‘Must-See’ Munich attractions
These are the top picks of attractions and sights which should not be missed while in Munich
- Schloss (Palace) Nymphenburg (Palace of King Ludwig)
- Hirschgarten beergarden in Nymphenburg (that beergarden is very close to Palace Nymphenburg)
- Museums (WebLinks) (Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, Deutsches Museum)
- the Hofgarten (‘court garden’, a small park in the city next to Bayrische Staatskanzlei),
- Englischer Garten and ‘Chinese Tower’ Biergarten (beergarden)
- Schwabing neighborhood during the day & Schwabing @nite which centers around Subway station ‘Münchner Freiheit’,
- Viktualienmarkt & Marienplatz (both downtown next to each other; enjoy one of the many typical bavarian restaurants around these places),
- Hofbräuhaus (located Am Platzl in downtown close to Marienplatz / Viktualienmarkt), see information: Beer Gardens & the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany
- Shopping in downtown: Kaufinger Strasse, Theatiner Strasse
- Olympic grounds
- BMW museum / BMW World, see further below more information
- Dachau (outside of Munich: former concentration camp),
- Kloster Andechs (Andechs Abbey), a monk’s brewery (outside of Munich), more: Kloster Andechs for travelers
- Weihenstephan — the oldest brewery in the world (outside of Munich in Freising), more: Weihenstephaner brewery
- Theresienwiese (only if there is one of the big fairs going on, e.g. Spring Fest or Oktoberfest)
- Allianz Arena (perhaps the world’s most modern soccer stadium)
Schloss (Palace) Nymphenburg (Palace of King Ludwig)
Schloss Nymphenburg is a Palace of King Ludwig and also the only palace within the city limits of Munich.
It is one of the most relaxing places in Munich und you will enjoy a walk through the palace park on sunny days.
The interior can be visited as well: tours start directly at the museum office.
There’s ample of parking space on the palace premises and you’ll not have a problem going there by car. However, public transportation is available as well.
How to get there by public transportation:
Nymphenburg Park is in the west part of Munich around 15 minutes from the city centre and is easy to reach by public transport:
All S-Bahn lines except no. 7 to “Laim”, then bus no. 51 to “Schloss Nymphenburg” or…
Subway line U1 to “Rotkreuzplatz”, then tram no. 12 or 17 to “Schloss Nymphenburg”
More about Schloss Nymphenburg
Olympic Grounds
Munich hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 1972 – the Olympic grounds are still in great shape and offer an atmosphere of relaxation.
The facilities like the stadium and pools are open to the public: the stadium can be visited and the swimming and diving facilities can be used.
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiapark,_Munich
BMW World
BMW Welt (“BMW World”) is right there in the park as well.
Museum location: Address: Am Olympiapark 2, 80809 Munich (The half-round building next to the BMW 4-Zylinder Main Building).
BMW Welt location: west of the museum. Am Olympiapark 1, 80809 Munich.
With guided tours for individuals or groups, visitors can see BMW Welt, the Munich plant and the BMW Museum: an opportunity to immerse oneself directly in the world of BMW.
For details check out the website links to BMW:
BMW Welt (BMW World): www.bmw-welt.com/en.html
How to get to the Museum and BMW World
By car: located at inersection of Mittlerer Ring and Lerchenauer Strasse, north-west corner of the Olympiapark.
Driving time from the main train station approx. 20 minutes, from the airport approx. 45 minutes.
Parking (parking fee payable) is available in the underground car park at the BMW Welt. A bus park (parking fee payable) is located at the ice sports stadium on the adjacent Olympic complex (access via Lerchenauer Strasse).
By public transportion: Take the U3 subway train from the city center to the stop “Olympiazentrum”. We recommend that you take the path via BMW Welt and cross Lerchenauer Strasse using the pedestrian bridge.
The German Museum, Munich
The maxim here is „knowledge is power“.
Location: Museumsinsel 1, 80538 München (in walking distance from downtown Marienplatz).
