Which districts are cool and worth a stroll? What activities are waiting for you? Which buildings, museums, monuments and other sights should you visit? We tell you what you should see and do in Bavaria's capital.
Things to Do in Munich: 22 Top Tips
Olympiapark
The best view of this complex, built in 1972, is from the Olympic Tower. From there you can look out over the tent-like roof construction of the Olympic stadium, the Olympic lake, BMW Welt and the Allianz Arena. Given the right weather conditions, the Alps form a perfect backdrop to this teeming metropolis.
olympiapark.de
Marienplatz
The heart of the old town. The Neue Rathaus with its famous Glockenspiel clock, the Mariensäule column and the Fischbrunnen (Fish Fountain), the Alte Rathaus with its striking pinnacled, gabled front, the Alte Peter with the loveliest view of Munich - all these lie on or around the Marienplatz.
munich.travel
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Japanese Tea House in the English Garden
The tea house lies hidden on a small island behind the Haus der Kunst on the southern edge of the English Garden. Twice a month you can take part in a traditional tea ceremony. Just a stone’s throw away, it is possible to surf on the Eisbach wave.
urasenke-muenchen.de (only in German)
Jewish Synagogue
A Jewish Centre was opened on Jakobplatz in 2006. It is an impressive complex consisting of Jewish Museum, synagogue, community centre and café. Just next door, Germany’s largest municipal museum, the Munich Stadtmuseum, stages a series of temporary exhibitions.
munich.travel | muenchner-stadtmuseum.de
Gärtnerplatzviertel
The Gärtnerplatzviertel is a district that starts just behind the Viktualienmarkt, and together with the Glockenbach is the hotspot for hipsters. From currywurst to sushi, from vegan clothes to sophisticated furniture and vinyl records, this places is a mecca of countless boutiques, pop-up stores and shops.
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Werksviertel
Coming east from the simplicity of Haidhausen you come across the Werksviertel, a newly developed residential and commercial district with a great social life. This is where Munich’s new Konzerthaus is being built.
werksviertel.de
Theresienwiese
Between Westend and Munich’s main railway station lies the Theresienwiese, home to the Oktoberfest. In pauses between festivals, it is a great meeting place for kite surfers, skateboarders and walkers. From the bronze statue of Bavaria, 18.5 metres high, you get a great view of the city centre.
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Beer and Brewery Tour
The tour starts at the Marienplatz then goes via the Viktualienmarkt to the Augustiner near the Cathedral. Münchner Thomasbräu brewery tour. In the “Paulaner Bräuhaus” you can find out how they brew their beer. The tour ends, depending on the weather, either in a Biergarten or in the Hofbräuhaus.
muenchen.travel
MUCA Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art
The MUCA is the first of its kind: it has works by internationally renowned graffiti artists, workshops and tours such as the MUCA Street Art Bike Tour. This tour leads groups to sites of the Munich graffiti scene, such as the pedestrian tunnel under the Friedensengel (Angel of Peace) and the “Brückengalerie” on Candidplatz.
muenchen.travel
Viktualienmarkt
Anyone in search of fruit, vegetables, fish, game, herbs and fine foods will love the market stalls behind the Marienplatz, where trading has been going on for more than 200 years. And what’s more there’s a Biergarten in the thick of the action.
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Franzosenviertel (French quarter)
The Franzosenviertel runs between Wiener Platz and Pariser Platz. Not only can you eat excellent French cuisine in the “Rue des Halles”, but enjoy a mini culinary world tour. Italian in the “Espressobar”, Israeli in “Nana”, Greek in “Mystikon”, Thai in “Manam”…
Münchner Kunstareal
In the Maxvorstadt you can experience 5,000 years of art and cultural history in 16 internationally renowned museums, galleries and universities. Three Pinakotheks, the Egyptian Museum, the Glyptothek, the Lenbachhaus and the Brandhorst Museum offer art from Gerhard Richter to Joseph Beuys as well as da Vinci and Rubens.
kunstareal.de
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Naturbad Maria Einsiedel
The Maria Einsiedel natural swimming pool is unique. Water is diverted from the Isar and cleaned of microorganisms in large pools. Chlorine? Definitely not! The ancient alluvial forest makes the summer heat more endurable. Anyone needing to cool down some more can frolic in the fast-running waters of the Isar Canal.
swm.de (only in German)
München Card/MunichCity Pass
In addition to the local public transport ticket, the München Card offers many reductions and discounts on entrance fees for museums, exhibitions, sights, attractions and city tours. The City Pass includes all museums, exhibitions, tours and attractions, some with priority entry without waiting in line.
muenchen.travel
Old Town Tour
If you are visiting Munich for the first time or making a short weekend trip, this two-hour guided tour of the old town will provide you with plenty of stories and historical facts about the city’s main attractions.
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MS Utting
The former steamship from Lake Ammersee has found its final mooring place on a decommissioned iron railway bridge. It now acts as an on-board Biergarten between the Schlachthofviertel, Großmarkthalle and the Isar.
alte-utting.de (only in German)
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Deutsche Eiche
Freddie Mercury, Fassbinder, parties, men-only saunas, that’s all old hat. Far more importantly: in the 'Deutsche Eiche' you can eat both good, local food and modern vegan meals, and strike up an easy conversation with enlightened contemporaries. And in summer you can relax on the roof terrace and watch what’s happening on the Gärtnerplatz below.
deutsche-eiche.de
River Isar
Along its 20 kilometre length, there is plenty of scope for swimming, grilling, jogging, riding or skinny dipping. The water quality is outstanding. Thanks to a renaturing project, the popular Flaucher park may host barbecues one day, and have wild water gushing past it the next. It is unique in Europe.
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Hirschgarten
A truly regal Biergarten. This is where aristocrats from the House of Wittelsbach came to celebrate. Today it serves Augustinerbier from wooden barrels and Obatzda (a cheese delicacy) under chestnut trees, with fallow deer grazing in a nearby enclosure and a play area for children. A place typical of the Bavarian way of life.
hirschgarten.de (only in German)
Asamkirche
This church in the Sendlinger Straße pedestrian zone is typical of Munich, and of Bavaria too. It is as if the Asam brothers were intoxicated by the heady mix of Baroque and Rococo: opulent, playful, mad. The decoration is a frenzied mass of stucco, angels, ceiling and wall frescoes. So many details that even long-established locals who have visited the church countless times keep discovering new features.
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Hofbräuhaus and Weisses Bräuhaus
Sights that are not only recommended for friends of Bavarian beer. The Hofbräuhaus on the Platzl square is known throughout the world and has up to 35,000 visitors every day. The "Weisse Bräuhaus", officially called the "Schneider Bräuhaus", is famous for its many types of wheat beer and tempts with traditional Munich cuisine such as ox shreds in horseradish beer sauce, baked veal sweetbread-spleen sausage or lung of veal sweet-sour.
hofbraeuhaus.de | schneider-brauhaus.de
Hellabrunn Zoo
For families with children, the trip to the banks of the Isar in Thalkirchen is worthwhile. Over 750 animal species await you in this 40-hectare geozoo! Afterwards, you can relax on the banks of the Isar river and even swim in the river on the Flaucher Island in summer.
hellabrunn.de
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