Three days is the comfortable amount for Munich: enough for the old-town core and the museums plus one big day out to the Alps or the Dachau memorial that a two-day trip has to skip. The extra day is what makes the city sing, since Munich's real trump card is being the best base in Germany for Neuschwanstein and the mountains. Base yourself in the Altstadt so the sights and the S-Bahn to the airport and day trips are all at your door, and time the first morning around the 11am Glockenspiel on Marienplatz. Day one covers the old-town core, the Viktualienmarkt, the Residenz and a beer hall; day two takes the Kunstareal galleries, the English Garden and the Deutsches Museum, ending in the Glockenbachviertel; day three heads out to Neuschwanstein for the fairytale castle, or swaps in the sombre Dachau memorial for a shorter day, with time on the way back for Nymphenburg Palace or the BMW Welt and Olympiapark. If you visit in the second half of September, Oktoberfest fills the city and spikes prices, so book close to a year ahead.
Duration
3 days
Base
Altstadt
Mid budget
450 EUR
Best months
May · Jun · Jul
Picks sorted with our recommended base, Altstadt, first. Book early: the good-value rooms go weeks ahead.
Special occasions€€€Grand old dame · Altstadt
Munich's grand hotel since 1841, a few steps from Marienplatz, with a rooftop spa and pool under a glass dome and the Night Club jazz bar in the cellar. It stays family-owned, and the Blue Spa terrace looks over the old town rooftops to the Alps on a clear day.
from ~380 EUR/night
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Couples€€Schwabing boutique · Schwabing
A calm, design-led boutique on a quiet street in bohemian Schwabing, a short walk from the English Garden and the Kunstareal museums. The U-Bahn at Munchner Freiheit puts Marienplatz about five minutes away.
from ~155 EUR/night
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First visit€€Alpine design · Glockenbachviertel
A cheerful design hotel at Sendlinger Tor with a tongue-in-cheek Alpine look, on the edge of the Glockenbach nightlife quarter and one U-Bahn stop from Marienplatz. Rooms are compact but well priced for how central they are.
from ~120 EUR/night
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Budget€Design hostel · Ludwigsvorstadt
A big, well-run design hostel a couple of minutes from the Hauptbahnhof, with private rooms as well as dorms, a bar and a glass-roofed courtyard. It is walkable to the Theresienwiese, which makes it a favourite base during Oktoberfest.
from ~35 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
Day 1
Morning
Begin on Marienplatz for the 11am Glockenspiel show on the New Town Hall, standing back across the square for the clearest view of the jousting figures. Ride the lift up the town hall tower afterward for the rooftop panorama.
TipThe Glockenspiel in the New Town Hall tower plays its jousting-knights show at 11am and noon year-round, with an extra 5pm performance from March to October; stand back toward the far side of the square for the full view of the figures. It is free and takes about ten minutes, so arrive a few minutes early, then ride the lift up the town hall tower for a rooftop view over the Altstadt.
Walk to the Frauenkirche, the twin onion-domed cathedral that defines the skyline; entry is free, and the 'devil's footprint' in the floor by the door is the detail to find. Check if the tower is open for a climb.
TipThe twin onion-domed towers of the cathedral are Munich's skyline symbol, and entry to the church itself is free; look for the Teufelstritt, the dark 'devil's footprint' set in the floor by the entrance. The south tower reopens for climbs after long restoration works, so check whether the lift is running before you plan on the view, and dress respectfully as it is an active church.
Afternoon
Lunch at the Viktualienmarkt among the food stalls, with a Weisswurst and pretzel before noon and a pause at the market's rotating beer garden. Wander the cheese and produce stands before you move on.
TipThis open-air food market runs Monday to Saturday and shuts by late afternoon, with stalls of cheese, sausage, bread and produce plus a permanent beer garden in the middle that rotates which Munich brewery it pours. Grab a Weisswurst with sweet mustard and a pretzel before noon, the traditional cut-off for eating the white sausages, and note most stalls close Sundays.
