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TELL US: Is Munich really the 'unfriendliest' city in Germany?

The Local Germany
The Local Germany - news@thelocal.de
Published: 13 May, 2025 CET. Updated: Tue 13 May 2025 09:15 CET
TELL US: Is Munich really the 'unfriendliest' city in Germany?
A cyclist enjoys the sunshine alone in Munich's English Garden. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Peter Kneffel

Munich is known for Oktoberfest, a high quality of life and... the "unfriendliest" locals? We'd love to hear what you think about life in the Bavarian capital.

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Last week we reported the results of an InterNations survey, which suggested that Munich was the least friendly city for foreigners -- out of all 53 international cities that were included -- effectively calling it the 'unfriendliest' city in the world.

But Germany's third largest metropolis is also known for its cleanliness and safety, and generally offering a high quality of life. The Monocle Survey in 2024 named Munich the most livable city globally, and the Mercer Quality of Life Survey has consistently ranked Munich as being among the top cities for quality of life (it was 11th in 2024).

So, we thought it'd be worth taking a minute to evaluate how fair it is to call Munich the "unfriendliest city". Is the city really full of grumps, or is it rather that the local attitude takes some getting used to?

If you live in Munich - or have lived there in the past - we'd love to hear your thoughts for a future article. Is Munich truly so devastatingly unwelcoming? Does its reported high quality of life apply to its foreign residents, or are internationals better off looking elsewhere? 

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Comments (1)

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Steve 2025/05/13 10:47
I have myself as a visitor to Munich found it friendly. Have a number of times sat in a beer garden or Gaststätte on my own and had locals sit next to me as start up a conversation. However do understand the challenges of settling as a foreigner. I did for a number of years live on Bavaria, finding new friends and negotiating the challenges of some institutions, particularly schools, not always easy. But through work made some good friends.

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