How to pass yourself off as a local in Munich and the surrounding areas. (Or at least try to…)

1. Own a proper Dirndl or Lederhosen

Not one from the dressup shop or from a market. Bavarians take their traditional attire very seriously, often spending huge amounts of money on it. It is totally appropriate and acceptable to wear “Tracht” to a wedding or to the office. Rocking up in a Halloween version will be scorned upon and, frankly, seen as an insult. And Damen… a word about which side your bow should go on… left is for the single ladies only.

2. Use “Servus”

Away with your “Hallo”‘s and “Guten Tag”‘s. In Minga, greet and farewell everyone with a hearty “Servus” and you are bound to get one in return. (Aside: I treat this as a sport which I have named “Making Bavarians Speak to Me”. I haven’t finalised the scoring, but so far I know I am winning.)

3. Know something about THAT football team

The majority of Bavarians I interact with are actually fans of Fussball-Club Bayern München. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about football, but sport is a way into the hearts of the locals. And at least this way you’ll be supporting a winning team.

4. Breakfast like a local

The classy breakfast in these parts is Prosecco and some fish in a bread roll. Typically, a local will get this from Viktualienmarkt, Fisch Witte is a favourite and if you are lucky you can nab seats in the ski lift. (A short word of warning: Munich is nowhere near the sea.)

Bonus points if you do your veggie shopping at Viktualienmarkt afterwards.

Alternatively, have yourself a Bavarian breakfast. Weißwurst (white sausages that MUST be eaten before midday), sweet mustard, pretzel and Weißbier. Yip. Wheat beer for breakfast. Here, they take beer seriously. There is even a term for this early morning eating and drinking. Nope, not “problem drinker” but “Frühschoppen”.

Bonus points: refer to the pretzel as Brez’n.

5. Visit die Wies’n

aka Oktoberfest. But no-one that lives here calls it that. Wear your Dirndl/Lederhosen, trust me you will fit in better if you do.

Bonus points: don’t visit it, because you are so bored of it already.

6. Drink appropriately

A long standing joke about Bavaria that I have taken to heart:

How do you insult a Bavarian 4 times in one sentence?
“One small alcohol free Radler, please.”

Bavarians take beer very seriously. In fact it is in the law that you can drink beer at lunch time here. This is because beer is not considered alcohol, but food, by officials. Go figure. Which is why you order it a litre at a time. Unless it’s a Weißbier. So. Many. Rules. Don’t even get me started on how you “cheers’ and where you clink the glasses.

7. Steal your neighbours Maibaum

Sneak in to your archrival town and steal their maypole before they have a chance to put it up on May 1st. Then hold it for a king’s ransom in food and beer. Be careful though, the enemy is probably trying to steal yours too. In fact, the protection of the Maibaum can become a serious party.

8. Take your own food to the Biergarten

It is traditional and legal to arrive at the Biergarten with your own picnic, so long as you buy beer from the vendors. I actually love this idea and enjoy watching families set up for the afternoon.

Bonus points: use blue and white checked tablecloth.

Here is something I have noticed. Before I lived here, I had preconceptions about what German culture was. It turns out that most of the things I considered “German” were in fact, Bavarian. Who knew?

Talk to me: how do you blend-in where you are?

Want to know more about German life?

Here is my list of my fav places to go in Munich. (Revised in 2023 due to Covid closures and changes.)
Click here to read about the Great German Road Trip.
Fancy Berlin? Here are some things I found bizarre when I lived there.