Germany – Things to do in Munich
Once serving as the capital of Bavaria, Munich blends its history of beer in lederhosen and drindls with a cosmopolitan city. With a little searching you can enjoy both by having a beer at the Hofbräuhaus, walking over to a royal palace, then jump on a elevator for an incredible view of the Munich skyline. Consider the following things to do in Munich, most of which are in the Medieval Old Town or about a half hour outside the city by public transportation (which is efficient and fantastic, by the way).
1. The Residenz Munich
I’ve never been so overwhelmed and awed with a royal palace than at The Residenz Munich! With over 100 rooms to visit, each of which are more luxurious than the last, I could have spent a couple days here and not gotten bored. Royal vibes and chandeliers galore! There is so much to talk about at the Residenz Munich that I wrote an entire post about it – check out that post here.
2. New Town Hall Tower
There are a couple different towers you can climb to get a different view of the city. You can climb one of the towers at Frauenkirche or a tower at St. Peter’s Church. Or, if you are having difficulty convincing your travel partner to climb up a tower, you can take two elevators up the New Town Hall Tower. I believe the churches are free, whereas the New Hall Tower is 3.50 €, per person. You can purchase tickets in the information center in the New Town Hall right off of Marienplatz. If you go late in the day, the sunset colors are incredible. It is a narrow and difficult to get around, but I loved seeing churches from above.
3. Hofbräuhaus
Obviously! Yes, you must visit the original Hofbräuhaus, while in Munich. Not only is it the oldest beer hall, it is one of the biggest with the ability to hold 5,000 people. Expect an oompah band to create a lively atmosphere with hearty foods and giant beers. After our experience in a biergarten (Hirschgarten), I was more or less prepared for the Hofbräuhaus, which is great fun.
We a slightly quieter setting, so we opted for the courtyard and enjoyed the warm fall day with a beer and giant pretzel. The pretzel came to us via woman in a dirndl holding the pretzel above her head. If you feel meh about beer, I recommend getting a Radler, which is a mix of light beer and sprite/lemonade. Sounds bizarre, but it is light, refreshing, and makes you feel part of the atmosphere. Walk in and pick a table, but avoid any labeled “Stammisch”, roughly translates to “reserved” for the regulars.
4. Marienplatz from Cafe Glockenspiel
Instead of getting lost in the bustle of Marienplatz, a lovely square in the center of Munich’s old town, you can view the square from above. I recommend getting a latte at Cafe Glockenspiel, where you can read through your guide books in peace and look down at the square. Since you are on the fourth or fifth floor at the Cafe Glockenspiel, you more clearly see the characters of the Glockenspiel, which is more or less at eye level. Arrive early if you want to watch the characters moving at 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 5:00 pm. The service is notoriously bad, but the coffee was good and I saw good reviews for the food. Overall a great way to experience Marienplatz.
5. English Garden
Although we didn’t make it to the English Garden, I have a feeling it would have been high on my list of things to do in Munich. Specifically renting bikes to ride through the garden. This would work up a thirst to visit to one of the biergartens. The biergarten Seehaus im Englischen Garten looks particularly dreamy with its lakeside seating.
6. Dallmayr Deli
Want to feel fancy? Head around the corner from Marienplatz to the Dallmayr Deli to rub elbows with the wealthy while looking over cheeses and deli meats. Dallmayr is a small grocery store with mini departments (i.e. coffee, wine, pastry, cheeses, etc.), a coffee shop/restaurant, and a 300 year old family run history. Dallmayr is now a international brand of coffee, vending machines, stores, and catering. It gets its upscale nature from being an official Bavarian court supplier in the 1900’s. Now, it still feels a bit formal, but don’t be afraid to look around. There are souvenir options for the foodies in your life at surprisingly reasonable prices. I recommend heading over to the pastries for a sweet treat, where I chose a mini passionfruit macaron for 2.50 € and was not disappointed with a surprise interior filling.
