. And with a big car industry, it was high on my list of potential places to live abroad, with the BMW Welt and Museum a must-see for car-lovers!
Munich Attractions:
- Famous for Oktoberfest, beer gardens, and historic architecture.
- Home to cultural institutions like the Deutsches Museum, Pinakothek galleries, and BMW Welt.
- Sporting heritage of the Munich 1972 Olympics and Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
- The old town features landmarks like Marienplatz, Frauenkirche, and the Residenz Palace.
- Day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle
Vibe: Cosmopolitan yet deeply rooted in Bavarian heritage, with a high quality of life and strong economy
Munich Wombats Hostel Review
For this Munich trip, we stayed at Wombat’s City Hostel Munich Hauptbahnhof, which makes a lot of sense for an interrailing itinerary. The hostel is right next to Munich’s main train station and within easy reach of the Old Town, Karlsplatz and public transport connections, making it a very practical base for arriving with luggage and exploring the city quickly.
The location is the biggest advantage. If you are arriving by train, continuing onwards by rail, or planning a short Munich stay, being near Hauptbahnhof saves time and effort. The Munich Hostel is on Senefelderstrasse 1, around 1.1km from the city centre, and describes it as close to the U-Bahn, international trains, city sights and Oktoberfest grounds.
The hostel setup is also well suited to backpackers. Hostelworld lists useful facilities including free Wi-Fi, 24-hour reception, guest kitchen, laundry, luggage storage, security lockers, smart-card access and en-suite bathrooms in all rooms. Wombat has 2 hostels in the city: the Hauptbahnhof hostel and Werksviertel hostel.
The social side is another strong point. In the centre of Munich Wombats Hostel is the WomBAR, with organised events, affordable drinks, free walking tours and a breakfast buffet with vegan options, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. For a short city break or interrailing stop, that makes it easy to meet people without needing to plan every evening in advance.
Hostelworld currently shows the property with a 9.2 “Superb” rating from 29,034 reviews, including strong category scores for location, security, cleanliness, staff and value for money. That lines up with my experience and why the hostel works well for travellers who want convenience, social atmosphere and reliable facilities rather than a quiet boutique stay.
Best Things About Wombat’s City Hostel Munich Hauptbahnhof
- Excellent location beside Munich Hauptbahnhof
- Easy base for interrailing and airport/train connections
- Walkable access to the Old Town and central Munich attractions
- Social bar and hostel events
- Guest kitchen, laundry and luggage storage
- En-suite bathrooms in rooms
- Good option for backpackers and budget city breaks
Potential Drawbacks
The main drawback of Munich Wombats Hostel is that the Hauptbahnhof area is practical rather than pretty. It is ideal for transport and convenience, but not the most atmospheric part of Munich. If you want a quieter or more neighbourhood-focused stay, another area may feel nicer. Some Hostelworld guest feedback also notes room temperature issues in certain private rooms, although reviews overall remain very strong.
Hostel Verdict
For a short interrailing stop, Wombat’s City Hostel Munich Hauptbahnhof is a very strong choice. It is not the most charming location in Munich, but it is hard to beat for convenience, train access, facilities and social atmosphere. If your goal is to arrive, drop your bags, explore Munich attractions and continue onwards by train, this hostel fits the brief perfectly.
Hostel Rating: 8.3 / 10
Wombats City Hostel
Trip Planning
Flights
- We managed to get cheap flights from Heathrow to Munich with Lufthansa (only £59 each). Then had a return from Vienna to Heathrow with British Airways costing £46 each. The bargain flights made this trip very affordable in 2022.
Hostels
- I used HostelWorld to research accommodation, as well as using Shaun’s previous experience. In Munich, we stayed at Munich Wombats Hostel near the Hauptbahnhof for its great central location. See the full review above.
Transport
- From Munich Airport to the centre, there is a fast and reliable metro system costing only 4 euros. And similar to Vienna, there is cheap public transport out of the city to the Airport. We spent 11euros for both airport trains; however, the Interrailing trains were much more. Munich is a very walkable city, but there are U-Bahns (underground metros) and S-Bahns (trains) to help move around the city quickly. A single ticket cost €3.70 and a Day ticket, inner zone, costs €8.80.
From Munich to Mayrhofen cost us 44 euros (£38) for the 3-hour scenic trip into the mountains. First changing at Jenbach and then onto Mayrhofen im Zillertal on the local train. Then from Mayrhofen to Vienna, we had a change at Jenbach and only 3 hours. It cost us 106 (£91), which was steep, but it was a late booking and took half the day. Also, we took buses from Mayrhofen to Schliesgiss Reservoir, costing 12 euros return, and the Munich train to the Allianz was only a few Euros.
Kit List
- For this Hostelling Interrailing trip, I used my trusted Hostelling Packing List in my Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Pack. As we planned 2 days hiking, the additions were my much-loved La Sportiva TX4 GTX approach shoes and a small compact 10L Quecha hiking pack (which doubled as a day-pack in the cities). This gave me sufficient quality hiking gear to safely hike out of season.
