Synonomous with a beer fesitval (albeit a highly acclaimed one), Munich is a city with so much more to offer. Nonetheless, the Oktoberfest is a fantastically fun festival where beer in all its complexity and glory is celebrated and is a world class affair to which students and tourists flock every year. That aside, Munich has always claimed the crown as an extremely open, friendly city with a wonderful quality of life and has often been rated as one of Europe's most "liveable" places. Capital of Bavaria, the city is the third largest in Germany and has a very international flavour due to its cosmopolitan inhabitants. Hosting the summer Olympics in 1972 also put the city firmly on the European map as a destination of interest. The architecture is a happy marriage of old and new and the lovely Marienplatz with its typical Town Hall is the pretty centrepiece. At various stages, the city played host to such famous composers as Gustav Mahler, Mozart and Strauss and, under the patronage of Ludwig 11 of Bavaria, some of the operas of Richard Wagner had their premieres here. A cultural hotbed, the city also has some superb museums and art galleries and was home to the writer Thomas Mann and artists Paul Klee and Kandinsky. Munich is a really great city to visit with a tasty mingling of food, beer, music, culture and architecture on offer. Combine the foregoing with the local warmth and friendliness and a certain laisser faire attitude and Munich is definitely a contender for a top European city break destination.