München
Munich

A visitor's guide to Munich

Beer gardens, baroque and blue skies

Bavaria's capital packs royal palaces, world-class museums, a river you can surf and the world's biggest folk festival into a city you can cross by bike in an afternoon. Here's what to see, when to go and how to get around.

Start with the sightsPractical tips
Founded
1158

A bridge and a toll

Duke Henry the Lion moved a salt-road crossing over the Isar here, and a market town grew around it.

People
1.5 million

Germany's third city

Only Berlin and Hamburg are bigger, yet the centre is compact and very walkable.

Green space
375 ha

The English Garden by JAP

One of the world's largest city parks, bigger than New York's Central Park.

Skyline
99 m

The towers set the limit

The Frauenkirche's towers are about 99 m tall, and a 2004 vote kept new buildings inside the ring road lower.

Sights worth your time

Top 6

Most of these sit inside the old town or one U-Bahn hop away.

  1. Marienplatz & the Glockenspiel

    Altstadt

    The main square under the neo-Gothic New Town Hall, whose mechanical figures dance at 11:00 and 12:00 (and 17:00 in summer).

  2. Frauenkirche

    Altstadt

    The twin-towered cathedral that defines the skyline; look for the "Devil's Footstep" in the entrance hall.

  3. Residenz

    Altstadt

    The Wittelsbach rulers' city palace: the Antiquarium hall, the Treasury and the rococo Cuvilliés Theatre.

  4. Nymphenburg Palace

    West

    A baroque summer residence with a long canal, park pavilions and the royal carriage museum.

  5. Deutsches Museum

    Isar island

    One of the world's largest science and technology museums, from mine shafts to aircraft.

  6. Olympic Park

    North

    The 1972 Games site with its tent-like roofs; climb the hill or the tower for a view to the Alps on clear days.

From monks' village to modern capital

The name comes from "bei den Mönchen", by the monks, which is why a little monk still sits on the city's coat of arms.

  1. 1158Isar crossing

    A market town

    Henry the Lion founds the town around a new bridge on the salt road.

  2. 1506Bavaria

    Capital of a united Bavaria

    The Wittelsbachs rule from here for over 700 years, building the Residenz and Nymphenburg.

  3. 1806Kingdom

    A royal city

    Bavaria becomes a kingdom; Ludwig I lines Ludwigstraße and Königsplatz with grand neoclassical buildings.

  4. 1945Old town

    Rebuilt after the war

    Bombing destroyed much of the centre, and the city chose to rebuild its historic streets faithfully.

  5. 1972Olympiapark

    The Olympic Games

    The Games bring the U-Bahn, the pedestrian zone and the park still used for concerts today.

Things to do

Munich is at its best outdoors, with a cold drink, near the river.

Sit in a beer garden

Chinesischer Turm, Augustiner-Keller or Hirschgarten. By tradition you may bring your own food to the tables without cloths.

Watch the Eisbach surfers

A standing wave in a channel at the edge of the English Garden, surfed all year round.

Graze the Viktualienmarkt

The daily food market by Marienplatz: cheese, sausages, fruit stalls and its own small beer garden.

Spend a day on the Kunstareal

The three Pinakotheken, Museum Brandhorst and the Lenbachhaus, a short walk apart; many have €1 entry on Sundays.

Cycle along the Isar

Follow the river's gravel banks south towards Flaucher, where locals barbecue and swim in summer.

Shop the Christmas markets

From late November the old town fills with stalls, mulled wine and the big market on Marienplatz.

Practical tips

A few things that make a first visit smoother.

Getting in
The S1 and S8 suburban trains link the airport with the centre in about 40 minutes; buy a ticket that covers the airport zone.
Getting around
U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses share one MVV ticket system. A day ticket pays off after three rides, and validate paper tickets before you board.
Money
Cards are widely accepted now, but carry some cash for beer gardens, markets and small bakeries. Round up or tip 5–10% in restaurants.
Sundays
Most shops close on Sundays and public holidays. Supermarkets at the main station and airport are the exceptions.
When to go
May to September for beer gardens and long evenings; December for Christmas markets. Oktoberfest season is busy and pricey.

Day trips

The Alps are an hour away

Munich makes an easy base for castles, lakes and mountains; most trips run by regional train.

  • NeuschwansteinKing Ludwig II's castle, about 2 hours by train to Füssen and bus. Book timed tickets ahead.
  • Dachau Memorial SiteThe former concentration camp, a sober and essential visit, under an hour by S-Bahn and bus.
  • Lake TegernseeSwim, hike or take a boat, about an hour south by regional train.
  • SalzburgMozart's city across the Austrian border, around 1½ hours by train.