Munich in 2 days
The market on Saturday, the galleries on Sunday, a Monday without the Pinakotheken — two days in Munich ordered by the calendar, not the map.
- How long
- 2 for the city
- Getting around
- A ride in zone M is €4.20
- Rhythm
- Saturday
Two days in Munich sit best on a Saturday and a Sunday, in that order: the Viktualienmarkt is shut on Sundays, while the Alte Pinakothek, the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Brandhorst charge €1 each on a Sunday. On Mondays the Pinakotheken are closed, so a plan that starts then loses the galleries.
The old town, the market and the park
Marienplatz. The Glockenspiel in the New Town Hall tower plays at 11 and 12, and from March to October at 5 pm as well; ten minutes early you can still choose where to stand with the tower in view.
The Viktualienmarkt, just behind the square. On Saturdays it closes at 3 pm and on Sundays it does not open, so this is its only slot in the plan. Lunch comes from the stalls, and in the beer garden in the middle of the market you may eat what you bought at them; drinks are bought in the garden.
The Residenz, the Wittelsbach town palace, entry €10; last admission is 5 pm in summer and 4 pm in winter. You do not tour the whole of it — the Antiquarium, a 66-metre hall with sixteen paintings from Peter Candid's workshop in the vault, is the reason to go in.
The English Garden through the Hofgarten, under a kilometre in a straight line. On the Eisbach by Prinzregentenstraße surfers drop into the river wave; you watch from the bridge.
A kilometre further through the park, the beer garden at the Chinese Tower. In the self-service part, around seven thousand seats, your own food is allowed; on the waited terrace by the main building you order.
Two galleries and the Olympiapark
The Alte Pinakothek at opening — old masters, Dürer and Rubens. If this day falls on a weekday after all, the combined day ticket at €12 covers every Pinakothek that day and costs less than any two single tickets.
The Pinakothek der Moderne or the Brandhorst, five minutes' walk on. The Brandhorst is smaller and easier after the old masters; Twombly's Lepanto cycle has its own octagonal room on the upper floor.
The Olympiapark, on the U3 to Olympiazentrum: the 1972 stadium roof and the hill above the lake. BMW Welt is across the road, and entry is free.
Haidhausen across the Isar, around Wiener Platz — a quarter with no sights, for dinner after the galleries.
What breaks this plan
- Starting on a Monday. The Pinakotheken are shut; the Residenz and the Olympiapark are open, so Monday takes the first day and the galleries wait for Tuesday.
- Single tickets on day two. Day one is walked; day two has three rides or more — to the galleries, to Olympiazentrum and to Haidhausen — and that is where the day ticket costs less.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What if I am not in Munich for a weekend?
Then the galleries fit into the evening: the Alte Pinakothek is open until 8 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Brandhorst until 8 pm on Thursdays. The day stays for the Residenz and the Olympiapark, and on weekdays the Viktualienmarkt is open until 8 pm.
How many days does Munich need?
Two for the city. A third only makes sense as a trip out: Neuschwanstein, Salzburg, or the lakes below the Alps.
Ready for Munich?
Where to next
What to eat in Munich
→What gets ordered in Munich, what it costs in the best-known beer hall, and what you carry into a beer garden…
Nuremberg · 151 km
→A city that twice became the stage of German history, both times against its will
How well does Munich suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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