Things to do in Munich, splurging
The Residenz, Lenbachhaus and Englischer Garten, schnitzel at Steinheil 16, Bar Tantris.
This is Munich for the traveller who wants the full picture without wasting a meal on mediocrity. Days move from Rococo gilding and world-class museums to long lunches and late bar stools, with a fine-dining dinner waiting at the end of most evenings. If you are happy spending well and eating seriously, the city will more than match you.
Day 1: Altstadt gold: Dallmayr to the Residence
The old city sets the tone: Dallmayr's deli counters, the Asam brothers' private chapel and the Wittelsbach crown jewels, a sharp lunch at Landersdorfer & Innerhofer and a Southeast Asian dinner to close.
- 9:30 AM
Dallmayr deli café
Three-century-old delicatessen café right in the quarter, browse the jaw-dropping food halls with a superb coffee before anything else.
Map - 10:30 AM
Asamkirche
The Asam brothers' private Rococo chapel, so ornate it feels sculpted from solid gold; a short stroll south and a very different kind of splurge.
Map - 12:30 PM
Landersdorfer & Innerhofer
Austrian-leaning lunch in the Hackenviertel; get the weekday set lunch. Kitchen 11:30 to 13:30, closed weekends.
Map - 2:30 PM
Munich Residence
130+ rooms of Wittelsbach grandeur, the Renaissance Antiquarium and crown jewels are a genuine splurge for the eyes, right on the doorstep.
Map - 7:30 PM
Aimy - Southeast Asian Cuisine
Southeast Asian kitchen near Odeonsplatz; share curries, salads and grilled dishes from Thailand to Vietnam.
Map - 9:30 PM
Schneider Bräuhaus München
The Schneider brewery's tavern on the Tal; a half-litre of Schneider Weisse Tap 7 to end the night.
Map
Day 2: Maxvorstadt: Kandinsky, schnitzel, cocktails
Day two swings between high culture and honest food, starting at the Lenbachhaus, dropping into the sobering NS-Dokumentationszentrum, and ending with an acclaimed dinner at Weinhaus Neuner before the Boilerman Bar does what it does best.
- 9:30 AM
Cafe Jasmin
Retro Maxvorstadt café beloved by locals, the right low-key start before a splurge-heavy day.
Map - 10:30 AM
Lenbachhaus
Blaue Reiter and Kandinsky in a Foster-extended villa, the highest-rated culture stop in the area and a short walk from the café.
Map - 12:30 PM
Steinheil 16
One of Munich's best schnitzels, huge, crisp, and the perfect casual contrast before a serious dinner tonight.
Map - 2:30 PM
NS-Dokumentationszentrum
Rigorous, free exhibition on Munich as Nazi-party capital, one of the most important and moving sites in the city.
Map - 7:30 PM
Weinhaus Neuner
Munich's oldest wine house, panelled rooms off Herzogspitalstraße; Wiener schnitzel and an Austrian white.
Map - 10:00 PM
The Boilerman Bar - München
Critic-approved Boilerman Bar is steps away, the best cocktail bar in the neighbourhood to close the night.
Map
Day 3: Schwabing: park, water, and Tantris next door
The final day breathes out into Schwabing and the Englischer Garten, a terrace lunch on the Kleinhesseloher See, the Monopteros view, sansaro's Japanese menu and a nightcap at Bar Tantris.
- 9:30 AM
Café Münchner Freiheit
Neighbourhood café right on Münchner Freiheit square, a proper local start before the day opens up.
Map - 10:30 AM
Englischer Garten
Stroll the vast park, catch surfers on the Eisbachwelle, and breathe some green before lunch.
Map - 12:30 PM
SEEHAUS im Englischen Garten
Seehaus sits right on the Kleinhesseloher See inside the park, terrace lunch over the water, solid German food.
Map - 2:30 PM
Monopteros
Greek-style temple on a hill in the Englischer Garten; the view takes in the Frauenkirche towers and the old city.
Map - 7:30 PM
sansaro
Japanese fine dining in Maxvorstadt; the set menu of sashimi and cooked courses is the way in.
Map - 10:00 PM
Bar Tantris
Cocktails in Tantris's 1970s orange-and-black building; a short taxi north from dinner, worth it for the room.
Map
Where to stay
Rosewood Munich
The Rosewood puts you a two-minute walk from Dallmayr and the Residence, and the room quality matches the ambition of this itinerary.
Hotel Bayerischer Hof
The Bayerischer Hof sits at the centre of all three days and has the bars, the breakfast, and the front-of-house polish a splurge traveller expects.
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