Munich Interrailing Essentials
Activities
- For the Munich Attractions, we planned to visit the Allianz Arena for a Stadium Tour thanks to our shared love of football. We debated visiting the BMW Welt, but needed another day in Munich, so we visited the Englischer Garten (English Gardens) instead (for free). And we would soak up the Old Town, markets and Beer Halls as well. After the busy city, Mayrhofen would give us 2 incredible alpine hikes with a surprise visit to the Water Park and Swimming Pool on Day 3. In Vienna, we planned to visit the famous Schönbrunn Palace and Belvedere Palace. Then spend the rest of our time enjoying the incredible architecture on foot.
Day 1 – Munich
City Centre
As per usual, we flew early from London Heathrow to give us the most time in Munich. The International Airport is outside the city, so a metro train takes around 40minutes to reach the Central Station (München Hauptbahnhof). The trains are every 10 minutes and have plenty of luggage space. Our Hostel (Wombat’s City Hostel Hauptbahnhof) was a 5-minute walk from the station, which saved us from carrying our bags across the city.
We dropped them off in the luggage room at the Hostel before leaving with just our daypacks. As Shaun and I had both previously been to Munich independently, we both had a sense of the city to navigate and see all the Munich attractions in the 2 days there. The first stop was the Old Town to see Marienplatz and Frauenkirche.
Marienplatz is the heart of the city, with St. Peter’s Church, Town Hall and central square offering convenient transport links. Frauenkirche is an iconic church with the 2 domed towers seen above most of the city skyline. I would recommend doing a Free Walking Tour if you’re interested in learning about the fascinating history of Munich, such as GuruWalk. We didn’t fancy a tour, given I had done one several years before when I did my First Solo Trip.
Next, we walked around the Viktualienmarkt Market Stalls (which have been running since 1807!) in search of lunch and picked up a coffee whilst we browsed. In the end, we went to Ruff’s Burger, which provided fast and delicious burger combo deals with several vegetarian options for me!
Englischer Garten
The afternoon was spent walking around the beautiful Englischer Garten. It is a 20-minute (1.4Km) walk from the market to the start of the park. At Eisbachwelle, there is all year round surfing to observe from the bridge. Yes, you read that correctly, surfing in the middle of Munich! It’s easy to watch the skill of the surfers ride the waves and then drift downstream along the river. Englischer Garten is an expansive urban park with over 78Km of cycling, walking and running trails to explore. Locals flock to the park to play sports, relax and visit a beer garden.
And it was the Beer Garden (Biergarten am Chinesischen Turm) we walked over to next after climbing up the Monopteros for views across the city. The Beer garden has hundreds of benches and tables to relax at, with the famed Hofbräu beer and food being served. The main attraction is the Chinesischer Turm above the garden, which becomes illuminated at night. We skipped the beer this time as we had to walk back to the hostel to check in.
The nicest route to the Old Town is via Hofgarten and the Munich Residence to see the landscaped gardens. After meeting some fellow backpackers at the Wombats hostel, we hit the town in search of dinner. Fortunately, we got a table at the Ratskeller München at Marienplatz. The beer flowed as I enjoyed a Käsespätzle (German Cheese Spaetzle) and Shaun a pork knuckle. Overall, a tasty and not too pricey meal!
Day 2- Munich
Allianz Arena Tour
The main attraction for us was to visit the Allianz Arena for a Stadium Tour and the Bayern Munich Museum. After spending lockdown together, Shaun and I had made Bayern our unofficial 2nd team to support when the Bundesliga restarted the season. I had previously done the tour, but for €25, I was more than happy to return. We pre-booked an early tour and got the U-Bahn over to Fröttmaning, then a short walk to the imposing futuristic arena.
The guided tour lasted 1 hour, with a recommended time in the Museum of 1 to 1.5hours. The Tour was great in seeing how a modern stadium was constructed and getting to see the Changing Rooms, Media Room and walking the tunnel to the pitch itself. The Allianz Arena holds 75,000 people and made us want to return on a match day to experience the famous German football atmosphere.
After the tour, we walked through the museum where we learnt about the origins of Bayern Munich and the success over the years. It is incredibly informative and gives a broad insight into different aspects of the club on and off the pitch. There is a Club Store at the end where we picked up some discounted merchandise before returning to the city centre on the U-Bahn.
Hofbräuhaus
The plan for the afternoon was to relax at the iconic Hofbräuhaus Beer Hall. It has become a tourist hotspot with large steins of beer, Bavarian music and traditional Dirndls and Lederhosen being worn. Tables are not reserved, so it is difficult to find spare seats. We were lucky to grab a table in the courtyard, but after waiting too long with no service, we left. Instead, we went to a supermarket, picked up some Hofbrau bottles for much cheaper and walked along the river.
It’s worth visiting a Bavarian Beerhall to enjoy the atmosphere with a huge Stein in hand, listening to traditional music. I did this on my first visit to Munich, so I was happy to skip it this time. There are quieter beer halls, such as Augustiner-Keller and Paulaner (my preferred beer).
