2 Days in Munich

In Munich itself, the self-guided walking tour in Rick's Germany guidebook is excellent. It can take anywhere from two hours to two days, depending on your level of interest and curiosity. The audio version is available on Rick's site here for free download.

For insight into Munich's dramatic role in the rise and fall of the Third Reich, visit the new NS Doku-Zentrum, which just opened last May. It's on Briennerstraße, on the site of the Third-Reich-era Nazi headquarters building. Führerbau (Hitler's office building, where the 1938 Munich Accord was signed) is next door, repurposed as a High School for Music and Theater. Historic Königsplatz is across the street. The City's website offers free downloadable maps and audioguides for self-guided walks tracing the history of National Socialism in Munich.

I was in Munich last September and I really enjoyed the bike tour I took with Mikes Bikes. It was a great way to see the city and the guides were fun and very informative. The ride itself is mostly flat with quite a few stops to learn about Munich so it wasn't strenuous either. One of the highlights of Munich for me. Enjoy your trip!

Museum - Deutsches Museum (could easily spend a day there)
Food - Viktualienmarkt, Ratskeller
People watching - Marienplatz and the pedestrian shopping mall, Kaufstrasse, between Marienplatz and Karlstor.

I agree with Karen, the bike tour through Mike's Bikes is awesome. It covers a ton of ground it just a few hours and the guide we had (Kevin) was great. I was there just over a week ago. We had 3 days and did a bike tour, toured the Residenz, visited the Olympic Park, spent half a day getting a tour of Dachau Concentration Camp (through Radius Tours) and ate twice at the Hofbrauhaus. Enjoy Munich!

Jeremy,

How was Olympia park? I've been to Munich 3 times now for the opera festival and going back in June. Would like to try and see some of what I've missed or skipped on prior trips.

I haven't been to the Duetsches Museum or the Nyphenberg palace either.

Rick's walking tour is a great overview of the highlights of the city. If WW2 / Nazi era interests you, I would second the suggestion for the new National Socialism museum. If your time is limited, the Munich city museum has a good and easy to cover exhibit on that period as well.

I'd also recommend the Egyptian museum if that subject appeals to your family. Very manageable in an hour or so.
As for art museums, I like the Neue and Modern best. (A little of the old masters goes a long way with me, so I've skipped the Alte).

Deutsches Museum is indeed excellent, but be aware that a decade-long renovation project just began last fall at the main campus on Museuminsel. From now into 2019, various portions of the museum and certain major exhibits may be closed. This, however, does not affect the Museum's branch campuses, Verkehrszentrum (focusing on all manner of surface transportation) and Flugwerft Schleißheim (for things with wings). Check the Museum's website for status.

Raymond,

I agree with the others that the Deutsches Museum would be an excellent way to spend at least part of one day. Another possibility would be to take one of the local walking tours, as that would be a great way to learn about the history of the city. Here's one possibility......

http://radiustours.com/en/english-tours/discover-munich.html#frameId=iframe&height=367

If you have a generous budget and would like something a bit more unusual and memorable, you could try a Segway tour....

http://munich.citysegwaytours.com/

Great information. The walking tour sounds great and so does the bike tour, although my wife would probably not want to do the bike tour seeing that we did one in Rome 2 years ago and she did not like it at all. The museumsame great, so many things, so little time. Thanks again.

Raymond: Although it will take at least one half day, you may want to consider a visit to Dachau. The site is very well presented and gives a good overview of the concentration camp system. It isn't the happiest experience; but, it is one that will last a lifetime. Enjoy your vacation and be safe.

~Darrel

I was born during WWII and grew up hearing all about the Holocaust. In fact one of my high school teachers was in the army and helped liberate one of the camps. So for me, Dachau, which wasn't even a death camp, like Auschwitz, was anti-climatic. I was in Munich 7 times before I finally saw the camp.

