Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is famed for its storied past, stunning architecture, and delectable beer. If you’re thinking about visiting this lovely city, you’ll want to maximize your time there. Here are the top things to do in Munich, a city that should not be missed by anyone seeking a distinctive fusion of history, art, and contemporary culture.
Munich offers something for everyone, from touring the magnificent Nymphenburg Palace to enjoying the city’s renowned beer gardens. These are the experiences you won’t want to miss, whether you’re a frequent traveler or a first-time visitor. So, prepare for an incredible experience in one of Europe’s most intriguing cities by packing your bags!
If you are a fan of beer and drinking well the first things which is going to pop up on your mind while hearing Munich is the worlds famous Oktoberfest Fest the annual beer and folk festival. Though now this is more common across all the parts in Europe and you may find a rip off version of this happening at all the places. Like the one, we explore while in Budapest.
But the city has much more to offer. A fascinating history, splendid art and architecture, museums and castles, and some delicious food and drink, there is plenty to keep any traveller occupied. But it would be difficult to experience all the city has to offer in just one day. With that in mind, here is a Munich 2 day itinerary.
Well, this doesn’t cover all the places in Bavaria, Like the famous Romantic Road trip in Bavaria is something which people come here to see a lot.
If you have time to spend on the Free Walking Tour you can consider doing that as it offers a crash course on the History of the city and some famous spots and stories around that. We tried with Sandeman’s during our visit but you can also try finding some more like Free Walking Tour Munich. In case you want to reserve the spot for the walking tour and don’t want to wait you can get your tickets for Skip the line Munich Free walking tour for 2 Euros.
But in case you have less time to spend in the City you may want to skip the walking tours and consider exploring the beauty of the city on your own.
Below is out Cinematic Video of Munich.
In case you want to watch my Munich Travel Vlog check our Youtube video.
Top Things to Do in Munich
Marienplatz
Marienplatz has been Munich ‘s central square since 1158 and a stroll around the narrow streets and courtyard is a must-see for the magnificent historic buildings with breathtaking architecture such as Neues Rathaus (New City Hall), which dominates the square and the Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall) Gothic-style buildings. With lots of cafes , bars, shops and street artists, it’s a fun place to hang out.
The cheerful Glockenspiel, from high up on the tower of the New City Hall, chimes out and re-enacts 16th-century tales, with 43 bells and 32 puppets, each morning at 11 am and 12 pm. Even visit nearby St. Peter’s Church (Peterskirche), the oldest church in Munich and one adorned in the interior. Avoid the crowds and climb the 299 steps to the tower early and take stunning views of the city at 360 °.
This is the liveliest location in Munich and you will end up seeing it crowded with many tourists getting their finest click around the new Rathaus. The reason for including this as the first in our Top things to do in Munich is that it is in the centre and is the most loved location in Munich.
Church of our Lady / Frauenkirche
The red gothic-style, Our Lady’s Church (Frauenkirche) is a Munich landmark, with its striking domed towers rising up into the bright blue sky. With massive pillars, arches and beautiful colourful stained glass windows, the interior is spectacular. Go out of the hustle and bustle of the streets to spend some time and relax in the quiet environment surrounded by beautiful art and the scent of incense. The cathedral not only houses Louis IV’s remains but also secrets that you can discover about the footprint of the Devil and why it’s always windy around the church.
The bell tower is open all day, and the views from the top are well worth all the stairs! Be warned though, the staircase is narrow and there is only one which is used for going up and coming down, so take your time and be aware of other people who are going up or down at the same time.
From the top, you get a spectacular view of Marienplatz and the New Town Hall, as well as the whole city around you (the cover photo is from the top of the tower).
Munich City Card
Do you know Munich city has a city card which offers free unlimited travel on the Munich Public Transport and along with that discounts on couple of things in Munich.
So if you are planning to explore Munich to the fullest then I would recommend you to check this out.
More detail about this can be found below
The Devils Footprint
If you’re a believer or not, I’ve loved this story about the Frauenkirche architect making a bargain with the devil. The church was built in just 20 years, which for a church of that scale is incredibly fast considering it was built in the 1400s without modern technology.
Legend has it, the devil came into the church during construction and talked to the architect, and promised to help him improve the building as long as the church had no walls. At the time, the church already had windows, but he couldn’t see them from where the devil stood, because they were concealed along the aisle by the tall pillars.
The skilful architect decided to make no improvements to the church, and a few years later construction was finished. When the devil came back to inspect the job, he was angry to see the beautiful windows all over the church, and when he discovered he was fooled, he stamped his foot in rage and left his footprint behind.
