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Munich's old town from the St. Peter tower, with the Frauenkirche and the New Town Hall
Stalls of the Viktualienmarkt around the blue and white maypole
The painted barrel vault of the Antiquarium in the Munich Residenz
A surfer riding the standing wave of the Eisbach at the edge of the English Garden
The white cube of the NS-Dokumentationszentrum on Max-Mannheimer-Platz

Things to do in Munich: 11 experiences

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Photo: Steffen Flor, CC BY-SA 4.0

Viktualienmarkt

Graze the Viktualienmarkt and drink in its beer garden

Check dates and prices

Photo: Strubbl, CC BY-SA 4.0

Residenz, Max-Joseph-Platz

Walk the Residenz rooms, then the crowns in the Treasury

Check dates and prices

Photo: Wilfredor, CC0

Englischer Garten

Watch the Eisbach surfers, then walk on to the Chinese Tower

Check dates and prices

Photo: Usien, CC BY-SA 3.0

Königsplatz and Odeonsplatz

Trace Munich's Nazi past from Odeonsplatz to the Documentation Centre

Check dates and prices

Photo: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0

Munich, the Bavarian capital, is a compact old town of churches, markets and beer halls ringed by palaces, parks and some of Germany's best museums. Most of what visitors come for sits within a 20-minute walk of Marienplatz, and the rest is a short tram or U-Bahn ride away.

The city rewards a little timing: museums cluster their closing days on Mondays, the Pinakothek galleries charge €1 on Sundays, Nymphenburg's park pavilions open only from April to mid October, and shops and the Viktualienmarkt shut on Sundays. Munich is also the base for the big Bavarian day trips: Neuschwanstein, the Zugspitze, Dachau and the Königssee are on the Germany page and the Bavaria hub.

11 things to do in Munich

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Stalls of the Viktualienmarkt around the blue and white maypole

Graze the Viktualienmarkt and drink in its beer garden

Viktualienmarkt

1 to 2 hoursGo alone or with a tour

Munich's open-air food market since 1807, a few steps from Marienplatz, with a beer garden whose brewery changes every few weeks.

Check dates and pricesTwo-hour tasting walk around the Viktualienmarkt
Been there?
The Frauenkirche towers and the New Town Hall seen from the St. Peter tower

Climb the Alter Peter tower for the view over Marienplatz

St. Peter's Church, Marienplatz

About 45 minutesNo booking needed

About 300 steps up the city's oldest parish church to a platform at 56 m, looking straight down on the Town Hall.

Been there?
The painted barrel vault of the Antiquarium in the Munich Residenz

Walk the Residenz rooms, then the crowns in the Treasury

Residenz, Max-Joseph-Platz

3 hours with the TreasuryGo alone or with a tour

The Wittelsbach rulers' city palace, built up over four centuries, with a Renaissance hall of antiquities and a Treasury of crowns and jewels.

Check dates and pricesGuided Residenz palace visit with the Court Garden
Been there?
Nymphenburg Palace across its canal, with the central pavilion and wings

Spend half a day at Nymphenburg Palace and its park pavilions

Nymphenburg

Half a dayBook ahead

The Wittelsbachs' summer palace on the city's western edge, with a canal, a vast park and small pleasure pavilions scattered through it.

Tours in Munich
Been there?
A surfer riding the standing wave of the Eisbach at the edge of the English Garden

Watch the Eisbach surfers, then walk on to the Chinese Tower

Englischer Garten

2 to 3 hours on foot or by bikeFree

A city park of about 375 hectares, with river surfers at its southern gate and one of Bavaria's largest beer gardens in the middle.

Check dates and pricesBike loop through the city with a Chinese Tower stop
Been there?
The Deutsches Museum on its island in the Isar, with the river in front

Pick three halls at the Deutsches Museum on the Museumsinsel

Museumsinsel

4 hours at leastBook ahead

One of the world's great science and technology museums, on an island in the Isar, with 20 permanent exhibitions over 20,000 m².

Tours in Munich
Been there?
The east facade of the Alte Pinakothek with the Chillida sculpture in front

See Dürer and Rubens at the Alte Pinakothek for €1 on a Sunday

Kunstareal, Maxvorstadt

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

One of Europe's great old master galleries, from Dürer's 1500 self-portrait to a wall of Rubens, for €1 on Sundays.