7. St. Michael’s Church
After spending the last few days going to Ludwig II’s castles and learning about his early life at Hohenschwangau and Nymphenburg, we did a bit of fangirling at St. Michael’s Church. In the Crypt is the final resting place for 40 of the Wittelsbach family, including Ludwig II. “He’s here!!!” To get to the crypt, head inside the church and two thirds of the way toward the nave on the right side, there is a staircase leading down. There is a fee of 2 € and no pictures allowed. Sure, 2 € is a little expensive for 10 minutes, but it was crazy to read the names of the Wittelsbach family that we recognized from all of the information plaques at the historic locations. It will also come to no surprise that Ludwig II’s tomb is more elaborately decorated than the others.
8. Frauenkirche
Frauenkirche is the iconic church at the center of Munich. When you see signs that say “Munich 15km”, it is the exact distance between you and the north tower at Frauenkirche. The church was originally built in 1525 and could hold 20,000 people standing, which is more than the number of residence of Munich at the time. Modeled after the Dome of Rock in Jerusalem, the double onion domes are now iconic to the Munich’s skyline. You can almost always find the towers throughout the city. It’s enormity is worth a walk around the interior of the church. Be sure to check out the stained glass windows behind the altar, which are original from the 16th century.
We ate lunch one day right outside Frauenkirche at Nuernberger Bratwurst Gloeckl am Dom, which had a generous serving of Spaetzle with salad. The decor was cute, server was great, and interior could not be more old-timey.
9. Viktualienmarkt
The Viktualienmarkt is an outdoor market just around the corner from Marienplatz. You can find cute and handcrafted souvenirs, buy some fresh produce, have a snack, or have a beer in the biergarten. This biergarten is the original place where monks stored barrels under the chestnut trees. If you go, notice the maypole in the middle of the market. On it shows what the market has to offer in pictures. The biergarten, which we didn’t have the time to stop at, looked delightful albeit crowded.
Things to do just Outside Munich
10. Holareidulijö
Every now and then, I would peak at the prices of a cute dirndl (the traditional Bavarian feminine dress). Maybe it is the number of pieces involved or hand craftsmanship, but quality dirndl was at least 100 €. I read about a secondhand store specializing in dirndl and lederhosen called Holareidulijö. We even made a trip to see the store, only to find it closed on the one day we visited. So although I cannot verify how much of a discount the traditional garments are, it gave me peace of mind there are more options out there. Let me know in the comments if you know of more secondhand stores or other locations to get well priced dirndl!
11. Nymphenburg
About 30 minutes by public transportation outside of Munich is Nymphenburg Palace, a summer home for the royal Wittelsbach surrounded by expansive gardens. I wrote an entire post about and recommend spending the most time in the great hall, gallery of beauties, carriage museum, and strolling the gardens.
12. Bake Apple Strudel
I cannot think of anything more darling than learning to bake apple strudel in Munich. Though there are plenty of cooking classes, we opted to learn what went into making this traditional bavarian and Austrian dessert. It was my first foray into Airbnb Experiences and quickly became of of my favorite things to do in Munich. See the post and full description here.
13. Hirschgarten
Hirschgarten is an expansive biergarten on the edge of a park with old chestnut trees and dappled light. Since it west of Munich’s old center, it is only a 14 minute walk from Nymphenburg Palace or along the route from Dachau Concentration Camp. I found it to be the perfect way to reconnect to the simple pleasures of German history after the heaviness of Dachau. I wrote a post about how-to biergarten with a focus on Hirschgarten.
14. Dachau Concentration Camp
Visiting Dachau was a tough experience, but it felt necessary not to ignore this part of Germany’s history. The different buildings paired with a 30-minute documentary film give you a good idea of what it was like at Dachau, when it was in operation. For more information, take a look at my post about it.
Overall thoughts: Things to do in Munich
Although there was is a heavy focus on shopping, I was able to find the Hanna-esque things to do in Munich (cute, historic, adventurous/active, or some combination of this). I would definitely go back to bike around the English Garden and find the perfect dirndl. The public transportation options in Munich were incredible – always timely, clean, and efficient. Being able to get around easily was great to take a break from the bustle and access things like the apple strudel baking or Nymphenburg.
Did I miss anything that I should recommend visiting in Munich?? Let me know in the comments as I would love to have even more on in this list!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
This was very helpful!
Thank you Marina! I hope you have a good trip, if you’re headed to Munich or other parts of Germany. I loved my time there. I tried to find things that were more appealing to me, rather than generic historic items. I updated a few links to posts that I finished (Apple Strudel and the Residenz). Prost! – Hanna