In a few weeks all eyes will swivel towards Berlin and the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. Yet Munich's Oktoberfest, which begins on 19 September, has attained such status that it's nicknamed Bavaria's "fifth season", with more than six million visitors expected to attend. However, the city's sky-high confidence in regard to culture and business is evident year-round. This is emphasised by the new avant-garde Brandhorst museum, which houses a remarkable collection of contemporary art; the imminent opening of the world's first nanotechnology museum in the Deutsches Museum; and the fact that the city's vibrant new tech park is already filled with dynamic start-ups.

Best way to arrive Munich's award-laden airport, Franz Josef Strauss, is a fine gateway to the city. Clean, light and airy, it takes just 10 minutes from disembarkation to exit. Connecting two terminals is the Munich Airport Centre, a shopping, business and recreation area. The Service Centre in the Zentralbereich has a bank of PCs; left luggage; information desk and a dry cleaning service. Although a taxi downtown takes 45 minutes and costs €55, the S-Bahn is more reliable and €10 gets a one day Gesamtnetz ticket for the whole public transit system.

Recharge As a leading conference and trade show destination, Munich is expensive for hotels compared to grungy Berlin but it is half the price of Paris. (Try getting a room next month during the international property show Expo Real). But away from the bottlenecks, for a true grande dame experience try the Bayerischer Hof or the Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, which are both cosily Bavarian but flamboyantly luxurious. For a more overtly international display of opulence (but less history and flavour) head for the Mandarin Oriental or Rocco Forte's The Charles, the latter very close to the main railway station. There are then dozens of familiar, mid-budget brands, but don't miss the design-themed Motel One, which has four Munich properties. Best value for money might be Cocoon, a brand-new ‘budget' lifestyle concept by Munich hotelier Johannes Eckelmann. Situated about 15 minutes' walk from downtown, it's sensational value, with singles from €69 a night. Eckelmann says he wants his mostly business guests to "arrive like caterpillars and leave like butterflies." Another favourite budget property is Hotel Carlton, which is tucked into a brilliant location at the heart of the university and museum district on the corner of Theresienstraße and Fürstenstraße — 30 seconds from the Brandhorst and minutes from Schellingstrasse.

Refuel As ‘the northern most city in Italy' (reflecting its Savoyard history), Munich is not short of good food at very reasonable cost. Many a business dinner is conducted over schweinhax'n (pork shank) and beer in the informal and entirely convivial atmosphere of a beer garden, also a good option if dining alone. City centre beer gardens include the oldest one of all, the Hofbräuhaus, off Maximilianstraße, but another favourite is the taxi-accessible Chinese Tower in the English Gardens, with its 7,000 seats and iconic pagoda. For lunch, consider any of the Pinakotheks, the cluster of art galleries 10 minutes' walk north of the Hauptbahnhof. They offer excellent value in beautiful surroundings. Museum Brandhorst offers great food too, and is opposite a new and evidently very popular ice cream parlour, BallaBeni. Just down the street is another old favourite, Brasserie Tresznjewski at Theresienstraße 72. A favourite with the business community is Schumann's Bar am Hofgarten on Odeonsplatz — a must-see site owing to the Field Marshal's Hall, designed by Friedrich von Gärtner after the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, in 1841. There you won't be left in any doubt about the Italian connection. Also consider Literaturhaus for drinks and food, across the road from Siemens at Salvatorplatz. But don't miss the beer gardens if your trip is in the summer.

Relax Visit the Oktoberfest for a thoroughly Bavarian experience (19 Sept — 4 Oct); if your trip is in December don't forget the legendary Christmas market at Marienplatz (27 Nov — 24 Dec). Current events include a Tutankhamen exhibition at Olympia Park (until end Oct). Next year will witness the 10-yearly enaction of the Passion Play at Oberammergau, with a cast of 2,000 (15 May — 3 Oct). The BMW Welt is an extraordinary architectural statement and worth a visit even if cars aren't your thing. Maximilianstraße is the place for lavish brands and boutiques, but arguably more flavour is to be had in adjacent streets — visit Dallmayr in Residenzstraße, and Lodenfrey in Maffeistraße. Bikes can be rented from Radius on the north side of the main railway station. Alternatively rent a car for the day and drive an hour to the Alps.

