Top 5 Things to Do in Munich, Germany

Despite many prior trips to Germany, the ever-elusive Munich was one major city I’d never visited. But when you think of Germany, many people imagine Oktoberfest, beer steins bigger than your head, and lederhosen. All of these are images of traditional Bavaria, a region in Germany’s southeast, of which Munich is the capital.

So when it came time to plan a holiday trip for me and Matt, and I found out that we could fly from Madrid to Munich for $22 each, it was a no-brainer. Germany’s always going to have a special place in my heart, and Matt had always wanted to visit. It was perfect!

What was slightly less than perfect, however, was the weather. We had about 2-3 days in Munich, and there was only one day where it wasn’t raining. Downside of visiting in late December, I suppose. Anyway, despite that, we had a good time. I guess I should go back in the summer to experience more of Munich’s outdoor spaces, but we made our situation work.

So I wanted to share my recommendations on what to do during your visit to the Bavarian capital – and everything is more or less rain-safe!

1. The Heart of Munich – Marienplatz

If you’re in Germany and see something with the suffix -platz, you know it’s a plaza or town square. In this case, Marienplatz is “Plaza of Mary,” named after the statue of Mary standing tall in the middle – which has been there since 1638! However, the surrounding architecture and bustling square is so busy that I didn’t even notice the statue at first.

Most impressive, in my opinion, is the Neues Rathaus, which is the New Town Hall. It looks like a church, but it’s a town hall. Depending on when you’re there, you might find a larger crowd beginning to form, onlookers gazing at the tower as if they’re waiting for something to happen. Well, they are! At 11am and 12pm (and 5pm in the summer), the tower’s Glockenspiel chimes and re-enacts two stories with its 43 bells and 32 life-sized figurines. The whole show lasts about 15 minutes.

Also worth visiting at Marienplatz is the Altes Rathaus – Old Town Hall – on the north side. And if you’re there before Christmas, like we were, you’ll also find the city’s largest Christmas market set up in the plaza.

2. Grab a beer in the Hofbräuhaus

When I’d heard about the “Hofbräuhaus” in Munich, I thought that just meant any beer garden type of restaurant/brew house. Well, it turns out, we’re actually talking about THE Hofbräuhaus. Shout out to Matt for making this suggestion because I think I planned everything else on the trip. Anyway, the Hofbräuhaus is pretty close to Marienplatz, like less than a 5-minute walk.

So what is it? It’s basically Munich’s most famous beer hall, dating back to the 16th century when it was established by the Duke of Bavaria. And it’s been around ever since. Inside, it’s gigantic; apparently, it can hold 5,000 people. It’s crowded, it’s noisy, and it’s a little bit expensive, but it’s worth it. When you go inside, don’t expect to be seated – you just have to wander around until you find an empty space that can fit your group. Then, you flag down a waiter when you’re ready to order.

Obviously, you have to get beer. If you’re not a huge beer drinker, I recommend trying the Bavarian version of shandy – the Ruß’n. It’s 50% Weißbier, 50% lemonade. Yummmm. And you have to get pretzels! Waiters dressed in traditional lederhosen or dirndls will come around wielding baskets of huge pretzels. Kind of like being at a ballpark. Just get their attention, get your pretzel, and pay on the spot.

3. Visit Allianz Arena

The city of Munich is home to one of the world’s most successful football (soccer) teams in history – Bayern München. And Germany has one of the most prestigious football leagues. Many of the greatest players have come through Bayern’s club at some point. Since I’m a soccer fan, I didn’t want to miss the chance to visit the home stadium of Bayern München, Allianz Arena.

Now, it takes a little bit of time and effort to get out to where the stadium is located, because it’s not in the city center. We had to take a couple of different U-trains to get there. But being a main tourist attraction, the signage was pretty easy to follow.

After a short walk from the station, you’ll arrive at Allianz Arena. The stadium itself is famous for its exterior with color-changing panels – the first stadium in the world with this ability. If you want to do a tour, you can either buy them upon arrival or buy them online in advance. We bought ours on arrival and had to wait in line for a while, then wait an hour for our tour. Luckily, there’s a beer hall that will keep you busy while you wait. Your ticket includes an hour-long guided tour of the stadium as well as access to the FC Bayern Erlebniswelt, which is the club museum.

You could also take a guided tour of Munich and Allianz Arena.

4. Check out the museums

Ah, yes. Museums are the perfect rainy day activity. As long as it isn’t Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or the day after Christmas. Because in that case, everything will be closed and your only respite from the rain will be Starbucks.

Munich is home to 80 different museums. We only went to one (Pinakothek der Moderne). But it goes to show that no matter what you’re interested in, Munich has likely got a museum for you. Here a few of the top-rated ones:

• Nymphenburg Palace: A baroque palace that was formerly the summer residence for the Bavarian royal family. Considered one of the premier royal palaces in Europe.
• The Residenz: Originated as a small city castle with a moat in the 14th century; transformed over the years into Germany’s largest city palace and is now open for visitors to tour.
• Deutsches Museum: World’s largest science and technology museum; largest museum in Munich.
• Pinakothek Museums: Comprised of three museums – Alte Pinakothek (14th-18th century European art); Neue Pinakothek (19th century art); and Pinakothek der Moderne (modern and contemporary art).
• Museum Brandhorst: Contemporary art museum with most Andy Warhols in Europe.

5. Take a Day Trip to Neuschwanstein

I covered this topic in a previous post, but I definitely think Schloss Neuschwanstein is worth a visit if you’re in the area. This iconic castle, located near the Austrian border in Schwangau, really makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a fairytale. Plus, it’s said to have been Walt Disney’s inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland!

You don’t have to rent a car, like we did – though I think it was a great way to do it. You can make a quick Google search and will definitely be able to find a tour that works best for you! Regardless of whether you rent a car or book a tour, you should be able to make it back to Munich in about 9 hours. It’s always nice to get out of the city for a day and connect with nature and the German countryside. Germany is more than just its cities, after all.

 

I know there are so many more things to do in Munich — we just didn’t have time to do them all. So let me know your favorite things you’ve seen or done there! (And find out what happened when we took the overnight train to Rome.)

What else do you want to know about visiting Munich? Leave me a comment below!

-Cathy

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Originally Published on February 3, 2020.