We walked alongside the Isar River, chatting about life and Munich, then found a quiet spot to enjoy the beers on the banks. The weather was turning as we took shelter in a graffiti-covered underpass near Angel of Peace. We decided it was smart to get back to the hostel as neither of us had waterproofs. But first, we found a stray football, so we couldn’t miss the opportunity for some street football in the pouring rain.
Now, we were soaked but cheery, so we quickly got back into some warmer clothes. For dinner, we stayed very local and went into a cheap kebab shop, which served a purpose but wasn’t much to write about. The 2 days in the Bavarian capital gave a whistle-stop tour of the main Munich Attractions apart from the BMW Welt or Olympic Park. I would have liked a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.
See Part 2 for the rest of the Interrailing Trip to Mayrhofen and Vienna. And find out how we made the most of this 8-day trip over the 3 amazing locations.
Ready for the Alps section of the trip?
Continue the interrailing route into Mayrhofen for alpine hiking, mountain views and a short Austrian Alps adventure between Munich and Vienna.
Read the Mayrhofen Guide
Finishing the interrailing trip in Vienna?
Complete the journey with Vienna’s hostels, grand architecture, classic attractions, food stops and final city break planning tips.
Read the Vienna GuideBudget
We planned for this to be a cheap budget trip and tried to save as much money as possible. We stayed in hostels instead of hotels or AirBnBs, and we found great prices for return flights, which helped. The biggest surprise cost was the Vienna trains at over £80, but these took 5hours respectively and were booked late. The hostels cost on average £25 per night, which is a bargain! Also, we kept our costs down by using supermarkets for breakfast and lunches instead of eating out every day. In total, for the 8-day trip, we spent £86 a day, which safely qualifies for a budget trip.
Food & Drink
The food in Munich was nice, but to be honest, I struggled being vegetarian. The German cuisine focuses on meat dishes, mainly with Spätzle (Cheesy pasta), Burgers and Pizza being the safest options. Munich isn’t the cheapest location, and the Beer Kellers are notably more expensive. A pint of beer costs around €5, whereas coffees cost around €3. For food, the Burger with fries cost around €10 compared to the restaurant meal, at closer to €15-20 each. To keep costs down, we used supermarkets and cheap bakeries to buy pastries and breakfast. There are many Pizza places which offer slices for a couple of euros too.
Art
Final Thoughts
Looking back, this interrailing trip successfully combined two European cities with a short alpine hiking escape using only trains as transport. The route through Munich, Mayrhofen and Vienna gave us city sightseeing, hostel life, mountain trails and classic European train travel in one affordable 8-day itinerary.
Munich was the ideal starting point. Staying at Munich Wombats Hostel near Hauptbahnhof made the logistics easy, especially with airport transfers, luggage and onward trains. From there, we could explore many of the best Munich attractions on foot or by public transport, including Marienplatz, the Englischer Garten, Allianz Arena, Hofbräuhaus and the Isar River.
Even though trains were one of the highest costs, the overall trip stayed affordable by using hostels, budget flights and cheaper food options. Munich itself can be expensive, but it is still very manageable for backpackers if you stay central, walk between attractions and prioritise the experiences that matter most.
I would recommend 3–4 days in Munich if you want to include museums, BMW Welt, Allianz Arena, beer halls and a day trip to the Bavarian Alps. With only a Munich 2 day itinerary, you can still see a lot, but you will need to focus on the key highlights.
What is your favourite part of Munich? Read Parts 2 and 3 of the Munich, Mayrhofen and Vienna interrailing trip to see how we made the most of each place.
Munich Wombats Hostel FAQs
Is Munich Wombats Hostel in a good location?
Yes, Munich Wombats Hostel is in a very convenient location near München Hauptbahnhof, the city’s main train station. This makes it useful for airport transfers, interrailing routes and walking into Munich Old Town. From the hostel, areas like Marienplatz, Frauenkirche and Viktualienmarkt are easy to reach on foot or by public transport.
Is Wombat’s City Hostel Munich good for interrailing?
Yes, Wombat’s City Hostel Munich works well for interrailing because it is close to the main train station and easy to use as a base for short stays. The location makes it simple to arrive by train, store bags, explore Munich, and continue towards destinations like Mayrhofen, Vienna or other European cities.
How many days do you need in Munich?
Two days in Munich is enough for a short introduction to the city, especially if you focus on the Old Town, Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt, Englischer Garten, beer halls and one major attraction like Allianz Arena. Three to four days is better if you want to add BMW Welt, the Deutsches Museum, Olympic Park or a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.
What can you do in Munich in 2 days from Wombat’s Hostel?
A good 2-day Munich itinerary from Wombat’s Hostel includes Marienplatz, Frauenkirche, Viktualienmarkt, Englischer Garten, Eisbachwelle surfing, Hofgarten, Munich Residenz, a beer hall dinner, Allianz Arena, the Bayern Munich Museum and an Isar River walk. These attractions are either walkable from the centre or easy to reach by U-Bahn.
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