Garching, officially "Garching b. München" is a northern suburb of Munich in Upper Bavaria. Its main claim to fame is the Forschungszentrum which does high class research into all kinds of things. Among other high caliber researchers, it is the place of employment of the 2020 Physics Nobel Laureate Reinhard Genzel.

Understand

The coat of arms shows the "Atomei" ("atomic egg") the nickname for the former research nuclear reactor built here in the 1950s. While this one has been shut down, its successor started operations in 2004.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Munich Airport (MUC ^IATA). Take  S8  until Ismaning and then bus 230, unless you want to "double back" all the way to downtown Munich.  

By U-Bahn

The Munich U-Bahn line  U6  is the only one to extend beyond the Munich city limits and serves three stops within city limits, which are as follows from south to north:

• 2 Garching-Hochbrück.  
• 3 Garching.  
• 4 Garching Forschungszentrum.  

See

• 1 ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre, Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 2, Garching (near Munich, Germany), ☏ +49 89 32006900, supernova@eso.org. 09:00–17:00. The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is a cutting-edge free astronomy centre for the public located at the site of ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München, providing you with an immersive experience that will leave you in awe of the Universe we live in. (updated Mar 2019)
• 1 St. Katharina. (updated Nov 2020)
• 2 Wasserturm Hochbrück. (updated Nov 2020)
• 3 Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Gießenbachstraße 1, ☏ +49 89 30000-0, mpe@mpe.mpg.de. Led by 2020 Nobel Laureate Reinhard Genzel you can get a guided tour and there are a few big public events throughout the year to bring the complicated science done here closer to the general population. (updated Dec 2020)
• 2 Forschungsreaktor München II (FRM II), Lichtenbergstraße 1 ( U6  to Garching-Forschungszentrum), ☏ +49 89 289 12147, besucherdienst@frm2.tum.de. The reactor is an optimised neutron source. Almost 50% of experiments are performed using cold neutrons. The compact construction of the fuel element means that more than 70% of the neutrons leave the uranium zone and build up to a maximum thermal neutron flux density at a distance of 12cm from the surface of the fuel element. From where they are distributed to the experiments. Please register early in advance your visit either by email or phone. The visitor needs to be older than 16 years, not pregnant and no phones or cameras are allowed inside. 
• European Southern Observatory's Supernova Center and Planetarium, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748 Garching bei München (20 km (12 mi) north of Munich city center at the Garching campus of Technical University Munich), ☏ +49 89 320 06 900. W-F 09:00-17:00, Sa Su 12:00-17:00. Next to the HQ of the European Southern Observatory, which runs several of the world's largest telescopes and is a leading astrophysical research institute, you can visit the Supernova Center and Planetarium. The planetarium offers various programs. There is also a permanent exhibition explaining the physics of our solar system, galaxy and the universe in great detail. free. (updated Nov 2019)

Do

• 1 Garchinger See. A Baggersee created by digging out gravel for building what is now federal highway A9. (updated Nov 2020)

Eat

• 1 Gasthof Neuwirt, Münchener Str.10, ☏ +49 89 3291258. 7:00 to 24:00 daily. mains from €8.50. 

Sleep

• 1 Hotel Jagerhof, Schleißheimerstr. 83, ☏ +49 89 3076850. single& double €58.00, 3-Bed €78.00 without breakfast. 
• 2 Ibis München Garching, Daimlerstraße 5, ☏ +49 89 323840. 
• 3 Motel One München Garching, Daimlerstraße 5a, ☏ +49 89 36035250. single from €59.00, double from €69.00, breakfast €7.50.