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MUNICH

Have your say: Is Munich overrated?

A recent ranking using reviews left by tourists found Munich to be the fourth “most overrated” city in the world, and the only German city to make the top 10. Is it deserved? Have your say and your comments may be used in a future feature for The Local.

Munich germany
Munich is a popular destination for tourists around the world, but potentially an overrated one, according to a new survey. (Photo by Sergey Mind on Unsplash)

Munich comes at or close to the top in many rankings. Firstly, it’s one of Germany’s most expensive cities. Another poll finds it has some of the rudest residents in Germany. Yet a recent survey from InterNations also revealed that it in the top 10 in the world for expat quality of life.

But despite welcoming almost six million visitors last year, a new data analysis found Munich hitting the top five in a rather dubious ranking – in disappointing tourists.

Aggregating thousands of reviews left on websites such as TripAdvisor, kingcasinobonus.uk ranked Munich as the world’s fourth most overrated city, with 15.7 percent of all tourists there leaving feeling disappointed. That’s a higher proportion than either London or Paris – which also made the top 10. Munich fared better than Bangkok and Antalya – which took the top two spots.

Visitors were most disappointed by the Deutsches Museum in Munich, one of twenty attractions in the city included in the analysis. Oktoberfest – perhaps the city’s most famous tourist offering – came sixth, with 10 percent of visitors leaving the beer tents underwhelmed.

READ ALSO: OPINION: Why Oktoberfest is one of Germany’s worst beer festivals

So is Munich really overrated?

Tell us what you think in the survey below.

 

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MUNICH

Bavaria moves to ban cannabis at Oktoberfest and beer gardens

Germany may have legalised cannabis, but anyone hoping to enjoy a joint with their beer at this year's Oktoberfest may be disappointed.

Bavaria moves to ban cannabis at Oktoberfest and beer gardens

The southern state of Bavaria on Tuesday announced that it wants to ban the consumption of cannabis in beer gardens, at public festivals, on restaurant terraces and in some parks. 

The state government wants to “limit the public consumption of cannabis despite the federal government’s dangerous legalisation law”, according to a statement.

Clemens Baumgaertner, the head of the Oktoberfest, told the web.de news portal he specifically wants to make the festival a weed-free zone.

“A family festival like the (Oktoberfest) and cannabis consumption don’t go together,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bavaria state premier Markus Söder, of the CSU, tweeted that Bavaria was strengthening the protection of children and young people. 

“We will ban smoking weed in beer gardens and at public festivals,” he said. “In addition, local authorities will be able to prohibit smoking and vaping of cannabis products in public areas where large numbers of people regularly congregate, for example at tourist attractions, outdoor swimming pools and amusement parks.”

On April 1st, Germany became the largest EU nation to legalise recreational use of cannabis, despite fierce objections from opposition politicians and medical associations.

READ ALSO: What to know about Germany’s partial legalisation of cannabis

Under the first step in the much-debated new law, adults over 18 are now allowed to carry 25 grams of dried cannabis and cultivate up to three marijuana plants at home.

However, cannabis will remain banned for under-18s and within 100 metres of schools, kindergartens and playgrounds.

The changes leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe, alongside Malta and Luxembourg, which legalised recreational use in 2021 and 2023 respectively.

But under Germany’s federal system, each state retains a degree of freedom to decide how it will impose the rules.

Bavaria plans to amend the state Health Protection Act to limit how cannabis can be legally consumed. 

Politicians also plan a ban on consumption in the Englisher Garten, Hofgarten and Finanzgarten in Munich as well as the Hofgarten in Bayreuth.

The amended law is to be presented before the Whitsun holidays, which begin in mid-May this year. It is not yet clear when the law could be passed by the state parliament.

SPD legal expert in the Bavarian state parliament, Horst Arnold, criticised this  approach as “cannabis hysteria”.

With reporting by Rachel Loxton

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