Tickets to Munich area activities

I've been to all but the BMW Museum/Welt, and believe that's the one where online tickets ahead of time are either required or smart.
The others I just showed up and purchased tickets at the entrance and had no issues with lines, as compared to say, the Louvre or d'Orsay.

Not necessary except for BMW. Please look up their website, I believe booking through phone is obligatory.

I was just in Munich in May and visited Dachau (followed Rick's instructions in guidebook)--there is no ticket needed, it's free. I also went to Nymphenburg and waited perhaps 5 minutes in line around 1 pm on a Monday--I got a combination ticket so I could tour the palace as well as the smaller residences around the estate, and the wonderful Marstall museum--it was about 11 euro. I also visited the Alte, Neue and Moderne Pinakothek museums on a combined ticket, just walked in and no line.

I think the need to book in advance for BMW is only if you want to do the factory tour - I went to visit the museum and didn't see much of a queue at all.

Thanks, everyone, for the insight! Just trying to get the details wrapped up. I'll check into the BMW tours - I don't think we need to see the factory. We are definitely going to Neuschwanstein after Munich and will look into getting advance tickets to that.

We toured the BMW Welt in April. I pre-booked for the 4 of us and we felt the tour was well worth it. We would have done a factory tour, but it was closed for Easter. We got to the museum just after opening and there was no line. Then we toured the Welt around 12:30. Deutsche Museum had a long line (we got there after opening) and waited about 20 minutes. It was the only thing that I was disappointed in, having fond memories of it from my visit in 1994. Many of the exhibits are old, some to the point that the written explanation is totally worn off. They are in the process of remodeling and the new medical exhibit, which is well done, shows that they know the museum needs work. My 10 year old liked it, but my 15 year old, DH, and I would have enjoyed that half day somewhere else.

Thanks, merbick. Good to know. Our itinerary is very full, so it's good to know there is something we could maybe skip.

I would get your Neuschwanstein tix ASAP. The date/time you want may already be sold out. If you aren't aware, you need to pick up the tix 90 minutes before your first tour, which is the big headache when it comes to planning a day trip from Munich. Not to say it's impossible, but it takes some planning. If you are looking for another to-do, check out Radius Tours. We did the 3rd Reich walk and it was very interesting - and made our visit to the Documentation Center that much more impactful.

Hello merbick,
You mentioned the "Documentation Center", is it in Munich or you were mistaken with the one in Nuremberg. I was in Munich, going back in 2 weeks, I must have missed it. Thanks. Also, could you detail for me, what is specifically so special about BMW tour, if one is not a big car fan? I didn't go last time but wondering maybe to do the tour this time around.

Sydance,

There is also a Dokumentationszentrum (Documentation Center) in Munich. It's been open for about two or three years. It traces the rise of National Socialism in Munich. It's very interesting but takes a while to explore and has no artifacts. More of an educational experience. If you have limited time, but are interested in the subject, you might want to check out the NS annex at the Munich City museum. It's a separate entrance off the courtyard. Can do it in about an hour or so and it has a lot of original artifacts.

I did mean in Munich. We didn't get to Nuremberg. It did take a while. I had planned about 90 minutes but we were there about 2 1/2 hours. They have an excellent audio guide, which is included in the admission price. I also liked that they have 3 versions of the audio tour-adult, youth and child. My 11 year old did the youth one while the rest of us did the adult. True that there are no artifacts, but there are loads of visuals and it is worth a visit. As for BMW, the Welt tour is an hour guided visit around the coolest car showroom that I have ever been in. It was fascinating to hear details about the latest developments about cars of the future while looking at the prototypes as well as learning the history of Mini Cooper and Rolls Royce, which are both owned by BMW (something I didn't know.) This is also where new BMW owners can pick up their cars, and you also get a behind the scenes look at how the cars are prepared & stored. None of us are really car fans, but this was interesting and a good break from all of the history we were surrounded by, particularly for my 11 year old.

You mentioned the "Documentation Center", is it in Munich or you were mistaken with the one in Nuremberg. I was in Munich, going back in 2 weeks, I must have missed it.

The Documentation Center in Munich, which opened in spring 2015, is a striking, modern structure on Briennerstraße, on the site of the infamous Braunes Haus, wartime headquarters of the Nazi party. Just outside the entrance is the foundation of one of the twin Ehrentempels (one of the most important ceremonial sites to the Third Reich), and next door is Hitler's office building where the 1938 Munich Accord was signed with Chamberlain and Mussolini. That building is now repurposed as a high school for music and theater, not open to the public.

The Munich Documentation Center, in the context of its surroundings, is worth a visit.