Munich (München in German) is the capital of the German state of Bavaria, and undisputed beer capital of the world. Because of this, many people (myself included) plan a Munich, Germany trip around beer. It is the home of the famous Oktoberfest celebration – which contrary to the name starts in September and ends the first Sunday in October. The event draws around 6 million international visitors on average, 2023 saw a new record of 7.2 million!
Munich had actually been on my bucket list for a while. While Oktoberfest looks like fun, I know I couldn’t handle those crowds. We ended up visiting the week before, and got to see the city preparing for it! The whole experience was a bit overshadowed by the unprecedented amounts of rain and unseasonably cold September weather we experienced. We didn’t realize how unusual it really was until we got home and saw all the flooding they were dealing with on the news! I’d love to go again, but maybe during late spring-early summer instead.
Make your way to the end for a map of all the stops we made during our Munich, Germany trip!
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Hungry? Check out my recommendations for where to eat & drink in Munich.
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Where to Stay: Hotels in Munich, Germany.
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Need a caffeine boost? Check out all the coffee shops I’ve visited in Munich.
Attractions
After checking into the hotel, the first thing we did was make our way over to the Marienplatz. This pedestrian plaza is the central square of Munich and is famous for the Rathaus-Glockenspiel (town hall chimes) clock tower. At 11am and Noon every day (as well as at 5pm March – October), 43 bells chime while the life-size figures move and reenact moments in Munich’s history. The entire display takes about 15 minutes. If you’re headed to Munich during the holiday season, this square is where the Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market) is held! If you’re a fan of guided tours, this Old Town Walking Tour is a popular way to see many famous sites in Munich’s city center.
Our second morning was spent exploring the Nymphenburg Palace. This was the main summer residence for the House of Wittelsbach, the former rulers of Bavaria. Touring the palace itself doesn’t take very long, maybe 30 minutes or so. But there is also a massive picturesque park surrounding it, so I was glad we didn’t have anything else planned this day so we didn’t have to rush. If you buy the ‘complete map’ ticket you’ll also have access to: the Marstallmuseum (carriage and sleigh museum), porcelain museum, and a number of castles scattered throughout the park.
Continuing on with historic buildings related to the Wittelsbach monarchs, we also visited the Munich Residence. This was their official royal palace. It’s the largest inner-city palace in all of Germany and a major tourist attraction. Make sure to go first thing in the morning, because it gets busier the as the day goes on. Also avoid bringing a bag/jacket/umbrella, or really anything that you would have to leave at bag check as this will save you a lot of time in the long run. That line was longer than the one to get inside and buy a ticket! I think this was my favorite museum of our entire Germany trip, the palace is gorgeous. Afterwards don’t miss taking a walk through the Hofgarten outside.
One of my favorite things to do in a new city is check out their public parks, so of course we had to go to the English Garden. It’s one of the largest city parks in the world – larger even than Central Park! We didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked, thanks to the rain and cold. The weather also meant that none of the beer gardens we passed were open, including the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower). Which was a huge bummer since I’d been looking forward to grabbing a beer there. Its the second largest beer garden in the city with 7,000 seats.
One thing we still did get to experience was the river surfing at the Eisbachwelle. You’ll find people surfing year-round on this continuous wave on the southeast corner of the English Garden.
Other things to see and do in Munich that we didn’t get around to:
- Check out the observation tower in the New Town Hall for views of the city!
- We were car museum-ed out after Stuttgart, but for car lovers Munich also has a BMW Museum.
- If you have time for a day trip, the Neuschwanstein Castle – the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle – is about 2 hours away.
- This Third Reich Walking Tour delves into Munich’s dark WWII past.
Looking for more to do on your trip to Munich, Germany?
Check out these exciting options:
Food and Drinks
Breakfast/Coffee
Sweet Spot Kaffee
Heiliggeiststraße 1, 80331 München.
This tiny coffee shop was PACKED first thing in the morning, so you know they’re doing something right. Don’t expect to sit here as they don’t have a ton of seating.
Vits Kaffee
Rumfordstraße 49, 80469 München.
Vits was our one sit-down breakfast of the the three days. I was super bummed they’d already sold out of pretzel croissants within an hour of opening!
Kanso Coffee Lab
Theatinerstraße 35, Residenzpassage, Innenhof, 80333 München.
Kanso was a bit tricky to find, as it’s tucked away in a back alleyway. They were pretty busy so I just grabbed a cappuccino to-go!
Snacks
All the walking we were doing called for lots and lots of snacks. There was an Aldi right next to the hotel, so we stocked the room with chips and a stupid amount of candy (most of which made its way home with us). And of course I couldn’t go more than a day without getting a pretzel at Fritz Mühlenbäckeri or Fräulein Grüneis in the English Garden.
Restaurants
“Just two restaurant recommendations? That doesn’t seem like enough. I thought you were there for three days?” Don’t worry, a lot of our beer stops in the next section doubled as lunch and/or dinner!
Servus Heidi – Bavarian – Landsberger Str. 73, 80339 München.
They have such good reviews online, and everyone else around us seemed to enjoy themselves, but we were super underwhelmed by the service and our food. Maybe it was an off night but we felt like an afterthought to our server and the food quality wasn’t really worth the price.
Wirtshaus Eder – Bavarian – Gollierstraße 83, 80339 München.
This is definitely feels like more of a neighborhood place, especially since we had to walk a few blocks through a residential area to get there from the train. They were packed, and for good reason – the service, food and craft beer selection was great. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a reservation!
Beer
For those of you who don’t like beer but still want to get the full Munich beer hall experience, don’t fret – there is a potential option for you! While Jasper doesn’t like 99% percent of beers, he did like one thing on most menus: the Radler. A radler is a mix of a wheat beer (generally) and lemonade.
Hofbräuhaus München – Platzl 9, 80331 München.
Did you really go to Munich if you didn’t stop at Hofbräuhaus for a beer as big as your head? We avoided going during Oktoberfest, but it was still overwhelming even at 3pm on a Wednesday! Most beer halls in Munich are communal seating and seat yourself, just grab any open spot you find.
Augustiner Bräustuben – Landsberger Str. 19, 80339 München.
If you’re looking for an experience similar to Hofbräuhaus, but slightly smaller and less stressful, Augustiner Bräustuben is the spot. Order the variety plate for two – I dream about the crispy skin on the pork knuckle at least once a week.
Paulaner am Nockherberg – Hochstraße 77, 81541 München.
Paulaner is a bit further from the city center, but its 100% worth the trip. Its more of a traditional restaurant, vibe and food wise, compared to the other two. They also have a giant beer garden, which unfortunately was closed thanks to the bad weather during our visit.
Hotel
We decided we wanted to be in Munich’s city center, so we stayed at the Hotel MIO by Amano in Old Town. It’s conveniently located right by the Sendlinger Tor U-Bahn station making it easy to get around the city. Interested in more info on this hotel and the others we considered for this trip? Then check out Where to Stay in Munich, Germany.
Where should I visit on my next Munich, Germany trip? Let me know in the comments!
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