On the map: shiny zappy people

Munich's vibrant wealth comes not just from brewing but from automotive technologies (the home of BMW), advertising, media, bio-technology and technology. The latest development is a brand new Technology Park (Münchner Technologiezentrum — MTZ), with 57 companies renting offices and a waiting list of would-be tenants. Chief executive Cristina Mann points to a large plot of land that will eventually enable tenfold expansion over the next decade. The secret behind its success, she believes, is low rent (€400 per month average for a 22m2 office) and Munich's enviable record in supplying high-net-worth angels and tech-focused venture capital. Not to mention a state-of-the-art building with a photovoltaic roof, natural ground water cooling instead of air conditioning and tech-loaded, naturally lit offices, designed by Stuttgart architects H4A. Mann also presides over a ‘try Munich out' programme for foreign businesses called Touchdown Base. You can have an office for anything between two weeks and three months for €500 per month, inclusive, with no obligation to stay. Tenants at MTZ wax lyrical about their new offices. At one end of the building Bernhard Kreymann, formerly a physician, is developing a new liver dialysis technology for his company Hepa Wash, while at the other end Andreas Wiedmann is taking satellite mapping to new heights of detail (United Maps); in the middle you find iPhone app meisters Thomas Kern, Philipp Döschl and Markus Görl, who've set up their entertainment company around several hundred thousand downloads of Parachute Panic, a leading iPhone game...

My Munich

Christiane Zeiller, 40, freelance art curator

Best and worst things about living in Munich

Best: Munich is half Italian; beer gardens; Worst: Lack of affordable property.

Best way to get around Bicycle.

Favourite secret place The 18th-century cemetery in Bogenhausen (east Munich — exit U-Bahn at Max-Weber-Platz).

Best place to exercise Running in Nymphenburg park.

Best place to relax Banks of the Isar River or Englischer Garten.

Best place to refuel Augustiner Bräu in Munich's Westend (huge atmosphere in a former stable); also Das Blaue Haus, near the theatre.

Most inspirational building The café in the Glyptothek, the museum which houses Ludwig I's Greek antiquities; also St Michael's Church.

Best tip Try the less-well-known Unertl wheat beer, brewed at Haag, just outside the city.

Worth noting The Viktualienmarkt (main food market, downtown) is a very Bavarian place.

Georg Laue, 41, Art dealer, publisher and owner of the Kunstkammer Georg Laue

Best and worst things about living in Munich

Best: Cultural facilities and superb nature; Worst: Never enough time to enjoy all of it.

Best way to get around Take the Straßenbahn (tram) as well as the bike.

Favourite secret place Müllersches Volksbad (art deco swimming pool & sauna).

Best place to exercise Englischer Garten.

Best place to relax Go to one of the lakes around Munich, such as the Ostersee in Iffeldorf.

Best place to refuel Schumann's Bar am Hofgarten, Odeonsplatz.

Most inspirational building Architectural ensemble of the Königsplatz with the so-called Propyläen. The best moment is the evening when you can watch the sunset while sitting between the columns.

Best tip Go to the Englischer Garten. Rent a bike and discover the city.

Worth noting Forget Neuschwanstein (the fairy-tale castle outside Munich) and go to the Schatzkammer (treasury) in the Munich Residence.

Alister Sharman, 56, Antique dealer and restorer

Best and worst things about living in Munich

Best: Clean and safe; spacious; lots of green. Worst: Dog excrement on the pavements.

Best way to get around On foot; by bicycle; using the excellent public transport.

Favourite secret place The centrally located Hofkapelle and its charming Rosengarten.

Best place to exercise Englischer Garten or along the banks of the Isar River.

Best place to relax As above, plus Nymphenburg park.

Best place to refuel For tea/coffee The Sconery in the Fünf Höfe (very central and in a pedestian zone), Brown's tea house — Amalienstraße near the university.

Most inspirational building Alte Pinakothek, and the Pagodenburg in the grounds of Schloß Nymphenburg.

Best tip Visiting the public galleries, museums, and concerts and walking everywhere.

Worth noting You can take a bike on the S-Bahn beyond the city , where beautiful lakes await