Police in Munich warned of a "serious, imminent threat" by Islamic State group suicide bombers wanting to commit an attack on New Year's Eve and asked people to stay away from the city's main train station and a second train station in the city's Pasing neighbourhood.

Police said on Facebook that according to "serious information, there could be an attack tonight."

Two train stations were evacuated on Thursday night and police said in a tweet that people should avoid crowds and train stations, according to CNBC.

"After evaluating the situation, we started evacuating the train stations and also asked partygoers to stay away from big crowds outside," said police spokesman Werner Kraus.

There is the danger of an attack in the area of munich, please keep away from crowds, avoid the central station and the rail station pasing. —@PolizeiMuenchen

Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told reporters Friday morning at Munich's police headquarters that authorities had received information that the Islamic State was behind the threat.

Munich police president Hubertus Andrae said German authorities had been tipped off by a foreign intelligence service that ISIS was planning attacks with five to seven suicide bombers, the German news agency dpa reported. Andrae said so far there hadn't been any arrests.

The warning came about an hour before the city celebrated the start of the new year.

Despite police warnings to stay away from big crowds, thousands of people were on the streets of Munich at midnight to welcome the new year with fireworks.