Things to do in Munich
Asamkirche, the Viktualienmarkt, the Deutsches Museum, schnitzel and a proper cocktail.
This is Munich for someone who wants to eat and drink like a local, spend money where it counts, and not waste a morning in a tourist trap. The plan moves between the old city, the park, and the university quarter, mixing free culture with one serious dinner each night. It suits a solo traveller or a pair who'd rather find a good Wirtshaus than queue for a palace.
Day 1: Altstadt: chapels, market, tartare
The old city at its best: a free Rococo chapel in the morning, Munich's great food market at midday, and tartare at Bar Tatar two minutes from your pillow.
- 9:30 AM
Dallmayr deli café
300-year-old deli-café right by the hotel, grab an espresso and peer at the jaw-dropping food counters before the crowds arrive.
Map - 10:15 AM
Asamkirche
Rococo chapel carved from gold and marble, locals swear it's Munich's most underrated interior; free and 10 min walk away.
Map - 12:30 PM
Andy's Krablergarten
Casual German kitchen loved by locals, solid midday meal at fair prices, no fuss.
Map - 2:15 PM
Viktualienmarkt
100+ food stalls, rotating brewery tap in the beer garden, browse pretzels and sausages at Munich's living larder.
Map - 7:30 PM
BAR TATAR in der Schreiberei
The casual bar in the Schreiberei; seasonal beef, trout and tuna tartares. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Map - 9:30 PM
Schneider Bräuhaus München
Home of Schneider Weisse, a 5-min stroll away, the classic Munich Kneipe for a proper after-dinner beer or cocktail before midnight.
Map
Day 2: Englischer Garten to the river south
A long green diagonal from the Eisbachwelle surfers to a Haidhausen beer hall lunch, a science museum the size of an island, and a proper cocktail bar to close.
- 9:30 AM
Café Münchner Freiheit
Big café on Münchner Freiheit; a Milchkaffee and a slice of cake before walking into the Englischer Garten.
Map - 10:30 AM
Englischer Garten
Vast urban park with meadows, streams, beer garden, and surfers on the Eisbachwelle river wave.
Map - 12:30 PM
Hofbräukeller
Haidhausen beer hall with a chestnut-shaded garden; roast pork, a Knödel and a Hofbräu, open from midday.
Map - 2:30 PM
Deutsches Museum
World's largest science and technology museum, aircraft, ships, rockets and a real mine; could easily lose the whole afternoon here.
Map - 7:30 PM
GIGI TRATTORIA
Top-rated Italian in Gärtnerplatzviertel, the one $$$ dinner slot, just south of the museum and close to the bar strip.
Map - 9:30 PM
Ory Bar
The Mandarin Oriental's bar off the Platzl; a classic martini in a quiet, polished room.
Map
Day 3: Maxvorstadt: art, history, schnitzel
The university quarter delivers Kandinsky and the Blue Rider, a rigorous free exhibition on the Nazi years, a huge schnitzel and an unfussy Austrian dinner.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Lenbachhaus
The Blue Rider rooms, Kandinsky and Marc, in Lenbach's villa and Foster's gold extension; €10, closed Mondays.
Map - 12:30 PM
Steinheil 16
Huge, crisp schnitzel beloved by locals in a plain university-quarter Wirtshaus, best value in the neighbourhood.
Map - 2:30 PM
NS-Dokumentationszentrum
Free, rigorous exhibition on Munich as the Nazi party's capital, sits on the actual Brown House site, unmissable context.
Map - 7:30 PM
Nymphenburger Hof
Acclaimed classic cuisine in a relaxed setting, the right level for a memorable but unfussy dinner.
Map - 9:30 PM
The Boilerman Bar - München
Highball bar in the 25hours by the station; pick a base spirit and a house soda and they build it.
Map
Where to stay
Cortiina Hotel
Mid-range pricing in the Altstadt, walking distance from Dallmayr, Viktualienmarkt, and Tohru: the value pick this trip is built around.
Platzl Hotel
Right on the edge of the old city, close to Day 1 and Day 2 stops, and priced to leave room for the dinners that matter.
Make Munich your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Deutsches Museum: a few days ahead
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site: a few days ahead
- BMW Museum: weeks ahead
- Bayerische Staatsoper: weeks ahead
- Allianz Arena: a few days ahead
- Olympiastadion München: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Hofbräuhaus as your beer experience: worth a look in, but Augustiner-Keller, Hofbräukeller or any garden here gives a better hour.
- The Glockenspiel as an event: glance up if passing at 11am, do not plan a morning around it. Climb Alter Peter instead.
- Restaurants facing Marienplatz charge for the postcode. Walk three minutes into the Tal, Lehel or the market.
- Neuschwanstein's interior as the point: 35 rushed minutes in an unfinished castle. The bridge, lakes and Linderhof are the day.
The full Munich travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around