Take the Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour
Enjoy Munich on a panoramic hop-on hop-off tour across the city in a double-decker bus. Enjoy magnificent views of the city, from Olympic Park to Nymphenburg Palace, and get on or off the bus anytime you like to experience the city at your own pace.
The good thing is that this is available in multi language i.e. Spanish, Danish, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Russian
It starts from Bahnhofsplatz, in front of the Elisenhof, located right by the Munich Central Train Station in the city center.
We booked the small city tour and It was very interesting to see the nicer corners of Munich. The trip went about 1 hour with several stops for hop / on / off. There were free headphones for listening to the band announcement and an overview plan.
- Get your tickets for Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour Munich
- Enjoy discounted admission to over 80 attractions and tours, including the observation deck of the Old Pinakothek
- Use public transport such as metro, bus and tram unlimited and free of charge
- Get a free map and a travel brochure from Munich that contains some useful information for your stay
Deutsches Museum
Our top things to do in Munich is going to empty if we don’t include this museum on it.
The Deutsches Museum was founded in 1903 and is one of the world’s oldest science and technology museums. And, covering some 66,000 sq m2, it is one of the biggest and you could easily spend more than a day walking through the exclusive and fascinating exhibits.
All is well described and descriptive, from astronomy, oceanography, and marine navigation to physics, the climate, and transport. This is a fabulous place to visit if you’re interested in science and technology. Adults cost €11; families cost € 23. You will find more detail on the rates here. More information on prices can be found here.
Englischer Garten
The Englischer Garten (English Garden) is a massive park in the middle of Munich, one of the world’s biggest, and a nice place to spend the day. There is plenty to see; a Japanese tea house, a Chinese 5-level tower, Apollo’s temple, Schonfeld Meadow and Kleinhesseloher Lake, all contributing to the park’s distinctive character.
You can also ride the waves and surf along with one of the lakes the most famous portion where you will see people surfing is Einbach in one of the starting portion of English Garten, there are green expanses for sunbathing, naked if you like, thick woods and several trails for exploring on foot or by bike. There are plenty of cafes, restaurants and beer gardens offering a delicious variety of food and beverages.
If you want to include this in your itinerary make sure you have sufficient time and you have planned all what you want to see in the garden because it 900 acres and is the largest garden in Europe so you will end up lost in the garden if you don’t know what you want to see.
If you want to Fly drone in Munich then this is one of best spot where you can fly your drone. The Monopteros the circular Greek temple lies in the flying zone so you can get creative with your drone around that.
Next on our list of top things to do in Munich is Glyptothek
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Glyptothek Museum
If you are a fan of museum and sculpture then you should definitely consider visiting this museum during your visit to Munich. This is one of the oldest public museums in Europe and the only museum in the world dedicated solely to ancient sculpture.
The name “Glyptothek” is a modern art word. It is made up of the ancient Greek words “glyphein” (chiseling) and “theke” (storage), thus denotes a storage place for sculptures. Here Greek and Roman marble statues of the highest quality are displayed in an ideal setting.
As of September 2020, this is currently closed for renovation, So you may want to check when it available for visiting.
Admission €6.00/4.00 and Sundays €1, children free; ticket valid for both museums (Glyptothek and Staatliche Antikensammlungen).
You can check their website here
Location – Königsplatz
Assamkirche
The Asamkirche Munich is located on Sendlingerstraße, which with its numerous shops is one of the most popular shopping streets in Munich. The Asamkirche in Sendlinger Straße – one of the most important buildings
The Assam Church was built between 1733 and 1746 by the Asam brothers. The special feature of the church is its original construction as a private church and not, as was customary at the time, on behalf of the congregation.
For the Asam brothers, the construction was rather an expression of their honour to God. A protest by the population later allowed public access to the Asam Church.
It is free to visit and is open daily. You can easily walk to this place from Marienplatz without any issue.
Location – Sendlinger Straße 32, 80331 Munich
St. Peters Kirche
Situated opposite to new Rathaus in Marienplatz this church can be recognized easily by the tall towers with eight clock faces on it. Saint Peter’s Church or Alte Peter (Old Peter) is the city’s oldest church, it was constructed in 1180.
During WWII the church was almost completely obliterated and it took up until 2000 to complete the church’s reconstruction.
The interior is predominantly baroque in style and features a high altar by Stuber (1730) and statues by Egid Asam. In a gilded glass coffin you can see the skeletal remains of Saint Mundita. The bones are adorned with precious stones and gold. It is possible to climb the 306 steps to the top of the church steeple, which is 56 meters high, and get brilliant views across the city.
