TrustYou Adventurers in Munich: What Makes the "World’s Most Livable City" special

Recently, Forbes contributor Jordan Bishop picked up a study done by Monocle, an urban lifestyle magazine, which conducted its annual “Quality of Life Survey”. Being the 12th edition this year in 2018 and coming up with the annual ranking of 25 cities, we are thrilled to learn that Munich, TrustYou’s Headquarter location and also founding city around 10 years ago, made it to the number 1 of the world's most livable cities!
While there are plenty of reasons why a certain city or place becomes a (temporary) home, this news prompted us to ask our Munich-based TrustYou team members what they enjoy most about living in Bavaria’s capital. Since we are a particularly international team with around 30 different nationalities and even more cosmopolitan and multilingual colleagues who spent part of their lives living all across the globe, we were curious to find out what makes Munich a livable city to them and what they enjoy most about it.

Spoiler alert of this short TrustYou team survey: no matter which team or department, internationals and locals, long-term Munich residents and recent Munich newbies - they are ALL united by an ongoing fascination and appreciation for this city, which creates even more opportunities to meet up and have a great time!
We’re excited to share the following qualities and recommendations here, highlighting Munich’s top-notch position as a livable, fun, outdoorsy, green, sporty, eclectic, cosmopolitan, traditional, interestingly Bavarian and yet international city.
Among the many responses from our around 70 team members here in Munich, certain trends were spotted and overall qualities like proximity to nature and an abundance of outdoor activities, the great safety and  infrastructure, as well as the sense of culture and traditions were among the things TrustYou adventurers love the most.

For our COO Jakob, it’s all about surfing in the city: “I love Munich because it is the only big city in the world that has no access to an ocean but where you still can surf every day, day and night (on a standing river wave in the middle of town).“ He shares the passion for outdoor activities with many of our other team members, and e.g. Camille and Silvia from the Key Account Management team, as well as Data Engineer Yuriy, enjoy a lot that it’s “just a short distance to the mountains”.

Together with the close proximity to the Alps, as well as the many green areas within the city center of Munich, our TY adventurers are huge fans of the seasons here: Regina, Director Strategic Partnerships points out that she enjoys having “hot summers, snowy winters and colorful falls and springs,” while our Business Development Executives Iina and Theresa additionally praise the many cafes and beer garden options that are full of people “at the first sunshine.”

According to Tech Recruiter & HR Manager Fanny, “everything is just so clean and pretty” which makes it also a very safe place to live. Sébastien and Fritzi from the Sales team are grateful for feeling at ease on the streets also at nights, and Full-Stack Developer Nicola is amazed that “kids are playing in the street and fancy cabrio cars are actually parked with the top open.”

Having a great infrastructure makes it comfortable also roaming the city. Python Backend Developer Aidan appreciates that the only two commutes he has had ever since he moved to Munich “mainly consisted of cycling through parkland”, and Product Manager Deepak likes that “by limiting the high rise buildings, Munich has been kept beautiful with a mix of modern and old architecture.”

Both Data Engineer Diego and Recruiter Kailyn love that culture and tradition can be found everywhere in Munich: “The high regard for traditions in an extremely modern environment is a very exciting mix for me,” and Kailyn recommends that “strolling through Viktualienmarkt for local treats” is just a perfect Saturday activity. Anna from the Marketing team adds that “Munich people really know how to celebrate.”

Tech Lead Michael enjoys the beer gardens also because they are the perfect place to experience the German concept of ‘Gemütlichkeit’. While there is no literal translation in the English language, Marketing Director Katharina describes it as a “laid-back and relaxed Bavarian culture” which is particularly found in beer gardens, where you can also taste “good beer, Brezn & Obadza!” The latter two referring to the little bread twisted as a knot, coming with a Bavarian cheese specialty.

Culinary explorations are also favored by Lora, HR Manager and long-term Munich resident. With more than 14 years she cannot find any reason why she would leave: “I keep discovering new things on a daily basis and there are cafes and restaurants that are a kid’s paradise”. In addition, Go, Executive Finance Manager, with around 3 months fairly new to Munich, enjoys the outdoor options to “really be relaxed with family!”

So, anyone looking for some recommendations on how to spend a perfect weekend in Munich? Mike, Client Success Manager, has you covered: “You can decide between going to amazing parks and Biergartens in the middle of the city, go climbing the Alps, jump into a stunning lake, hop on an affordable flight to almost any place in the world, watch a movie under the stars, go to concerts, festivals, discos, museums and art expositions after eating Sushi, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian or Mexican.”

Being “beautiful and comfy” according to our Tech Lead Slavik, and the fact that Munich “has become such an international place” as VP People Operations & Culture Franzi points out, it seems that it is precisely the mix of nature and city that makes Munich such a unique and great place to live. Lead UX Designer Radu contemplates that the city “hits the sweet spot when it comes to balancing work and life, urban and nature, modern and traditional, known and unknown experiences."

CTO Steffen, with more than 10 years of experience at TrustYou and as a Munich citizen praises its “perfect size – big enough to have all the comforts of a global city, but with easy access to many parks, lakes and the mountains.” Ultimately, it might all come down to Munich’s particular “flow: Isar, beer, cycle lanes,” as Sara, Onboarding Manager states. So we’re quite inclined to be convinced:  Munich is not just a city, it’s a lifestyle!

To find out more about Monocle’s Quality of Life Survey and the top 25 cities in 2018, dedicating a brief sequence on each of the cities that made it to the list, just follow the link below. Heads-up: the part on Munich being #1 starts at around 7:28. https://monocle.com/film/affairs/quality-of-life-survey-top-25-cities-2018/
And for a full 2.35 minute feature film on Munich with all its great places, (aptly) entitled “the best of everything”, you can find it here: https://monocle.com/film/affairs/munich-the-best-of-everything/

Catalina Brinza

Catalina is a social media and data enthusiast. At TrustYou, she's on a mission to bring the most out of travel and hospitality data. One day, she hopes to experience Japan's culture to its fullest.

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