Where to stay in Munich

I am only able to be of minimal help but we recently finished a RS G.A.S. Tour and while in Munich we stayed at the Hotel Viktualienmarkt. It is on a side street and we found it to be quiet and very nice with a good breakfast. We walked every where we wanted to go and Google Maps indicates it is a 6 minute, 550 meter walk to the Marienplatz.

I enjoyed my stay at the Hotel Am Markt, which is in the old town just steps from the viktualienmarkt and about a block walk to the Marienplatz, the main square in the center of old town and the metro station there. Easy to get to and from the main train station. It's a very nice hotel, with an attentive friendly staff. They have a wonderful breakfast in their restaurant, but it's not included in the rates. It was a good value and well rated on booking.com and TA. I would most definitely stay there again and highly recommend it.

I always stay near Goetheplatz when I am in Munich, it's a very good area in my opinion. There is a small grocery shop right there, several bakeries, a post office and it's an easy walk to some very nice restaurants. Marienplatz is an easy walk too; hardly even 20 minutes if you're a good walker. I have walked to the Hauptbahnhof from Goetheplatz too, though that walk is a bit longer. So overall I can recommend Goetheplatz to you.

Following this thread as I just booked 6 nights in Munich for the last week of May. I chose Hotel Metropol, a couple of blocks from the Hauptbahnhof as I'll be doing 2 or 3 day train trips, and close to Marienplatz. My research so far has been from the Rick's Germany book but this forum and Trip Advisor will also be helpful.

We try for cheap in lodgings. We stayed in Munich in late May. It was hard to find a place. We ended up in the 4You Hostel. It is very close to the Hauptbahnhof (1.5 blocks). We had a private room for the 2 of us. It was 70E for the night. The breakfast was very good, and there were many young persons.

I stay in the train station area at a Pension, basically across the street from München Hbf. There are numerous Pensionen and small hotels nearby on Schillerstraße and Goethestraße...nice, inexpensive places. The Airbnb is not an option.

I've stayed "in" Munich on eight trips. On six trips I stayed at a hotel in the suburbs that has subsequently been sold and turned into an apartment building. On the last trip I stayed at Münchner Kindl. It was fine if you don't mind a bathroom on the hall. At 50€ the price is attractive for Munich. It's about a 4/10 miles walk, 8 minutes, to Marienplatz.
Breakfast is extra, about 6€/P as I remember. It's about 5 stories high with only a staircase.

My next trip I will probably stay at Pension Lindner. It's about half as far from Marienplatz, 2/10 mile, 5 minutes. Single rooms only have bathrooms on the floor; the price with included breakfast is about the same as Münchner Kindl. It has an elevator.

Fred: I am interested in how to find such pensionen and small hotels. You say AirBnB is not an option. What is an option?

"What is an option.? What I mean by that is I won't consider Airbnb in Munich and Germany, out of the question. In Munich it is Pensionen or small hotels. If I really am "desperate" or there is nothing else, highly unlikely since I go in the summer, then I'll take the Wombat hostel. I stayed there in 2009.

I ended up booking the place around the Goetheplatz subway stop. I'm excited for this trip.

Munich May 12-15
Prague May 15-19
Vienna May 19-23
Budapest May 23-28

The exact plan from May 19-28 is not set in stone but those will be the 2 major cities we visit between those dates. Considering a day trip to Bratislava while in Vienna, maybe a night in Eger during the end in Hungary. Another other tips for day trips or 1 night stays? Also, any day trips from Prague?

I like Motel One and they have a couple of locations in Munich. The room rate is good, (59€) they have large, comfy beds and great showers. I am not going to stay someplace where I don't have my own WC and shower.
Breakfast is extra, but only something like 6€. Well worth it when you can drink all the coffee/cappucinos you like.

"Another other tips for day trips or 1 night stays? Also, any day trips from Prague? "

From Prague, Cesky Krumlov and Olomouc make good overnights. There are castles in day trip distance, as well as Kutná Hora, with its Bone Church and silver mine. Then there's Terezin, which was a "show camp" built by the Nazis to fool Red Cross inspectors, so it's quite different from other concentration camps and extermination camps. I didn't get to any of these day trips.

From Budapest, Szentendre is the classic day trip, but I preferred Vac even more. Eger is the classic overnight, but I preferred Pécs.

All of these except Vac are covered in Rick's books; I learned about Vac from Frommer's Budapest. Rick not only describes them, but also details how to get there; read about them and see which ones interest you.