Any MNers in Munich (or know Munich well)?

[MsFogi]

DS2 is going to Munich for a year to study. He's going to travel over two days before he gets his accommodation in the old olympic village. Can anyone suggest where I should book a hotel for two nights to have easy access for him to get to the olympic village (student accommodation) and to get to see a bit of Munich? He's going to have a mega-suitcase so I am trying to work out somewhere easy to get from airport/city centre/olympic village (although it may be he can get Ubers if they are not hugely expensive). With apologies for complete lack of knowledge - none of us have ever been to Germany!

And if anyone can suggest where we could buy cheap plates/cutlery/towels in Munich I'd be hugely grateful!

I would suggest somewhere near the main train station (hbf) I think there is a s bahn direct to the olympic village from there. I have stayed at boutique hotel atrium a few times recently, prices are reasonable , its probably a 20-30 minute walk to the old town if he wants to explore. The area is much like any near a main train station ie busy and a little seedy looking but I've always felt safe there. Munich particularly the old town is lovely though. Having spent 18 months in Bavaria as an 18/19 year old back in the early 90s I'm sure he will fall in love with it.

There are several U-Bahn lines going to the Olympiazentrum which means you can get there really easily from anywhere. Schwabing is a nice neighbourhood between the Olympiazentrum and the town centre and would be handy for both. I can't help with actual hotels, I stay with friends when I go to Munich.
A map for U and S-Bahn is here:
https://city-rails.com/en/munich-metro-map/

I agree that the area around Munich Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) is a good place to stay. it’s also the main hub of all the public transport, so you can get to most places quickly & easily using trams, the U-bahn (underground) or S-Bahn (commuter railway), which also connects to the airport. All public transport has integrated ticketing & works brilliantly. There are plenty of affordable hotels (except during Oktoberfest, obv). I have always felt perfectly safe everywhere in Munich.

Assuming the Olympic Village is close to the Olympic Stadium & Park, the best way to get there from the city centre is to take the U-Bahn to Olympiazentrum.

As for buying crockery, Munich has two IKEAs, but both are out of town. The one at Brunnthal seems more accessible by public transport vis S-Bahn & bus. In the city centre there is a Galeria department store, which may be more expensive. I don’t know of any Tesco Extra style hypermarkets near the city centre which would sell cheap stuff, maybe someone else could advise?

Bavaria is catholic & politically conservative so almost all shops, including supermarkets, are closed on Sunday. The only supermarket in the city centre which does open on Sundays is Edeka in the underground mall at hauptbahnhof. This is a top tip, honestly! 😉

When does the term start? It might coincide with the Oktoberfest which wouldn't be great for hotels.

It's been years since I've been to the Olympia Einkaufszentrum but there might be a shop there that sells plates and cutlery.

The Munich public transport system is excellent - trams, U-Bahn and S-Bahn (and buses, although I’ve not used those much) get you everywhere you need to go within the city centre and immediate environs.
Use the MVV app for maps and tickets.

There is a huge amount of construction going on, particularly around the main station, but I found it felt safer this time around there than it did when I was there as a student 20 years ago.

@SpottyAlpaca we were just there on 15th August - a Saturday but like the most Sunday of all Sundays 😂 I had forgotten that it is the stupidest day of all to be in a catholic region (having been in Austria on this date before)

Thanks so much for all the helpful answers!

Random tip for him (and welcome other more recent experiences) but ensure your son understands he must validate undated bahn tickets at the little machines. Unvalidated tickets are a heftyish fine and ignorance is not a defence - I remember seeing plain clothes inspectors strike on trains and they do not mess about.

A quick google shows that he may now be able to get mobile tickets via app, and they are validated on purchase, so that may be easier (as may be some kind of travelcard?)

I got a very stern telling off in German from the ticket inspector on the train in Leipzig for not validating my ticket. I had no idea what she was saying and I was hoping that someone nearby would translate for me but everyone looked at their shoes. I didn’t get fined. I think that it is just such a normal thing to do that no one thinks to tell you.

Yes @singthing you can buy mobile tickets on the app, and even buy pre-validated day passes (not sure about single or strip tickets) at the ticket machines. I didn’t see a single person validating paper tickets at the little boxes any more.
Buying tickets on the app was super easy.

There’s good public transport. I stayed at the holiday inn, quite near the stadium