The cost to see the beautiful panorama view of the city is just 3 Euro per person. While currently, this is closed because of the restrictions of Coronavirus but this absolutely is one of the interesting things to do in Munich.
- Enjoy discounted admission to over 80 attractions and tours, including the observation deck of the Old Pinakothek
- Use public transport such as metro, bus and tram unlimited and free of charge
- Get a free map and a travel brochure from Munich that contains some useful information for your stay
Pinakothek Der Moderne
This modern art museum is one of the three great Pinakothek museums in Munich’s Art District or Kunstareal together with the Alte Pinakothek (museum of Old Masters) and the Neue Pinakothek (18th and 19th century art museum).
These three museums, together with the Antikensammlungen (museum of antiquities) cover the history of art from ancient civilizations and through to modern art.
The entry inside the museum cost 10 Euro.
Location – Barer Strasse 40, 80333 Munich
Alte Pinakothek
This is one of the oldest museums in the world, “Alte” actually means “old”; the museum covers the “old” masters (hence the name) mainly from the 13th to 18th century. It is part of a group of three “Pinakotheken” museums all located in the Art District or Kunstareal.
This museum is an house to around 800 paintings. The cost of the entry to the museum is 4 Euro.
Location – Barer Strasse 27 80333 Munich
Neue Pinakothek
The original building of the Neue Pinakothek dated back to 1853 when the museum opened, but it was destroyed during WWII and so the present home of this museum opened in 1981.
The museum is home to around 400 modern art created in 18th and 19th century. Currently it is closed. The admission cost for this museum is 7 Euro.
Location – Barer Str. 29, 80799 München, Germany
You can find more information about this here.
Bayrische Staatsoper
The Bayerische Staatsoper is one of the world’s leading opera houses and proudly looks back on a history of opera and ballet that has lasted more than 350 years. With around 600,000 guests attending more than 450 events each year, the Bayerische Staatsoper contributes significantly to Munich’s reputation as one of the major international cultural cities.
Within one season, more than 40 operas from five centuries and more than 20 ballets from the 19th century to the present day are given, along with concerts and recitals. This makes the house’s program one of the most diverse internationally diverse. With 2,101 seats, the Classicist National Theatre is the largest opera house in Germany and is considered one of the most beautiful theatres in Europe.
You can find more information about this here
Residenz
From 1508 to 1918, the Munich Residence was the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings’ residence and seat of government. Throughout the ages, the princes converted a castle in the north-eastern corner of the city fortifications (“Neuveste”, 1385) into a splendid ruler’s seat and expanded town courtyards and gardens.
Spaces and collections of art from the Renaissance, Early Baroque and Rococo periods to Classicism attest to the House of Wittelsbach’s sense of art and political ambition.
You can find more information about this here
Bayrisches National Museum
The Bavarian National Museum was founded in 1855 by King Maximilian II of Bavaria, after the archive director Karl Maria Freiherr von Aretin had already submitted plans for the construction of a Wittelsbach museum in 1853.
The aim was to “remove the most interesting and paternal monuments and other remains of bygone times from oblivion”. According to the taste of the times, the focus was on the Middle Ages. In the first period, everything “that contributes to the characterization of the past centuries … in terms of arts and commerce”.
You can find more information about this here
BMW Museum
This museum focuses on the history and products of the car company BMW; it is situated in close proximity to BMW Welt, a product show room, conference space and also a museum in an innovatively designed building. The BMW Museum building was opened in 1972 and in 2008 underwent extensive renovations. The BMW Museum is one of the most visited sites in Munich.
The entry cost for the museum is 10 Euro.
Location – Am Olympiapark 2, 80809 Munich, Germany
You can find more information about this here
We hope you enjoyed this post and looking forward to visiting Munich by yourself. If you are already travelling in this region you might wanna read about things to do in Koblenz and some other magical road trips from Frankfurt don’t forget to visit the Eltz Castle and Cochem Castle along with this trip. You can also explore the Chiemsee Lake which is one of the best lakes in Germany and just 1 hour away from Munich..
We have also covered one go-to guide for travel in Germany, you can read Cheap Ways to Travel Around Germany | Transportation Guides. This will not only help you in Munich but in any city, you are planning to travel in Germany.
If you are thinking of travelling alone – Here are the recommendation for Top European Countries for Solo Female Travel In Europe. We also covered some interesting topic around the cheapest place to visit in Europe.
Budget Tip!
Planning to visit a country with a different currency? Say goodbye to ATM transaction charges and conveniently make payments in the local currency using the complimentary Wise Card. Our experience of utilizing this card for more than five years has led to significant savings on fees.