Take the combined ticket at the Munich Residenz for the state rooms and the Treasury of Wittelsbach crown jewels, using the free audio guide, and budget a solid two hours. Check the earlier winter closing hours if you visit off-season.
TipThe former royal palace of the Bavarian Wittelsbach rulers packs 130 rooms, and a combined ticket covers the Residenz Museum, the Treasury of crown jewels and the rococo Cuvilliés Theatre. Budget at least two hours and pick up the free audio guide included with entry; it rarely sells out, so you can usually walk in, but it closes earlier in winter, so check the seasonal hours.
Evening
Finish at the Hofbräuhaus for a litre Maß under the vaults with a brass band, coming earlier rather than later for a table; the benches marked Stammtisch are kept for regulars. It is touristy but a rite of passage.
TipThe famous state-owned beer hall dates to 1589 and pours its Hofbräu by the litre Maß under vaulted ceilings, with a brass band playing in the main hall most days from late morning. It is unashamedly touristy and packed by evening, so come at lunch for a table without a wait, and remember the long communal benches marked Stammtisch are reserved for regulars.
Detour to the tiny Asamkirche on Sendlinger Strasse, the Asam brothers' gilded private chapel packed into a narrow space; it is free and quick. A good ten-minute stop on the walk back.
TipThis tiny late-baroque church on Sendlinger Strasse was built by the Asam brothers as their private chapel, and every surface drips with gilded, theatrical decoration crammed into a narrow space. Entry is free and it takes only ten minutes, so slot it in while walking the Sendlinger Strasse shopping street; step in quietly, as services and prayer still take place.
Day 2
Morning
Head to the Kunstareal and pick one or two Pinakothek galleries; on Sundays the state galleries cost just 1 EUR, so plan for a bigger crowd if you go for the bargain. The Alte Pinakothek's old masters make the strongest single choice.
TipThe Kunstareal art quarter clusters the Alte Pinakothek (old masters), Neue Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne within a couple of blocks; on Sundays the Bavarian state galleries drop admission to just 1 EUR, so expect a busier crowd for the bargain. Pick one or two rather than all three in a day, and note the Neue Pinakothek is closed for a long renovation, with its highlights shown at the Alte Pinakothek meanwhile.
Walk east into the English Garden and stop first at the Eisbach wave by the Haus der Kunst, where surfers ride the standing river wave for free. Carry on up through the park toward the Chinese Tower beer garden for lunch under the chestnuts in season.
TipOne of the largest city parks in the world, the English Garden is free and open around the clock, with surfers riding the standing Eisbach wave just inside the southern entrance near the Haus der Kunst, where you can watch them for free all year. Walk up to the Chinese Tower beer garden for a litre of beer under the chestnut trees in season, and note that a stretch of the park is a well-known nudist area on warm days.
Afternoon
Cross to the Deutsches Museum on its Isar island, the world's largest science and technology museum, and pick a few halls rather than trying to see it all; the high-voltage lightning demonstration is the crowd-puller. Buy the ticket online to skip the entrance queue.
TipThe world's largest science and technology museum sprawls across an island in the Isar, with real aircraft, mining tunnels, ships and daily high-voltage lightning demonstrations that draw a crowd. It is far too big for one visit, so pick a few halls, aim for a weekday to dodge school groups, and allow at least half a day; buy the ticket online to skip the entrance queue on busy days.
Evening
Head into the Glockenbachviertel, the liveliest district and the centre of the city's nightlife and LGBT scene, starting around Gärtnerplatz for dinner. Book a table on weekends, when the area is at its busiest.
Stay on for a bar or two in the Glockenbach streets, or walk down to the Isar banks if the evening is warm. It is a short walk back to an Altstadt base.
Day 3
Morning
Take an early train toward Füssen then the bus to Hohenschwangau for Ludwig II's fairytale Neuschwanstein, 2 to 2.5 hours each way, and use the timed guided-tour slot you booked ahead through the official ticket centre. Walk up to the Marienbrücke bridge for the classic castle view, weather and bridge opening permitting.
