Area near Munich train station

I guess the neighborhood might be offensive to some people, but I don't think it is unsafe.

Last September, I stayed half a km away and never felt unsafe.

Yes, a strip joint or two, but also some decent hotels. Pretty tame.

Bob,

I suppose the area could be considered a bit "seedy", but I don't have a problem with that. I prefer to stay in that area because it's so convenient to the station. I was there again about a month ago staying at Hotel Royal, and had no problems at all. The atmosphere in the street does not extend into the hotels (at least in my experience) and no one on the streets approached me.

Have you looked at Pension Lindner? It's also mentioned in Rick's book and is less than a 5 minute walk from Marienplatz. The rooms are big and clean, the extensive breakfast is included, and the location can't be beat. In September, double rooms range from 75-100 euro, depending on if you want an ensuite bathroom or not.

@ bob,

I was there in Early sept and stayed about a block north of Bayerstrafe and about 3 blocks west of main entrance.

i guess you can call it "seedy" but i didnt have any issues with anyone or anything. If there were any "cinemas" i sure didnt see them between the hotel and station that i walked by every day/night i was there. There may have been some further down Bayerstrafe. bit again i didnt see them. Guys in mustaches i only say walking around town and they were few and far between.

what you should reailze is that a book is written and printed in some time in the past. whereas our world is dynamic and things can and do often change faster than a book can be written and updated.

On my travels i have stayed in many "seedy" areas as RS puts it, but i havent had any issues. Sometimes i choose to try the "seedy" areas since i feel there are more "common" people living in those areas than the more upscale areas. its just something i notice. Also, i find that there is usually alot more ethnic food in those "seedy" areas like the mom and pop hole in the wall shops.

happy trails.

A couple years ago my husband and I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Munich City Center located near the main train station in the same area as the Hotel Monoco. We were there during Oktoberfest (late Sept - early Oct). We would agree that the area could be called seedy due to the adult establishments, but we never felt unsafe nor did we see anything inappropriate and we are pretty conservative people. There were lots of clubs in the area as well so it could be noisy at night, but our hotel room was facing a courtyard and very quiet. During the day it did not seem any seedier than any other area. We would not hesitate to stay there again.

My parents and I very much enjoyed staying at Hotel Monaco in 2012. The presence of a strip club on the street made no impact. We were out walking with no problem, e.g. arriving after dark and dining late.

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Royal a few years ago and we are booked to stay there again in December. The train station being near by is not only handy for get-a-ways but also for local style fast food, toiletries, etc. You will not feel threatened in any way. Like someone else wrote, it is a more ethnically diverse area. There was a good Indian restaurant a few doors down from the hotel. Hope it's still there.

Another vote for Pension Lindner. I stayed there for nine nights, two months ago. Since I was alone and traveling on the cheap, I stayed in one of the single rooms without bath. Small, yes (I've had larger cruise ship staterooms), but clean and convenient, and an excellent value at 45 €/night. The double rooms are ample size. Frau Sinzinger has a wonderful breakfast selection set out every morning.

The location is excellent. It's a few steps from the newly-pedestrianized portion of Sendlingerstraße and Asamkirche to the west, and the Münchner Stadt-Museum and Jewish Museum to the east. Downside is that there is a major construction project right next door. It's noisy during the day when one would normally be out anyway; but at night it's forest-like quiet -- no city noise at all.

Pension Lindner is on the second, third and fourth floors (what Americans would call third, fourth and fifth floors), above another pension (Pension am Jakobsplatz) and an Afghan restaurant.

Hi. my son and I recently stayed at the Hotel Uhland (recommended by RS too) and it was a wonderful place. It is not in a seedy neighborhood and it is only a 5 minute walk from the train station. We were just there in July. We booked direct with the hotel. The place is very clean and the people working there are wonderful.

Telling my husband to shave off his mustache tonight.

@HeidiK,

it is only a 5 minute walk from the train station.

You must be a "fast walker". I've timed the route from the Hbf to Hotel Uhland with a stop watch, and the best time I've been able to achieve at a brisk pace is about 12 minutes.

Hi,

I stay in the Munich train station area. Depending on one's defintion of it being seedy, I don't really think so but so what. True, some great hotels and some very reasonable, if not cheap, Pensionen are located in the station area. It's a convenient area from which to walk to Karlsplatz and Marienplatz.

I think it is seedy only in comparison to the nearby Altstadt (old centre). The streets may feel a little less picture perfect but the area is safe, I've never felt uncomfortable staying there and there are a number of nice hotels. Remember that the European view of sex and nudity is generally more liberal than ours in North America. So an area with erotic Cinemas would likely be considered less seedy in Europe than it would in North America.

Train station area is indeed seedy, but not unsafe. But the area around the Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt are so vastly different from the train station area that it's just a real no-brainer to choose the nicer areas. It's about a 2 min ride from the train station underground to the Marienplatz underground station.

Even if you're "used" to seedy - why settle for it if there's something so much better only 2 minutes away?

"why settle for it if there's something so much better"

If the prices were the same, that would be true, but (in general) they are not. I find the prices of the places I know of near Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt to be more expensive than places I know of near the station. Some people don't care so much about the neighborhood since they are going to be out and about during the day anyway. If they can save 20€, 30€, or more, that's more they can spend on a nice dinner.

As for me, I like to stay in a nice quiet, non-touristy village in the second zone (I'm going to get a day pass anyway), 20 min by S-Bahn from Marienplatz. Prices there are similar to those in the area around the Bahnhof.

If you do want to stay near the Viktualienmarkt, at Haubtbahnhof prices, try Pension Seibel. It's south of Viktualienmarkt, so a ways from Marienplatz. I've never stayed there, but it's on my list of places that have been recommended by people on this forum.

That so-called seedy area, if one sees it as such, is also 2 mins from the train station, walking, instead of having to rely on public transportation.

Thank you all very much for the help. From all your comments it sounds like a good area.