Tours in Munich
Been there?
The white cube of the NS-Dokumentationszentrum on Max-Mannheimer-Platz

Trace Munich's Nazi past from Odeonsplatz to the Documentation Centre

Königsplatz and Odeonsplatz

2.5 to 3 hours with the museumFree

The city where the Nazi party grew up, read through its own streets and a free museum on the site of the party's headquarters.

Check dates and pricesWalking tour of Third Reich sites from Marienplatz
Been there?
The curved glass roof of BMW Welt in front of the four-cylinder BMW tower

See BMW Welt for free, then cross to the BMW Museum

Olympiapark

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

A free showroom under a swooping glass roof and a company museum in a bowl-shaped building, beside the Olympic Park.

Tours in Munich
Been there?
The Hacker-Festzelt beer tent on the Theresienwiese during Oktoberfest 2025

Find a seat in an Oktoberfest tent on the Theresienwiese

Munich

Free

Entry to the Oktoberfest grounds and beer tents is free, and plenty of seats are never reserved if you arrive before lunch.

Tours in Munich
Been there?
The facade of the Hofbräuhaus beer hall on the Platzl in Munich

Drink a Mass at the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl

Munich

No booking needed

Share long tables with strangers over one-litre mugs in a beer hall built in 1589, with Bavarian music playing.

Tours in Munich
Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Munich yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Munich Airport is linked to the city centre by the S1 and S8 S-Bahn lines, which alternate so a train leaves about every 10 minutes; the ride to the Hauptbahnhof takes roughly 40 minutes. The Hauptbahnhof is the hub for long-distance trains and for regional trains to Füssen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berchtesgaden.

  • Getting around

    The old town is walkable end to end. Beyond it, the MVV network of U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses reaches every sight on this page: tram 17 to Nymphenburg, U3 to the Olympic Park and BMW Welt, U2 to Königsplatz. A day ticket for Zone M covers the city, and the Deutschlandticket is valid on all of it.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, three days cover the city: one for the old town (Marienplatz, Alter Peter, the Viktualienmarkt and the Residenz), one for museums (the Kunstareal, the Documentation Centre and the Deutsches Museum) and one for Nymphenburg and the English Garden. Add a day for each big trip out of town, such as Neuschwanstein or the Zugspitze.

  • When to go

    May to September is beer garden season, when the English Garden and the Viktualienmarkt are at their best and Nymphenburg's pavilions are open. Oktoberfest runs for about 16 days ending in early October, and the city fills up. Late November to Christmas brings the markets. Winter suits the museums, but some palace rooms and park buildings close.

  • Where to base yourself

    The old town around Marienplatz puts most sights on foot. Staying near the Hauptbahnhof saves time on early trains for day trips. Maxvorstadt, north of the old town, is quieter and close to the Kunstareal museums and the English Garden.

Questions travellers ask

Which Munich museums are closed on Mondays?

The Alte Pinakothek, the NS-Dokumentationszentrum and the BMW Museum close on Mondays. The Residenz and the Deutsches Museum open every day, so Monday is a good day for those, for Nymphenburg or for the English Garden.

Is Sunday a good day for sightseeing in Munich?

For museums, yes: the Alte Pinakothek and its partner galleries charge €1 on Sundays. Shops and the Viktualienmarkt stalls are closed, so plan the market and any shopping for another day.

Can you surf or swim in the Eisbach?

Surfing on the Eisbach wave was allowed again from 8 May 2026 for experienced surfers, with a self-releasing leash and no surfing after 22:00. Swimming there is a bad idea: the water is fast and cold. Watch from the bridge on Prinzregentenstraße.

How do I get from Munich Airport to the city centre?

Take the S1 or S8 S-Bahn. Between them a train leaves about every 10 minutes, and the trip to the Hauptbahnhof takes around 40 minutes. The MVV's Airport-City-Day-Ticket covers the ride and the city network for the rest of the day.

How many days do you need in Munich?

Three days for the city itself, plus one day for each trip you want to make to Neuschwanstein, the Zugspitze, Dachau or the Königssee.

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