TipLudwig II's fairytale castle is a 2 to 2.5 hour trip each way by train to Füssen then bus to Hohenschwangau, and the interior is only seen on a timed guided tour, so book a slot through the official Hohenschwangau ticket centre well ahead as they sell out in summer. Allow a full day, walk up to the Marienbrücke bridge for the classic postcard view of the castle, and check the bridge is open, as it closes in bad weather.
Alternatively, for a shorter and more reflective day, swap in the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, about 25 minutes out on S-Bahn line 2 then a short bus; entry is free and the audio guide is worth the small fee. Allow three to four hours for a sombre visit and treat it with the seriousness it demands.
Afternoon
If you chose Dachau and are back by mid-afternoon, ride tram 17 to Nymphenburg Palace, the baroque royal summer residence, and wander the sprawling free gardens even without a palace ticket. The park pavilions close from mid-October to spring, so check the season.
TipThe vast baroque summer palace of the Bavarian royals sits about 20 minutes from the centre by tram 17 to Schloss Nymphenburg, with sprawling free gardens and a combined ticket covering the main palace, the Marstallmuseum of state coaches and the park pavilions. Come on a fine day for the gardens, which are free to wander even without a palace ticket, and note the outer pavilions close from mid-October to spring.
Or head to the free BMW Welt showroom and the neighbouring Olympiapark, about 15 minutes on U-Bahn line 3 to Olympiazentrum, and walk up the grassy Olympic hill for a skyline view. Add the BMW Museum or the Olympic Tower climb on a clear day.
TipThe futuristic BMW Welt showroom is free to enter, while the neighbouring BMW Museum charges admission for its history of the marque; both sit next to the 1972 Olympiapark, reachable in about 15 minutes on U-Bahn line 3 to Olympiazentrum. Combine the two with a walk up the grassy Olympic hill for a skyline view, or pay to climb the Olympic Tower on a clear day.
Evening
Back in the centre, take a last relaxed dinner in the Altstadt or across in the Glockenbachviertel for a final round of Bavarian food and beer. Keep it easy after a long day out.
If tomorrow is an early flight, remember the airport is about 40km out: allow 40 to 45 minutes on the S1 or S8 from Marienplatz or the Hauptbahnhof, and buy an all-zone MVV day ticket to cover the ride.
For 3 days, base yourself in Altstadt. The pedestrian old town wraps Marienplatz, the Frauenkirche, the Viktualienmarkt and the Hofbräuhaus into a compact core you can cross on foot in fifteen minutes. Staying here puts every headline sight and the main U-Bahn and S-Bahn hub at your door, which suits a first short trip or a family that wants to walk everywhere. The trade-off is tourist-priced hotels and restaurants and streets that fill with day crowds and shoppers by mid-morning. Compare all neighborhoods in the full where-to-stay guide.
Short on time?
Munich in 2 days →
Three days is the comfortable amount for Munich: enough for the old-town core and the museums plus one big day out to the Alps or the Dachau memorial that a two-day trip has to skip. The extra day is what makes the city sing, since Munich's real trump card is being the best base in Germany for Neuschwanstein and the mountains. Base yourself in the Altstadt so the sights and the S-Bahn to the airport and day trips are all at your door, and time the first morning around the 11am Glockenspiel on Marienplatz.
Base yourself in Altstadt for this itinerary. The pedestrian old town wraps Marienplatz, the Frauenkirche, the Viktualienmarkt and the Hofbräuhaus into a compact core you can cross on foot in fifteen minutes. Staying here puts every headline sight and the main U-Bahn and S-Bahn hub at your door, which suits a first short trip or a family that wants to walk everywhere. The trade-off is tourist-priced hotels and restaurants and streets that fill with day crowds and shoppers by mid-morning.
The plan works year round, but May, June, July give you the best weather-to-crowds ratio.