Something always is going on in Munich. As southern Germany’s cultural capital, Munich is renowned for its opera and symphony concerts and theater. But you can also sit back in a leafy beer garden or in a beer hall and enjoy the music and the local scene, and there are also plenty of bars and dance clubs for late-night partying. To find out what’s happening in Munich, pick up a copy of Monatsprogramm, a monthly program guide, at the tourist office in the Hauptbahnhof or visit www.muenchen.de and click on “Events” or www.muenchentickets.de. The best way to buy tickets is to go directly to the venue’s box office, or to the ticket office in the tourist office in the Hauptbahnhof.

Munich is famed for its breweries and beer halls, many of which have outdoor beer gardens where you can quaff their brews and order hearty Bavarian food at reasonable prices. If you’d rather nibble than dine, you can order a homemade Brezeln (pretzel), another Munich specialty, or a Radl, the large white radish that’s another traditional accompaniment to beer. For a glass or mug of beer, expect to pay 5€ to 8€, depending on its size. Oom-pah-pah bands, zither players, or accordionists sometimes add to the jovial atmosphere. The beer halls and gardens are typically large and casual, with communal seating.

Munich’s autumn Oktoberfest is the largest beer festival in the world, and spring is celebrated with Starkbierzeit, a lesser-known beer festival that heralds the end of Lent and the opening of the city’s beer gardens. One of the best places to celebrate Starkbierzeit is the brewery-restaurant-beer garden Paulaner am Nockherberg, in southeast Munich. Paulaner serves the original Starkbier, a sweet, strong brew called Salvator, and pairs it with a traditional dish of crisp-skined ham hocks served with sharp mustard. Their beer garden is a convivial spot with old chestnut trees and a playground for the kids. To reach Paulaner, take the U-Bahn to Kolumbusplatz, then bus 54 to Silberhornstrasse and streetcar 25 to the Ostfriedhof stop.

Munich’s gay and lesbian scene is centered around the blocks between the Viktualienmarkt and Gärtnerplatz, particularly on Hans-Sachs-Strasse.