A nitpick, that bothers me more, than I'd like to admit: the author talks about the former divide in Germany and the difference between Hamburg and Munich because of that. Problem is, both towns where in west Germany and not divided at all (except of course by the Weißwurstäquator ;-)).

I did a research stay two summers ago in Munich and oh my God, it's the best place I've "lived" by far. So clean, so calm, yet so vibrant.

As someone who has been to both Hamburg and Munich quite a few times I find them hard to compare. Each city has its own benefits and they are both great in their way.

I think in the end it comes down to whether you like mountains more than harbors. ;-)

Hamburg has its own charme with the harbor and the surrounding history of sailors, trade, red light districts, very old factories etc.

Munich is much more polished but also kind of crammed. Cars everywhere, lots of traffic in the streets, yes, parks also, but... it's different.

I like both cities and also beer from both cities. If you're not from Germany and decide to come over: Visit both of them and enjoy their uniqueness.

Munich is an awesome city... for a tourist. It's clean, one of the safest cities of Germany (with the exception of the Central Station) and, with the exception of some "Asi-Viertels", well maintained (particularly compared to Berlin, Frankfurt or most of NRW), the attractions are awesome, and the beer is excellent.

For locals though? Speaking as one (who fled a year ago to nearby Landshut and still has to commute)... if you think about moving here, please don't:

- public transport is way too overcrowded, no matter what type of it, and forget about commute by car unless you are rich enough to pay someone to drive for you

- The rents are frankly insane, and fucking Bavarian wannabe-chieftain Söder keeps inviting one big company after another to Munich (instead of, say, Nuremberg for a change) while doing everything he can to avoid and hinder helping Munich alleviate the housing cost crisis.

- Munich's police are rabid if you're not white. Particularly the Central Station is not a good thing to "live while Black" (or dressed like a hippie or alternative), you'll get hounded by them because they can and will suspect you being a drug dealer, although the situation has relaxed a bit ever since cannabis got legalized federally a year ago.

- did I already mention the insane lack of housing? Seriously: prepare to either pay through your nose for short-term accomodation or couchsurfing, unless you are employed at one of the tech giants or rich enough to buy a place in cash you will likely spend a year or two until you have housing. If you are a student, that applies even more.

- a lot of Munich's infrastructure dates back to the money spigot times of the Olympic Games 1972 - and is subsequently shut down for repairs all the time because there hasn't been much invested in maintenance over the decades.

- Oktoberfest, Bauma (the construction trade fair) and the regular Champions League soccer games grind the entire city to a standstill. If you can help it, DO NOT move to any area close to the Theresienwiese (people WILL piss and even shit on your porch, I speak from personal experience) and to the Sechzger-Stadion in Giesing (in addition to the noise, 1860 fans are violent hothead hools that lead to massive disruptions for traffic every time that sorry excuse for a football club has a game).

I find both cities, cultivate a strong "The rest is peasants" vibe - but Hamburg is quite at the top with this. It seeps through the media made there ("Der Spiegel") and the authors writting in it. Its also part of the multi-culturality and openess that comes with having a harbour - which a landlocked city "naturally has a hard time developing". So whenever you goto hamburg from the south, you recieve a ton of subtle signs about the superiority of the city and the "elb-adel" (aristocrats) and its old history ("Wir waren Hanse, wat ward ihr? Bauernvolk für den Märchenkönig bis pleite!"). The harbour of hamburg is old and awesome by the way!

The only thing that really helped to covercome these century old - was ironically the Conscription for the Bundeswehr in the cold war, intentionally mixing recruits allover germany and binding groups of friends together. That is now absent for a while- but the Ruhrpott and hamburg have missmanaged germany for quite a while now - and it shows, as subtle cracks of doubt in the superiority surface.

Cumex and Wirecard showed that elite as the lame ducks without a plan they really are.

PS: This explicitly ignores the Neo-prussians of berlin and the insults they throw at everything outside in the "incest-villages" as they call the rest of germany.

I was really hoping that this was about a grilled ground beef sandwich opining on a German city :(

How is it that Hamburg's football club (HSV) is not anywhere near the level of Munich's? They are from similarly large cities, and had somewhat comparable history until it diverged in recent decades.

Have to admit, I first read, "munching from a hamburger's perspective", expecting a satire about the trauma a burger goes through while being eaten.

> You’re close to places like Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, which makes it easy to travel.

One thing I really like about living in southwestern Germany is that I can hop onto a train at my local station at around 6am, and - after changing trains 1 time - get out in Milano Centrale at around 11am (until quite recently, there was even a direct train). From Milano Centrale, it's 2 hours to Venice or the Italian Riviera.

Paris is a 3 hour TGV trip from here. London is 5 hours, plus 1 hour transfer and checking into the Eurostar train at Paris Gare du Nord.

Milan, Paris, and London are all quicker to reach by train from here than Berlin.