Munich is affluent, safe and beautiful, wrapped around the Isar river with the Alps an hour south. It hosts LMU and TUM, two of Germany's leading universities, so academic prestige comes with a big international scene. Yes, it is the most expensive city in the country, but you get world-class quality of life, mountains and lakes on the doorstep and Oktoberfest on your calendar.

• LMU and TUM are among Germany's top universities, drawing a strong international crowd.
• The Alps, lakes and Austria are all within a short train ride.

The Glockenbachviertel and Gärtnerplatz are the nightlife heart, while Schwabing and Maxvorstadt around the universities are full of student cafés and bars. Beer gardens are the real social hub, though, in summer everyone gathers at the Englischer Garten's Chinesischer Turm or the Hirschgarten with their own picnic. Oktoberfest and, in autumn, surfing the Eisbach wave in the park round out a very Munich social year, with ESN filling the gaps.

• Beer gardens like the Chinesischer Turm and Hirschgarten, bring your own food, buy the beer.
• Glockenbachviertel and Gärtnerplatz for bars and clubs.
• ESN Munich and the university tutor programmes run trips and welcome events.
• Ask the Munich Studcasa group which beer-garden meet-ups the exchange crowd is doing this week.

Munich is comfortably Germany's most expensive city, so budget €1,200–1,600 a month, well above the national band and rivalling Norway on rent. Housing is the killer; food, transport and beer are normal German prices, with a Mass of beer around €5–6 at a beer garden. Start saving and searching for a room early, because this is where budgets get stretched.

• WG rooms run €600–900 and go fast, the tightest market in Germany.
• A discounted semester transit ticket or the Deutschlandticket keeps travel affordable.
• A litre Mass of beer at a beer garden is about €5–6.

Munich has Germany's toughest housing market, expensive and fiercely competitive, so begin months ahead and consider suburbs on the S-Bahn. Students cluster in Maxvorstadt, Schwabing, Haidhausen and Giesing, with Studentenwerk dorms the cheapest option if you apply very early. Scams are rife given the desperation, so never pay before viewing and meeting the landlord.

• WG-Gesucht for flatshares; apply to Studentenwerk München dorms as early as humanly possible.
• Consider S-Bahn suburbs like Freising, Dachau or Germering to cut rent.
• Ask the Munich Studcasa group to sanity-check prices and flag scams before you pay.

The MVV network of U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses is fast, clean and punctual, and the flat city is a joy to cycle. A discounted semester ticket or the Deutschlandticket covers everything, including S-Bahn trips to the lakes. The Isar cycle paths get you across town greenly, and the airport is a 40-minute S-Bahn ride.

• Get the Deutschlandticket or the discounted IsarCard Semester for MVV travel.
• The S-Bahn reaches Lake Starnberg or Ammersee in about 40 minutes for a swim.
• MVG Rad bikes are dotted across the city for short hops.

LMU is the classic research university strong in humanities, law, medicine and sciences, its main building right on Geschwister-Scholl-Platz in Maxvorstadt, while TUM is the technical powerhouse with campuses in the city and out at Garching. Standards are high and teaching is self-directed, with a heavy exam load in the sciences. Both have polished international offices.

• LMU sits in central Maxvorstadt; TUM's science campus is out at Garching on the U6.
• Expect high standards and independent study, so join tutorials early to keep pace.

It depends on your nationality. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa and just register locally. Non-EU students from many countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and more) can enter visa-free and sort a residence permit after arrival; others must get a national student visa from a German consulate before travelling. Either way you'll likely prove funds via a blocked account (Sperrkonto) of around 11,900 euros a year.

After arrival, the rituals are the Anmeldung (registering your address at the Burgeramt within two weeks), German health insurance (public schemes like TK cost students around 120 euros a month), and, for non-EU students, the Aufenthaltstitel residence permit. Book appointments early; slots are scarce.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just register your address
• US/UK/CA/AU/JP etc, enter visa-free, get residence permit after arrival
• Blocked account (Sperrkonto), ~€11,900/year
• Anmeldung at the Burgeramt within 2 weeks of moving in

Bavarian food is rich and ritualised: Weißwurst with sweet mustard and a pretzel, traditionally eaten before noon, Schweinsbraten roast pork, and soft Brezn everywhere. The Viktualienmarkt is the city's gourmet market with its own beer garden, and the whole culture revolves around beer, from the daily garden to the September madness of Oktoberfest. Cash still rules in many traditional spots.

• Viktualienmarkt for produce, snacks and a central beer garden.
• Try Weißwurst with sweet mustard and a pretzel, but only before midday as tradition demands.
• Bring cash to traditional Wirtshäuser and market stalls.

Maxvorstadt is the university quarter, packed with students, museums and cafés, while Schwabing next door is its more bohemian, leafy sibling. The Glockenbachviertel is the trendy, LGBTQ-friendly nightlife district, Haidhausen is charming and central across the river, and Giesing and Sendling are the more affordable, up-and-coming areas. Neuhausen is a quieter family-and-student favourite.

• Maxvorstadt and Schwabing for student life near the universities.
• Glockenbachviertel for nightlife; Haidhausen for charm and cafés.
• Giesing, Sendling and Au for comparatively lower rents.

Few cities beat Munich for weekends. The Alps start an hour south, Garmisch and the Zugspitze in 90 minutes, Tegernsee and Lake Starnberg in 40, and the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein castle is a two-hour trip. Salzburg is 90 minutes, Innsbruck two hours, and Nuremberg an hour by ICE, so mountains and Austria are effortless.

• Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze in about 1.5 hours for hiking or skiing.
• Lakes Starnberg and Tegernsee in 40 minutes on the S-Bahn or BOB.
• Salzburg in 1.5 hours; Neuschwanstein castle in about 2.

Munich is expensive, so sort housing before anything else and lean on beer gardens (bring your own food) to socialise cheaply. Bavarians can be reserved but warm once you make the effort, and a bit of German goes a long way. Register your Anmeldung within two weeks, keep cash for traditional venues, and book Oktoberfest plans months ahead.

• Lock in accommodation before you arrive, it is the hardest part of Munich life.
• Socialise cheaply by bringing your own food to the beer gardens.
• Sort your Anmeldung early and carry cash for Wirtshäuser.