But if you must see it, see it on your own. You don't need a 3rd party tour. It's easy to get there on your own, and transportation is only a few euro more if you already use a transit pass for the inner zone. The Memorial has tours by their own trained guides, that are as good as any by outside guides, for only 3€.

Hi Lee, the Dachau camp does sound very interesting and I'm sure its something that my family and I would never forget. I purchased the Rick Steves book for Munich, just haven't received it yet but is it easy to get there from Munich on your own?

check here: Directions to Dachau

and here: at the official Dachau Memorial site

If you ride the train make sure you validate your tickets. Some gendarmes got us on that trip to Dachau and fined us a lot of euros. Only picked us to check tickets, let all the non tourists go.

Do people have any thoughts on visiting the BMW museum and headquarters? We will be in Munich this summer for two days on a weekend with our family of two adults and three children ages 13,11 and 9. We thought we would do a bike trip the first day in Munich. On the second day my two 13 and 11 year old boys want to go to the BMW museum and headquarters. The plant is not open for tours on weekends. Any thoughts if this is a worthwhile trip?

in answer to the BMW question.
my wife and I had a great time visiting BMW Welt. to tour the factory ( to see the cars being built) we had to book our tickets ( by phone) some time in advance. but it was well worth it. my wife said she could have spent more time there watching the robots build the cars etc. it was impressive to see how they build the cars and each one is unique, rolling off the production line.
the museum,next door, was very good. the whole complex ( fantastic buildings) is really a very good experience. it is not just for 'petrol heads'. would highly recommend it. its all close together so very easy to see it all.

hope this helps.

BMW Welt is basically a new-car showroom and delivery center on steroids. Admission is free (unlike the museum across the street), and it is well worth the visit if you are short on time. The building itself is spectacular, with a number of interesting exhibits inside. Rolls-Royce and Mini are part of the BMW corporate family, so their vehicles are on display, too. There are places to eat, and a terrific gift shop.

Photos here.

I was just about to chime in about the BMW Museum and Welt. Quite unexpectedly, they were among the highlights of our trip. I thought I was doing my husband a favor by going (he's a car buff - Mopar more than BMW), but I ended up liking them more than he did. The Museum is very artfully presented - it reminded me of the Tate Modern and I loved the techno-classical music in the background, with the sound of engines revving up. Agree with the person who said that BMW Welt is a car showroom on steroids, but it is still fun and free.

Afterwards we explored the Olympic grounds a bit and had lunch at a casual restaurant there. The sausage and beer were better than you would expect from the location.

Funny to see the BMW Qs....I contacted them thru their web site to secure tickets last week...got an email back asking that I call...I just did...The woman who answered easily shifted from German to English when I said hello and it was very easy to obtain a "Premium Ticket" (all 3 parts -- Welt, Museum, Factory) for the day I want. I didn't even have to pay; will do that when I'm there. Looking forward to it, especially after reading the comments here. Thanks.

"If you ride the train make sure you validate your tickets."

In Munich, as in most cities, single trip tickets require "validation". You can recognize this because they have the words, Hier entwerten printed on one end with arrows pointing to where you insert the ticket into the validation machine.

There would be no reason to buy single trip tickets to go to Dachau. The two zone single trip ticket would cost 5,40€ each way, 10,80€ round trip, per person. A 2 zone "München XXL" single Tageskarte (day pass) is 8,60€ (less) and would cover not only the round trip but also any other transportation in the inner 2 zones of Munich that day. A Gruppentageskarte would cover the same thing for 15,40€ for 2 to five people for the day (vs 21,60€ for the round trip with single trip ticket for just 2 people).

In most cases, these day tickets don't have to be validated (in fact they are too wide to go in the machine), as they have the validity date already printed on them. However, you might have to print your name on the line to prevent you selling it after you use it.

What do you recommend a 18 year old "girl/woman" wear in Munich (summer)? This is always a point of argument when we travel. Is Munich conservative or trendy? Should our daughter avoid wearing shorts (which I might add are never very long)? Any advice would be appreciated.