Munich on May Day 2019

Posted by meg on 10/23/18 07:57 PM

My husband and I will be arriving in Munich around on May Day (Wednesday, May 1, 2019) and departing on May 2 in the afternoon for Salzburg. We would like to visit the Marienplatz and St. Peter's Church on the afternoon of May 1 and then check out the Hofbrauhaus that evening. We plan to visit Dachau on the morning of May 2nd before heading to Salzburg.

Are these very 'touristy' locations going to be difficult to visit/enjoy with it being May 1? Also, will travel in Munich be congested due to the extra visitors? We really don't have a lot of leeway in our schedule, but we really want to visit these places.

Posted by Dave

Webster Groves, Missouri, USA

10/23/18 11:03 PM

76 posts

We were in Munich on May 1, 2018. Most of the tourist sites were closed because of the holiday, but there was a huge party going on in the Marienplatz. Biergarten in the Viktualinmarkt was open, but all the vendors' stalls were closed. Pretty sure the Hofbrauhaus would be open. Enjoy your visit. Munich is a wonderful.

Dave
Missouri

Posted by Sarah

Stuttgart, Germany

10/24/18 10:16 AM

3050 posts

May 1 (Labor Day) is a bank holiday so most shops (except for some in the train station and very touristy souvenir shops) will be closed, some museums/attractions, but it's a holiday so locals will be out enjoying their day off. I wouldn't have an issue visiting Munich (or anywhere else) in Germany on that day unless it was a day where an attraction I wanted to visit would be closed. The church will be open.

I would recommend visiting the Hofbrauhaus for a beer and to check out the museum in the hall on the 2nd floor, but I wouldn't choose to eat there. For traditional beer hall food, get out of the tourist center and go to the Augustiner at Landsberger Str. 19 where the locals go, OR as a second choice the restaurant of the Augustiner Keller at Arnulf str. 52. Augustiner beer is the best in Munich (Hofbrauhaus is towards the bottom of the list) and you'll have a much tastier and more authentic experience than eating at the Hofbrauhaus.

Posted by meg OP

10/24/18 03:02 PM

10 posts

Thanks for your responses, Sarah and Dave! Augustiner-Keller sounds like a great place to visit!

Posted by Fred

San Francisco

10/25/18 02:16 AM

14988 posts

I was in Germany once on May 1, their version of our Labor Day, called "Tag der Arbeit." That was in 2014 and on May 1 I was still in Berlin. Based on that experience I would expect Munich to be the same, ie, slow or even slower than on a Sunday. There will be closed restaurants and closed banks.