Munich, literally meaning "home of the monks", came into being when friars settled there in the eighth century. It was the monks who began the brewing tradition for which the city has become famous. Every year, some six million people visit the Oktoberfest beer festival, consuming more than 5.5m litres of the amber nectar in two weeks. Bavaria's capital has plenty to offer aside from beer, however.
Second only to Berlin as Germany's most popular city to visit, Munich is packed with designer bars, top-notch restaurants and some leading art collections. Head into the beautiful square known as Marienplatz to watch the daily clockwork performance of the Glockenspiel on the fa?e of the gothic New Town Hall. Or escape the city to the nearby Bavarian Alps. Munich has close links with sports of all kinds, having hosted the 1972 Olympic Games, 1974 World Cup final, the Euro 1988 final and the UEFA Champions League final in 1997. The 2006 World Cup will kick off in the city's new AllianzArena.
Sporting pedigree
· Munich's most famous footballing son is Franz Beckenbauer, or "The Kaiser" - the only man to have won the World Cup both as a player and as manager.
· The greatest goal-scorer of the modern era, Gerd "Der Bomber" Muller, notched up 365 goals for Bayern Munich during his 14-year career.
1966 and all that ...
In 1974, the entire World Cup was broadcast on television in colour for the first time, culminating in the final at Munich's Olympic Stadium, where viewers watched home-boy Franz Beckenbauer excel.
Where to stay
The new Allianz Arena, where the matches will be played, lies to the north of Munich's city centre.
· The three-star Hotel and Guesthouse Bock is located in the north, just over a mile from the Allianz Arena stadium.
· AccomLine allows you to choose from a selection of three-, four- and five-star hotels in Munich.
· Rooms at more than 550 German hotels can be booked during the World Cup through Fifaworldcup.com. The hotels will be rated from two to five stars and all will be located close to match venues. Simply specify which team you want to follow and the period when you'd like to be in Germany.
· Soccerphile in partnership with tour company VIP Hanse Touring is offering World Cup tour packages including hospitality, hotel bookings, venue and match day transfers and city tours.
· Hotel.de offers a selection of hotels available in the 12 participating World Cup cities along with information on draw dates and venues.
· World Cup Trips organises accommodation and tours incorporating transport to and from matches.
· Find accommodation in each of the World Cup host cities at Walking-in-Germany.co.uk.
· Find people with rooms to rent in Munich at ImmobilienScout24.
· Fanproject 2006 is offering accommodation at giant campsites around Germany during the World Cup.
Getting there
By air: Munich's International Airport (MUC) is 17 miles northeast of the city. British Airways, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, DUO and Easyjet all fly there. Find flights to Munich at: Cheapflights.co.uk. An airport bus runs every 20 minutes to and from Arnulfstrasse, on the north side of the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), between 6.50am and 7.50pm, taking around 45 minutes.
By rail: There are international rail links from London Waterloo to Germany's gateway cities of Aachen and Cologne. Book through Deutsche Bahn. European Rail offers transport to all the World Cup destinations. Also, check out special offers from Deutsch Bahn for World Cup travel.
By road: Eurolines, the overseas wing of National Express, offer return fares from the UK to all major German cities. Within Germany, Eurolines is represented by Deutsche Touring or tickets are available from Deutsche Bahn ticket agents in major railway stations.
The stadium
World Cup matches will be played at the brand new 66,000-seater Allianz Arena. It's home to both of Munich's Bundesliga clubs (FC Bayern and TSV 1860) and during league games the stadium's exterior changes colour according to which team is playing (red for Bayern and blue for 1860).
· Where is it? From the Hauptbahnhof, take the underground U6 to "Fr?ttmaning". Special football tours for groups can be booked by through the Munich Tourist Office by emailing gaestefuhrungen@muenchen.de
Or watch it in a bar
The Arc Pub is an international bar in Munich Schwabing. Opened in August 2004 by two Australian friends, the Arc is renowned for showing a variety of international televised sports, many of which can't be seen anywhere else in Munich. The Arc has two TVs as well as a large-screen projection. Beers on tap include Augustiner, Guinness, and Newcastle Brown Ale.
Been there: Readers' guide to Munich
