Munich
Polished, precise, civilised. Munich's best hotel-bar drinking — picked for craft, not concierge buzz.
Maxvorstadt · $$$$
The Charles Hotel Bar draws a steady local crowd in Maxvorstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Glockenbach · $$$
Flushing Meadows Rooftop Bar draws a steady local crowd in Glockenbach. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Maxvorstadt · $$$
Loft Rooftop at H'Otello draws a steady local crowd in Maxvorstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Schwabing · $$$
Rilano Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Schwabing. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Maxvorstadt · $$$
The Living Room Cocktail Bar draws a steady local crowd in Maxvorstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Maxvorstadt · $$$
The Vault Bar draws a steady local crowd in Maxvorstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Altstadt · $$$$
Atelier Restaurant Bar draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$$$
Bar Gabanyi is routinely placed in lists of Europe's best cocktail bars. Klaus Gabanyi has been pouring here since the 1990s and the bar is committed to classic
Altstadt · $$$
Bar Mural draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Lehel · $$$
Blitz Club Bar draws a steady local crowd in Lehel. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Hotel bars solve specific problems. You need a bar near your room. You need somewhere quiet to take a meeting. You want the drink right the first time and you don't want to negotiate a wait. Every recommendation below clears those three bars. Most are open to non-guests; we've flagged any that aren't.
Best for: business travellers, late-checkout drinks, hotel-room negotiations made civilised, anniversaries that deserve a hotel jacket. Pricing skews higher than the city average — that's the trade. The rooms below justify it.
Civilised, polished, not pretending to be a club. Pick by neighbourhood and proximity to where you're sleeping.
Looking beyond Munich? See our guide to the best hotel bars worldwide, or compare hotel bars city by city.