Hi everyone -
We will be spending a few days in Munich with our kids. We are planning on seeing neuschwanstein castle, BMW museum, and dachau. How many days would you recommend that we plan for these three sites? We are trying to plan our overall itinerary and not sure how long to stay in Munich. (Are there any other must see sites for children that we are missing?).
Thank you so much for all of your help and have a great day!
Posted by
Phoenix AZ
635 posts
You know your kids best, of course, but the Dachau monument is an intense and emotionally-charged place for anyone. A worthwhile alternative, that would also take much less of your time, would be to visit Munich's new NS Doku-Zentrum on Briennerstraße, built on the site of the Nazi headquarters building. Next door is Hitler's office building (now repurposed as a high school for music and theater), where the infamous 1938 Munich Accord was signed.
Thinking of places kids might enjoy ... Olympic Park, with a ride up the elevator to the top of the Olympic Tower. It's a short walk from BMW Welt via a pedestrian bridge over the busy Georg-Brauchle-Ring roadway. There's also Verkehrszentrum, the branch of Deutsches Museum that covers all manner of surface transportation; and Flugwerft Schleißheim, the Museum's aviation branch.
See the surfers do their thing on the fast-moving Eisbach river at the south end of Englischer Garten, next to Haus der Kunst. The bridge on Prinzregentenstraße gives you a close-up look at the continuous action. The huge Englischer Garten is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon; but be aware that there are some designated, but unmarked, clothing-optional areas in the park (Europeans don't give it a second thought, except to be amused at the reaction of Americans, especially).
There is a toy museum in the Old Town Hall tower at the east end of Marienplatz -- the post-war-rebuilt version of a building that has its own dark page in Third Reich history.
Hope this helps.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
380 posts
We have not been to the castle or BMW Museum with our daughter but I don't believe any would be more than a day trip. You might be able to combine BMW and Dachau since Dachau is a suburb of Munich. Now that our daughter is 5 and asking questions I have seriously thought of not taking her to the camp on our upcoming trip. She has been as an infant but I don't think she's old enough to really understand everything there just yet. She will most definitely go when she can understand everything though. One of our favorite things to do while in Munich is the zoo. We find it better than our local zoo.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I agree with the Munich zoo. Although far from Germany's best, it never seems particularly crowded and it isn't so large that a child on foot would get overwhelmed. It's not within walking distance of most of the other sites in the old center, but I'm pretty sure you can reach it easily by Ubahn. Oh, and for a really different exerpience, don't miss the bat cave!
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
380 posts
The zoo is easily accessible via the U3 line getting off at the Tierpark stop. You then walk across the river to the entrance. Probably took us 5 minutes to walk from the station to the gate. It has never been packed when we've been. My daughter is looking forward to going back next month.
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia
451 posts
Neuschwanstein is a day trip. Dachau is a little too dark for kids. I have seen adults freeze up in there. It normally puts people in a sad mood for a few days. The surfers in Englisher Garden are always a hit. My 10 year old daughter loved Herren Chiemsee about a hour east of Munich. She loved the island setting.