The German Museum‘s collection includes over 100,000 objects from the fields of science and technology. Many valuable, original exhibits are on show, making this one of the most important museums of science and technology in the world. The collections are not limited to one theme but range from mining to atomic physics, from the Altamira Cave to a large-scale replica of a human cell.
All eras are represented, from the Stone Age to the present day. Around a quarter of the collection is on display: in the main building on the museum island, at the transport museum at Theresienhöhe, in the hangar at Schleissheim airfield and at the German Museum in Bonn. The highlights include the first car built by Karl Benz, the „U1“ U-boat, the Wright brothers‘ first motorised plane and the first Fischer rawlplug. Visitors to the museum can explore more than 40 themes.
The displays, many of which are interactive, are a synthesis of objects, specialist knowledge, research, architecture and design. An ongoing restructuring programme ensures that information about science and technology, past and present, is conveyed in the most effective way. Besides the permanent exhibitions, the German Museum always offers special exhibitions about topical issues in science, technology and research. The focus is on science, materials and production, energy, transport, communication and information, and the educational Children‘s Museum. New projects tackle exciting questions such as „Can health be grown in a lab?“, „Will my fridge soon be able to communicate with my telephone?“, „Will genetic diagnostics change our ideas about human beings?“ New technologies are changing our world. Discoveries in biotechnology and nanotechnology are raising far-reaching questions to which society often has no answer. Controversial issues and the latest in research are presented at the centre for new technologies. Visitors here can explore the nanoworld with a scanning tunneling microscope and analyse their DNA or watch a nano researcher at work.
English Garden (Englischer Garten)
It was Count Benjamin Thompson Rumford, an American-English scientist and administrator, entered the service of the elector of Bavaria as an administration officer and is said to be responsible for establishing the English Garden in 1789.
The English Garden (Englischer Garten) is approx. stretches approx. 5 km in North-South direction and is ca. 2 km wide.
Munich’s largest citypark is a real oasis of relaxation with a lake (Kleinhesselhoher See), a little creek (Eisbach), and beer gardens. Along the Eisbach nude sunbathing is very normal.
The largest beer garden and may be the most vibrant of Munich is the ‘Chinesischer Turm’ (Chinese Tower) in the heart of the park, a couple of minutes away from Munich’s vibrant neighborhood ‘Schwabing’. The Chinesischer Turm has approx. a seating capacity for 7.000 people. It fills early during the summer time! There’s is actually a Chinese Tower present and it was built in 1790.
Marienplatz (downtown Munich)
The Marienplatz is the heart of Munich and was it ever since.
A major attraction for visitors is the ‘Glockenspiel’ in the ‘Neues Rathaus’ (= New Town Hall) which is the huge Neo-Gothic building at the northern side of the Marienplatz. The bells ring and the figures in the Glockenspiel beginn moving at 11am, 12 am and from March to end of October additionally at 5pm.
Standing in front of the ‘Neues Rathaus’ take a look into north-western direction where you’ll discover Munich’s landmark symbol the ‘Frauenkirche’ (Church of Our Lady).
If you want to enjoy a great view visit ‘Café Glockenspiel’ on the 5th floor of the building adjacent of the ‘Neues Rathaus’. It allows you a take a look over the roofs of Munich. End of November the famous Münchner Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) with Glühwein (hot red wine with spices) and Bratwurst booths takes place on the Marienplatz.
During Mardi Gras turns into a party zone for carnival revelers if the weather allows it. A legend tell that if you dip your wallet into the water of the ‘Fischbrunnen’ (Fish Fountain) on Ash Wednesday it will never be empty again.
Viktualienmarkt
Viktualienmarkt is located in downtown Munich (next to Marienplatz): it is the major farmer’s market in the city and open year-round.
Besides veggies, cheese, and other delicatessen you will like this: During summer you can rest in a beergarden or wine tent and during winter some booths offer hot or other alcoholic beverages.
The Viktualienmarkt is the most famous one in Munich, right in downtown, next to the Marienplatz. The market was moved here in 1807 when King Maximilian I. ordered the food market to be moved because it couldn’t fit anymore on the downton market square (Marienplatz).
