Ludwigsvorstadt & Bahnhofsviertel

South of the Hauptbahnhof, the Goethe- and Landwehrstraße corridor forms Munich's diaspora heart — a working district that serves as the Turkish, Afghan and Balkan kitchen of the city. Belle Époque facades from the late nineteenth century survive between Klinikum buildings and modest pensions; at the corner cafés grandfathers play backgammon while medical students cross the road. The Beethovenplatz is the quiet pocket: a leafy square ringed by stuccoed houses where the protected Café am Beethovenplatz has hosted live piano since 1897. Less polished than the Altstadt — and more honest about who actually lives in Munich.