Recreation

Recreational opportunities include:

• a vibrant café and restaurant scene with many popular student hang-outs and international cuisines;
• clubs and discos catering to every musical taste;
• the largest concentration of beer gardens in the world (see the English-language Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich);
• the English Gardens, one of the largest urban parks in the world and bigger than New York City's Central Park;
• a variety of cultural and other activities, as indicated below - discounts on admission fees are usually available for students.

About 45 museums, including:

• Deutsches Museum, possibly the best technology museum in the world;
• the Old, New, and Modern Pinakotheken;
• Sammlung Brandhorst;
• Lenbachhaus;
• Villa Stuck;
• exhibition halls such as Hypo Kunsthalle or Haus der Kunst;
• "Long Night of Museums" annually; and
• a unique Potato Museum.

(Classical) music, opera, ballet:

• the Bavarian State Opera, Bavarian State Ballet, and Bavarian State Orchestra at the National Theater under Kent Nagano with free open-air screenings of performances every summer (the Opera House is a three-minute walk from the MIPLC);
• the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra at the Gasteig;
• the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons; and
• the Gärtnerplatztheater with its opera and ballet company;
• concerts by national and international pop and rock stars;
• "Long Night of Music" annually.

Theater:

• some of Germany's top theater ensembles and actors such as the Residenztheater or Münchner Kammerspiele, both of which are just a short walk from the MIPLC;
• visiting English-language theater companies;
• a special highlight every summer: open-air theater productions.

Movies:

• more than 80 cinemas, including art-house theaters and such specializing in original-version movies;
• open-air screening of movies in various locations every summer;
• the Bavaria Film Studios, where such films as Cabaret, The Never-Ending Story or Das Boot were shot (Munich is the film and media capital of Germany).

History:

• more than 800 years of city history;
• the former royal Residence, just around the corner from the MIPLC;
• Nymphenburg Palace and other former royal sites in and around Munich;
• various places of Nazi history;
• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site just a short S-Bahn ride away.

Sports:

• anything from aerobics to yoga...;
• biking in the English Gardens, the foothills of the Alps, or the mountains;
• walking, hiking, or mountain-climbing;
• bathing in or sailing on one of the many lakes in and around Munich;
• swimming at public swimming pools or the thermal pools in Erding;
• surfing in the English Gardens (on a well-frequented standing wave in a branch of the River Isar);
• skiing and snowboarding in the Alps (organized day trips available, e.g. through "Students in the Snow");
• ice-skating in the Olympic Park;
• a large number variety of gym and health clubs;
• participation in the sports activities offered through the Munich Student Union.

Spectator Sports:

• soccer matches at the Allianz Arena;
• annual Four Hills Tournament at Oberstdorf, Innsbruck, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and Bischofshofen;
• various other sporting events throughout the year.

Farther afield, the following are among a number of places easily accessible by train from Munich, usually on day trips:

• Castle Neuschwanstein (the model for the Disney Castle) in Füssen and other castles built by King Louis II of Bavaria;
• Oberammergau, site of the world-famous Passion Play;
• Nuremberg;
• Salzburg;
• Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest;
• Ingolstadt Village (outlet mall).