Staying in Munich near München Hbf

I think you will find Munich very diverse and cosmopolitan.

My only comment is that parts of that area are what I'd call seedy. Not as in unsafe and/or having to do with recent events but as in girly bars and non-family friendly storefronts if you get my drift. I don't know what street your hotel is on but just a heads up to know what to expect when you stay within near vicinity of the Hbf.

My wife is black and I am white. We lived in Germany for 3 years. We have visited Germany 11 times in the last 10 years. There must be racists in Germany, but we have not encountered overt racism. My wife lived and went to school 2 years in Munich before I met her and had no bad experiences with race. I am not saying it is impossible to have a bad experience but it is highly unlikely. I would guess that one is more likely to have a bad racial experience in America. Stay positive and be friendly. I think that you will enjoy yourself, especially in Munich and Salzburg.

Why would you choose to stay near the train station when it isn't that nice?

Anyone paying attention will quickly identify you as a tourist by your body language, mannerisms and dress, and you will likely be left alone. Anti-immigration organizations like Pegida are not concerned with temporary visitors, no matter the skin color.

And as noted, the area around the Hauptbahnhof is not exactly Munich at it's best...generally, the area around German train stations in large cities can be a bit seey.

We have reservations at Hotel Bavaria which is on Gollierstrasse 9, which is about 4 blocks south of the station. But, this cleared up another mystery for me; the hotel recommends taking a train to another station and walking from there ( I guess to avoid the "seedy" part). There are not too many options for rooms that can accommodate 4 adults.
Have any of you stayed at the hotel? Trip Advisor had great reviews for the hotel but not a lot about the neighborhood.
Thanks for your help, everybody!

the hotel recommends taking a train to another station and walking from there ( I guess to avoid the "seedy" part).

The hotel probably made the recommendation based on the distance to be traveled by guests with luggage. It's a looooonnnnngg "four blocks" to walk from the Hbf -- more like 1.4 km. By taking the U4 or U5 from Hbf to Theresienwiese, the walk is reduced to only 450 m. And that's not a bad neighborhood at all.

Google Maps gives a street view of the area around Hotel Bavaria, and it doesn't look at all "seedy". I think the "seedy" area that people refer to around the main train station is more just south of the station and east towards Karlstor. That is where Hotel Royal is located, and people have described that area as "seedy". It might be objectionable to some people, but it's not unsafe.

In 2007, I walked from the station down to Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest grounds). The first two blocks south of the station were international in character (middle-eastern dress), but not threatening. Farther south, closer to Theresienwiese, the neighborhood improved. A highly recommended hotel, Uhland, is in that area.

There is a station on the U4/U5 lines at the Hauptbahnhof and two stations (Schwanthalerhöhe and Theresienwiese) on that line on either side of Hotel Bavaria. It would be a shorter walk if you take the U-Bahn from the Hbf to one of those stations. See here for a map of the S-/U-Bahn lines in Munich.

If you purchase an MVV Innenraum Gruppentageskarte (day ticket for the inner zone of Munich for up to five people, for 12,20€ at the U-Bahn station, it will cover the U-Bahn to one of those stations and any other travel in downtown Munich that day. For instance, you could travel to your hotel, check in, than take the U-Bahn back to the station and one stop farther to Karlstor (Stachus) station, then any S-Bahn one stop to Marienplatz, which is the center of the old town (Frauenkirche, Glockenspiel, Viktualienmarkt).

If you are arriving on a Bayern-Ticket, use of all the conveyances in Munich that day is covered - no need to purchase the Tageskarte. If you are using a rail pass, the S-Bahn is covered, but no other conveyances.

The immediate area around German train stations esp in big cities isn't the best also depends on which city. Some are worse than others. For the first timer Munich Hbf can be a shocker. What Munich Hbf needs is the playing of classical music outside, which is done at Hamburg Hbf.

Having stayed in this area south of the Hauptbahnhof, I'd guess the other posters don't mean 'unsafe' when they say 'seedy'. I certainly never felt in any way unsafe. As for racism, I'm not a visible minority so I can't say for certain but I would be very surprised if you encountered any real problems.

I usually stay at Hotel Royal when in Munich as it's in a very convenient location close to the Hbf. While the street outside the hotel could be called "seedy", I don't find that to be a problem. I've never had any problems walking back to the hotel, even at night. More importantly, the hotel is wonderful (great breakfast) and it's like a different world when you're inside.

If you don't mind a slightly longer walk (about 12 minutes), you could also consider Hotel Uhland which is in a quiet residential area. I have no hesitation in recommending either of those hotels.

Regarding your original question, I've also found that Munich has a very diverse population, so I doubt that you'll have any problems. There's no reason to avoid the train stations.