What to see with one day in Munich?

Most everything you might want to see in Munich centers around Marienplatz. At 11:00 the Glockenspiel on the Neues Rathaus "performs".

Afterwards, you can eat lunch at the Ratskeller in the basement of the Rathaus. Or, the Hofbräuhaus is a few blocks to the northeast, for cheap food, good beer, and Bavarian fun.

To the left of the Rathaus is Frauenkirche, the church with the green cupolas.

A few blocks behind the Rathaus is the Residenz, which was the in-town palace of the Wittelsbachers.

If you're standing in Marienplatz facing the Rathaus, behind you, over your right shoulder is the church tower of St. Perers (Heiligepeter). For a few Euro, you can climb to the top for a view down into Marienplatz, all over Munich, including the Olympic Park, and, on a clear day, all the way to the Alps.

A few blocks south of Marienplatz is the StadtMuseum München (city museum of Munich). Although the exhibits are not explained in English, the last time I was there they had an extensive exhibit on the development of Munich, with models, maps, and drawing. Dates are pretty easy to understand in any language.

From the north side of the Hauptbahnhof, you can catch the #17 tram out to Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer palace of the Wittelsbachers, with it's park-like grounds.

All of this is in the inner zone (Innenraum) of the MVV (Munich metro). For two people, a Innenraum Partner Tageskarte (day ticket for up to 5 people in the inner zone), for €9,40, will cover all you transportation by S-/U-Bahn, streetcars, and buses for the entire day. Dachau is in the second zone. To go there, you would need an MVV XXL Partner Tageskarte for €12,30.

Hey, Aaron,

We just got back from Munich and spent two days there, one at Dachau. On the second day, we strolled the pedestrian zone from near the train station to the old rathaus (old city hall), including the delightful Marienplatz. Our favorite food and beer was on this stretch at the Augustiner, with outdoor seating. Sat with many locals around us--chatty, too--which was nice. In addition, while it can be cheesy, we also took (and recommend) the bus tour. That way, you can see some of the Olympic site (ill-fated '72 summer games) and some interesting neighborhoods. We strolled the Englischer Garten from this bus tour (hop-on, hop-off), had lunch, and then hopped back on. You start right across from the Hauptbahnhof, main station.

The hop on - hop off tour is a great basic, and pick what you like from that...since you are going to be going to castles after Munich you may want to skip getting off at Nymphenburg palace (which is lovely)personally the olympic site did not interest me, but I was so glad we went to the English Gardens and my adult kids loved seeing the kids actually surfing on the river! Marienplatz is great and so is just wandering thru the streets and shops there before eating dinner/lunch at Hofbrauhaus....a must experience, with oompah band and all! altho better food can be had elsewhere, just stop in for a beer. Watch out for Sundays tho...downtown is basically closed except for restaurants and some tourist sites..you don't really get the flavor of the place then.

My one day in Munich was on Corpus Christi day, and the place was mostly shut down. Still ended up having a fantastic day though, I took Ozzie's free, three hour walking tour, he's a great guide, best walking tour I have been on to date. After the tour was over he took a few of us out for drinks at his favourite bar, and then took us to dinner at his favourite beer hall. I then spent the evening with some new friends at the Hofbrauhaus. A perfect day all in all.

Viktuellinmarkt (sp) is also fun, right next to Marienplatz- and it has a small beer garden in the shade of some trees. The Stadt Museum is great foreven a short period- we got enthrlled in the old musical instruments collection

Given that you have so little time, the Schatzkammer (treasury room) co-located with the Residenz (separate entrance) is probably an efficient use of time. You can see some of the riches of the Wittelsbachers in a few rooms. When we were last in Munich, a local woman introduced us to the Donisl Restaurant. It is good Bavarian fare near Marienplatz at a reasonable price. http://www.donisl-muenchen.de/ Among the churches, I liked the small, rococo Asamkirche also in the general area of Marienplatz. Unfortunately, during our last visit there was limited viewing. I am not sure if this was permanent. Regards, Gary

Aaron, with only one day in Munich, you might consider taking one of the local walking tours to get some sense of the history of the city (check the Radius Tours website for details). You could also visit the Deutsches Museum (16 kM of exhibits at the main site, but there are also two satellite Museums). The Museum has exhibits on just about everything from aviation to computers to textiles to electricity and one can EASILY spend four hours or more there. You might take a walk through the famous Hofbrauhaus and perhaps stop for a Beer (there's a large dining room on the top floor, and in the evenings they often have "authentic" Bavarian shows with the Lederhosen and wood choppers). Be sure to note the "unusual appliance" in the Men's washroom. A walk around Marienplatz and dining in the restaurants there is also interesting. Happy travels!

On a good day the Englischer Gardens are a great place to be. The Marienplatz is a good place to spend the morning. I also like Nymphenburg and the Alte Pinokotek is one of my favorite art galeries anywhere - but that's way too much for one day.