Money & Tipping in Munich

What currency does Munich use, and should I bring cash?

Munich, like all of Germany, uses the euro. Cards are increasingly accepted — most hotels, larger restaurants, shops and supermarkets take them, and contactless and phone payments are common in the city — but Germany remains noticeably more cash-attached than much of Europe, and Munich is no exception. Plenty of everyday places still run on cash or prefer it: bakeries, market stalls, smaller cafés and traditional Wirtshäuser, church donation boxes, public toilets, some taxis, and the odd kiosk or beer-garden counter.

The simple rule is to always carry some euros. You don't need a thick wad — a modest amount of notes and coins covers the cash-only moments without leaving you exposed — but turning up card-only will, sooner or later, leave you stuck at a bakery or a market. Keep a few coins handy in particular: they're what you'll reach for at a public toilet, a luggage locker or a church candle stand.

Cards, contactless and where they won't work

For most of a trip, a major international card works fine — at hotels, sit-down restaurants, department stores, supermarkets and museums. Contactless and mobile wallets are widely supported in those settings. Where you'll still meet resistance is the small and the traditional: independent bakeries, market and street-food stalls, some old-school taverns, and a few cash-only beer-garden counters. It's worth asking or glancing for a card sign before you order in those places, rather than discovering the problem at the till.

A practical note on card type: the German domestic card network (girocard / EC) is what many smaller German businesses are set up for, and an occasional very traditional spot may wave away a foreign credit card while happily taking a local debit one. It's the exception rather than the rule now, but it's the reason a cash backstop matters. Acceptance is improving steadily, so treat any specific 'cash only' warning as something to verify on the day rather than a fixed fact.

• Widely card-friendly: hotels, larger restaurants, shops, supermarkets, museums, transit machines.
• Often cash-preferred: bakeries, market stalls, small cafés, some traditional taverns and beer-garden counters.
• Contactless and phone payments are common in card-taking venues.
• Carry coins for toilets, lockers, candle stands and the odd kiosk.

ATMs and fees: how to get cash without overpaying

Cash machines (Geldautomaten) are easy to find across Munich — at bank branches, the Hauptbahnhof, the airport and throughout the centre. For the best deal, use an ATM attached to an actual German bank (Sparkasse, the big-name banks, and so on) rather than the standalone, brightly branded machines often found in tourist areas and stations, which tend to charge higher fees. If a machine offers to convert the withdrawal to your home currency on the spot — 'dynamic currency conversion' — decline it and choose to be charged in euros; you'll almost always get a better rate from your own bank.

Beyond the machine's own fee, your bank may add its own foreign-withdrawal or exchange charge, so a sensible habit is to take out a slightly larger amount less often rather than many small withdrawals. A travel-friendly card that limits foreign fees pays for itself over a trip. Exact fees vary by bank and machine and change over time — check your own card's terms and watch the on-screen fee disclosure before you confirm any withdrawal.

• Prefer ATMs at real German banks over standalone tourist-area machines.
• Always decline 'convert to my home currency' (DCC) — pay in euros.
• Fewer, larger withdrawals beat many small ones if your bank charges per transaction.
• Check your own card's foreign-use fees — they vary and change.

How much do I tip in Munich — and how?

Tipping (Trinkgeld) in Germany is genuine but modest: a thank-you for good service, not a mandatory top-up of an underpaid wage. For table service in a restaurant, rounding up the bill or adding roughly five to ten per cent is the norm — closer to ten for attentive service or a larger group, a simple round-up for a casual lunch or a couple of drinks. For a coffee or a beer, rounding to the next euro or two is plenty. There's no expectation of the large percentages common in some countries.

The method matters more than the maths, and it's the bit that trips up visitors. You don't leave coins on the table and walk away. Instead, when the server brings the bill or comes to take payment, you tell them the total you'd like to pay — including the tip — as you hand over cash or your card. So if the bill is just under a round number, you say the rounded figure; if you want to add a euro or two, you state the new total ('Make it twenty,' or in German, the sum, then 'stimmt so' — 'that's right, keep the change'). They'll then charge or take exactly that. If paying by card, name your total before they enter the amount, as the machine may not prompt for a tip.

• Restaurants: round up or add ~5–10% for good table service.
• Coffee, a beer, a snack: round to the next euro or two.
• Tell the server the total as you pay — don't leave coins on the table.
• 'Stimmt so' means 'keep the change' and settles the round-up neatly.

Tipping beyond the restaurant table

The same modest spirit covers the rest of a trip. In a taxi, round the fare up to a convenient figure or add a small amount. For hotel staff, a euro or two for a porter who carries bags, and a small daily note for housekeeping on a longer stay, are appreciated but not expected. For a guided walking tour, especially a 'free' tip-based one, a tip in line with how much you enjoyed it is the whole point; for a paid group or private tour, a few euros per person for a good guide is a kind gesture. At a bar with table service, round up; at a busy standing counter, it's not expected.

A note on the beer garden: at the self-service part of a traditional garden, where you queue and carry your own Maß, there's no tipping — you simply pay at the counter. In the served section, or in an indoor beer hall with waiters, the normal round-up applies. As ever, none of this is obligatory; a small, well-judged tip handed over with a 'danke' is warmly received, and no one will chase you for a percentage.

• Taxis: round the fare up or add a little.
• Hotels: a euro or two for a porter; a small note for housekeeping on longer stays.
• Tours: tip a 'free' walking tour generously; a few euros each for a good paid guide.
• Self-service beer-garden counters: no tip; served seating: round up.

Receipts, VAT and small hidden costs

A few money quirks are worth knowing so they don't surprise you. Restaurant and shop prices already include VAT (Mehrwertsteuer), so the figure on the menu or tag is what you pay — there's no tax added at the till. You'll usually be given a printed receipt (Rechnung or Bon); keep it if you've paid by card. Water at a restaurant is normally bottled and charged for, sparkling or still, rather than served free from the tap — though the tap water itself is perfectly safe to drink if you ask. And public toilets, including some in stations and department stores, often charge a small coin or expect a tip in a saucer, which is another reason to keep coins on you.

If you're shopping for bigger-ticket items and live outside the EU, you may be able to reclaim some VAT on departure via the tax-free shopping scheme — ask the shop for the paperwork and process it at the airport before you fly; rules and minimum spends apply and change, so check the current terms. For everyday spending, none of this amounts to much: prices are honest and all-in, tipping is light, and a little cash in your pocket smooths over the rest.

• Menu and shop prices include VAT — no tax is added at the till.
• Restaurant water is usually bottled and charged; tap water is safe if you ask.
• Many public toilets cost a small coin or expect one — keep change handy.
• Non-EU visitors may reclaim VAT on larger purchases — ask in-store, verify current rules.

At a glance

Currency — the euro; carry some cash and a few coins despite wide card acceptance.

Cards — fine at hotels, larger restaurants, shops and transit; small and traditional spots may be cash-only.

ATMs — use real bank machines, decline home-currency conversion, take out larger amounts less often.

Tipping — round up or add ~5–10% for good service; tell the server your total as you pay, never leave coins behind.

Good to know — prices include VAT, restaurant water is bottled, toilets often cost a coin; verify any volatile fees or fares before relying on them.