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Munich - should I add Friday afternoon to Marienplatz area?

I've reserved several hotels for our Germany/Austria trip next year - some are nonrefundable, including the one at Munich. We are planning to stay at a hotel around the corner from Marienplatz in Munich as our first stop (Sat & Sunday night), on a 2.5 week trip, ending in Vienna.

I just found out that stores are not open on Sunday, and small shops are not open past 14:00 on Saturday. Our plans were to arrive in Munich on a Saturday. Before I purchase our airline tickets, would it be a mistake to arrive on Saturday afternoon? Do we need to add an extra day & arrive on Friday for the Marienplatz area to have a lot of activity? We'll be leaving Munich Monday morning heading to Mittenwald.

I should mention that we don't travel to bring home stuff; there's ample opportunity to shop at St. Wolfgang, Salzburg or Vienna.

Posted by
19052 posts

The large department store in Marienplatz, GALERIA Kaufhof, is open until 8 PM on Saturdays. We were in Munich in October last year. I can't swear to it, but my partner and I think all of the little shops on Neuhauserstr and Kaufingerstr, the pedestrian mall between Karlstor and Marienplatz were open later than 1400. The area was certainly busy on Saturday afternoon.

Using Google maps to find retailers and following their links, I have found three more clothing stores open until 8 PM on Saturdays. Others I have found, don't say their hours. Looks like all the shops in Kaufingertor, a mall next to Galeria are open until 8 PM Saturdays. I think you will find plenty of places to shop on Saturday evening.

Posted by
12040 posts

"I just found out that stores are not open on Sunday, and small shops are not open past 14:00 on Saturday." That might be true of some other Germany cities, but Munich is usually hopping all day Saturday and into the night. Most of the businesses in the main shopping area around Marienplatz stay open rather late, for German standards at least.

But you are correct, most stores are closed all day Sunday. Restaurants, museums and cultural attractions stay open, and because all the stores are closed, this can be their busiest day of the week.

Posted by
14481 posts

Hi,

Yes, to answer your question above. I would suggest not only the Marienplatz area but also Karlsplatz (Stachus). Walk over one station to Karlsplatz, underground is an extensive shopping area,eateries, etc., which you might find interesting.

Posted by
635 posts

There is so much to do in central Munich, in and around Marienplatz.

The walking tour in Rick Steves' Germany guidebook is a great start. You can spend two hours to two days with it, depending on your level of interest and curiosity. The published tour ends at Odeonsplatz; I recommend continuing westbound on Briennerstraße to historic Königsplatz. That takes you past the new NS Doku-Zentrum, which should be open by the time of your visit, on the site of the WW2-era Nazi headquarters building. Walk into the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, which now occupies the building where Hitler, Mussolini and Neville Chamberlain signed the infamous 1938 Munich Accord.

There are museums aplenty. Deutsches Museum, on an island in the Isar River, is amazing. Its transportation and aviation branches are in different locations, but are lots of fun and well worth the trips. The Alte and Neue Pinakoteks are worthwhile, too.

Take the U-Bahn to Olympiapark. See the view from the Olympia Tower. Rick says it's "so high it's boring"; I say it's so high it's spectacular and exhilarating, especially with the view of the Alps in the distance. Just across the street is the BMW Museum (admission fee) and the fascinating BMW Welt (free).

Some photos here.

Posted by
12040 posts

"I say it's so high it's spectacular and exhilarating, especially with the view of the Alps in the distance." I would give the caveat that if you're going to the tower with the intention of the Alps, only consider it on a very low humidity day with clear skies. Days when you can clearly see the peaks are far less frequent than days when they appear indistinct and hazy or are not visible at all.

Posted by
1 posts

As others have posted you won't have trouble shopping in Munich on Saturday, but after 8PM things are really dead. There's the square with the Hofbräuhaus & Hard Rock if you're into meeting American, English and Asian tourists but since the downtown pedestrian zone is mainly shops - and they're closed until Monday - not much else offered. If you want nightlife you can walk or take the U-Bahn north to Schwabing where you're more likely to see people out on the streets. Walk the Amilien or Türken Str. where the students are (U-Bahn Universität). Schwabing and Lehel offer locals and tourists smaller, cozier restaurants and bars (as opposed to Hofbräu) and Munich's gay district, Glockenbach, can be a fun night out even for non gays.

I've lived in and around Munich for the last 15 years and still can't figure out why it's so dead at night. There's more going on in my hometown of Dachau on a Tuesday night than in Munich's pedestrian zone on Saturday after the stores close. Other major German cities like Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne offer much more after hours, Vienna as well. Go figure!

Happy Travels!