Au, Munich

A quiet quarter on the river's east bank

The Au is one of those Munich districts that almost no first-time visitor plans around and almost every local has a soft spot for. It sits on the east bank of the Isar, immediately south-east of the Old Town, on the low ground and gentle slope that rises towards Haidhausen. Historically it was a poorer, low-lying riverside settlement — the name itself refers to the water-meadow land by the river — and that humbler past still shows in its character: modest 19th-century houses, small workshops turned cafés, and a settled, neighbourly feel rather than a procession of sights.

That is precisely its appeal. The Au is a place to experience everyday Munich rather than to tick off monuments. There are no must-see museums or grand palaces here; instead there are quiet streets, a couple of genuinely characterful traditions, the green ribbon of the Isar a few minutes' walk away, and the sense of being among residents rather than tour groups. For a traveller who wants to feel the texture of the city — or who has already done the headline sights and wants a calmer day — it rewards an unhurried wander.

The Auer Dult — Munich's thrice-yearly market

If the Au has one unmissable institution, it is the Auer Dult. Three times a year the broad square of the Mariahilfplatz, in the shadow of the neo-Gothic Mariahilfkirche, fills with a traditional market that is part fair, part flea market, part funfair — a wonderfully old-fashioned event that has run in the district for generations. The three editions fall in spring, summer and autumn (the Maidult, the Jakobidult and the Kirchweihdult), each lasting around nine days; confirm the current dates before a special trip, as they move with the calendar each year.

The Dult is beloved for its mix: stalls of household goods, crockery and the famous earthenware, antiques and bric-à-brac to rummage through, old-fashioned ride and game stands for children, and plenty of stands selling roast almonds, sausages and beer. It is far smaller and gentler than Oktoberfest — a neighbourhood tradition rather than a global spectacle — and it is free to wander. If your visit happens to coincide with one of the three editions, it is one of the most charming and least touristy experiences in Munich.

• Held three times a year — spring (Maidult), summer (Jakobidult) and autumn (Kirchweihdult) — on the Mariahilfplatz.
• Each edition runs roughly nine days; the dates shift annually, so verify before planning around it.
• A mix of household-goods and antiques stalls, old-fashioned funfair rides, and food and beer stands.
• Free to enter, gentle and family-friendly — a local tradition far removed from the Oktoberfest scale.

The Nockherberg and the strong-beer season

Up on the bluff above the river stands the other pillar of the Au's reputation: the Nockherberg, the great Paulaner brewery cellar and beer hall whose name is synonymous with Munich's Starkbierzeit, the "strong-beer season." Each spring, in the weeks around Lent, the brewery taps its potent doppelbock Salvator and the Nockherberg becomes the stage for one of Bavaria's most peculiar and beloved rituals — the Starkbierfest, complete with the satirical Derblecken in which a comedian, in the guise of a Lenten preacher, mercilessly mocks the assembled politicians.

For a visitor, the Nockherberg works on two levels. During the strong-beer season it is a riotous, very local festival hall — book ahead and expect a boisterous night. The rest of the year it remains a large, traditional beer hall and garden with a fine terrace looking out over the city, a pleasant and far less crowded alternative to the famous central beer halls. As ever with brewery venues, opening times, events and the festival dates change year to year, so check the current programme before you go.

• The Nockherberg is the Paulaner cellar and beer hall on the bluff above the Isar, in the Au.
• Its Starkbierfest each spring — around Lent — is the heart of Munich's strong-beer season; book ahead.
• Outside the festival it is a large traditional beer hall and garden with city views and far fewer tourists.
• Festival dates and opening hours vary each year — verify the current programme before visiting.

Eating, drinking and the everyday Au

The Au eats the way locals eat — without fanfare and without inflated tourist prices. Its streets hold neighbourhood bakeries, small cafés, traditional Gaststätten serving honest Bavarian plates, and an increasing number of relaxed, modern spots opened by the younger residents who have moved in. Because it is genuinely residential, you are dining among people who live here rather than in a sightseeing crush, and a coffee or a beer tends to cost what it should. For travellers who find the central beer halls overwhelming, an evening in the Au is a calmer, more genuine alternative.

The district also flows seamlessly into its lively neighbour. Just to the north-east, Haidhausen — the so-called "French Quarter" — offers a denser run of restaurants, wine bars and cafés around its pretty squares, and the two districts together make an easy, atmospheric evening out east of the river. Specific venues open and close, so treat any one recommendation as something to confirm on the day; the reliable advice is simply to wander the side streets and follow the locals.

What you will not find in the Au is a strip of polished, English-menu tourist restaurants — and that absence is precisely the point. The eating here is unselfconscious: a corner Wirtschaft with a handwritten daily special, a bakery whose pretzels sell out by mid-morning, a beer garden where the regulars know the waitstaff. Prices reflect a residential district rather than a sightseeing one, and an evening can be as cheap or as leisurely as you like. For travellers who have spent a few days battling the crowds and the mark-ups of the centre, a meal in the Au feels like being let in on a secret — the everyday Munich that exists quite happily beyond the reach of the guidebooks.

The Mariahilfkirche and the district's history

The visual anchor of the Au is the Mariahilfkirche, the towering neo-Gothic church whose twin-needle spire rises over the Mariahilfplatz and dominates the skyline of the lower district. Built in the mid-19th century, it was one of the earliest large Gothic Revival churches in Bavaria and a deliberate statement of faith and civic pride for what was then a poor suburb outside the city proper. Its slender brick tower is visible from across the river and makes a useful landmark as you orient yourself on the east bank; step inside, when it is open, for the cool, lofty calm of the nave.

The Au was, in fact, an independent community until it was incorporated into Munich in the 1850s, and that separate past still flavours its identity. As a low-lying riverside settlement it long sat below the grander city on the bluff — quite literally the wrong side of the tracks, or rather the river — and it housed tanners, washerwomen, day-labourers and the trades that the city kept at arm's length. That working history is why the Au never acquired the polished monuments of the centre, and why, paradoxically, it has kept so much of its honest, lived-in character into the present day. Knowing it adds depth to a wander: the modest houses and the great market are not quaint set-dressing but the survivals of a real and once-hard-up community.

It is also worth remembering how close all of this is to the green of the Isar. The river's east-bank paths and gravel banks run right along the edge of the district, so the Au is never more than a few minutes from open water and trees — a reminder that its name, the old word for a water-meadow by a river, was always literal. The combination of honest old streets, a great folk market, a famous beer cellar and the river on the doorstep is what makes this unassuming quarter quietly one of the city's most likeable.

Where to stay, and how to combine the Au

Few visitors set out to book a hotel in the Au specifically, and that is part of its honesty — accommodation here tends to be the odd guesthouse, apartment rental or modest hotel rather than a strip of polished tourist properties. If you do stay, you trade a little convenience for a quieter, more residential base that is still close to the centre: the Old Town is a short tram ride or a pleasant walk across the river, and the Isar's green banks are on your doorstep. For most people, though, the Au is better visited than slept in — folded into a day rather than chosen as a base.

The natural way to enjoy it is on foot, as part of a loop on the river's east side. Cross the Isar from the centre, walk the green banks, drop into the Au for a coffee or to catch the Dult if it is on, climb up to the Nockherberg terrace for a beer and a view, and drift into Haidhausen for dinner. It is one of the most relaxed and least touristy half-days the city offers — Munich at its everyday, lived-in best.

When to come, and who the Au is for

Timing matters more in the Au than in most districts, because so much of its appeal is event-driven. If you can arrange your visit to coincide with one of the three Auer Dult editions — spring, summer or autumn — you will catch the district at its most characterful, the Mariahilfplatz alive with stalls, rides and the smell of roast almonds. If you are travelling in the weeks around Lent, the Starkbierfest at the Nockherberg offers the other great seasonal experience, the strong-beer halls in full, boisterous swing. Outside those windows the Au is quieter and more purely residential, which is its own kind of pleasure — just temper your expectations of 'things to do.' As all these dates shift year to year, confirm them before building a trip around them.

As for who the Au is for: it is a district for the curious and the unhurried rather than the box-ticker. It rewards travellers who enjoy wandering a real neighbourhood, who would rather eat where locals eat than queue for a famous beer hall, and who value atmosphere over monuments. It is ideal as a half-day folded into a wider east-bank or Isar itinerary, and it is a fine, calm place to stay for those who want to be near the centre without being in the tourist crush. It is a poor fit only for the visitor on a single tight day who needs to see the marquee sights — for them, the Au is a charming detour rather than a priority.

Either way, the move is the same: treat the Au as a place to slow down. Catch a Dult if you can, climb to the Nockherberg terrace for a beer and a view, walk the river, and let yourself feel the texture of an ordinary, lovable Munich neighbourhood that most visitors never reach.

At a glance

A quick planning reference. Confirm the volatile details — the Auer Dult and Starkbierfest dates and any venue hours — before you go, as these change each year.

• What it is: a quiet, residential riverside quarter on the Isar's east bank, just south-east of the centre.
• Best for: travellers wanting everyday, crowd-free Munich rather than headline sights.
• Don't miss: the Auer Dult market (three times a year) and the Nockherberg beer hall and terrace.
• Strong-beer season: the Starkbierfest at the Nockherberg each spring around Lent — book ahead, verify dates.
• Combine with: the Isar's green banks and neighbouring Haidhausen for an easy east-bank half-day.
• Staying here: more guesthouses and rentals than hotels — quieter and central, but better visited than booked.