The medieval old town area or The Alstadt in Munich is filled with must see sights including museums, historic churches, and palaces along with the famous Hofbräuhaus beer hall and the Viktualienmarkt, an old world vegetable and fruit market.
Marienplatz
It is the heart of Munich in the city center. You can see the Neue and Alte Rathaus (New and Old Town Halls), have a cup of coffee and wander around this pedestrian-only zone. In the middle stands the towering column of the Mariensäule, which was erected in 1638 and topped by the statue of the Virgin Mary.
The area includes the beautiful Fischbrunnen fountain in front of the main entrance to the Neue Rathaus. By the old Town Hall, you can also find the modern fountain Kräutlmarktbrunnen created by Wolf Hirtreiter in 1972. In the wintertime look for the world-famous Christmas market.
Address: Marienplatz 1, 80331 München, Germany
Altes Rathus (Old Town Hall)
The Gothic building was first mentioned in city records in 1310, yet it has been reconstructed numerous times especially after it was destroyed during World War II. The tower houses a historical toy museum the Spielzeugmuseum. Look for the beautiful Juliet Capulet Statue on the outside of the church donated from the city of Verona in 1974.
Hours: Daily, 10 am – 5:30 pm
Admission: Toy Museum — Adults €4, children €1, family ticket €8.
Address: Marienplatz 15, 80331 München, Germany
Marienhof
A large green space lying behind Neues Rathaus near the city center. On the right side of the square is the Dallmayr with an impressive yellow and white façade and includes a restaurant, delikatessenhaus, and a grocery store.
Address: Weinstraße 9, 80331 München, Germany
Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall)
The ornate neo-Gothic town hall was finished in 1905. Look for the city’s mascot, the Munchner Kindl (Munich Child). You can take a lift to go up in the tower for views of the city and the famous glockenspiel that chimes daily. The glockenspiel provides a musical show 11 and 12 noon from March to Oct. and additionally at 5 pm and 9 pm in summer.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 am – 8 pm, Saturday, 10 am – 4:30 pm, Sundays, 10 am – 2:30 pm.
Admission: Tower – €2.50
Address: Marienplatz 8, 80331 München, Germany
Viktualienmarkt
The market originated in 1807 and includes 140 stalls selling goods from fruit to meat to flowers. The Maypole in the center carries figures displaying the trades and crafts of this part of Munich. The market area covers 22,000 square meters.
Hours: Monday – Saturday7 am – 8 pm
Address: Viktualienmarkt 3, 80331 München, Germany
Michael Jackson memorial
Michael Jackson spent many nights at the Bayerischer Hof when he stayed in Munich. When he died in 2009 a makeshift memorial began at the base of the statue of Orlando di Lasso, a Renaissance composer, which faces the hotel.
Address: Memorial Park — Promenadepl., 80333 München, Germany
Pedestrian Zone
The boulevard between Marienplatz and Karlsplatz/Stachus, with the medieval city gate Karlstor, has been a pedestrian zone and Munich’s busiest shopping area since the 1970s. Halfway between Marienplatz and Stachus you can turn left into “Arkaden”, a roofed alley, which is home to more individual shops and cafés.
Odeonsplatz
A 19th-century square surrounded by ornate buildings. The most prominent structure on the Odeonsplatz is the Feldherrnhalle or Field Marshal’s hall. Together with the Theatinerkirche, — a domed baroque Catholic church with a yellow façade, this building gives the Odeonplatz the appearance of an Italian Square. Open-Air Classics Concerts take place yearly at Odeonsplatz. In the vicinity is the Hofgarten (court garden).
Address: Odeonspl. 1, 80539 München, Germany
Bayerisches Nationaltheater
The neoclassical building is home to Bavarian State Opera and Orchestra. It was built in 1818 but has been rebuilt twice, once following an 1823 fire and then in 1963 following World War II.
Hours: You can take a guided tour at 2 pm most days depending on the opera’s schedule or attend a performance. This is where Richard Wagner performed his operas.
Admission: €5 guided tours
Address: Max-Joseph-Platz 2, 80539 München, Germany
Residenz München (Munich Residenz)
Home to the Wittelsbach dynasty until 1918, it began as a small moated castle in 1385 and was expanded since then. The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms.
Highlights are the Antiquarium (Hall of Antiquities), the largest secular Renaissance hall north of the Alps. The early 17th-century rooms: include the Reiche Kapelle (Ornate Chapel), the Steinzimmer (Stone Rooms), and the Trierzimmer (Trier Rooms). The magnificent Rococo Rooms: (Ancestral Gallery and Ornate Rooms by François Cuvilliés the Elder) and the neoclassical Königsbau (King’s Tract) were created by Leo von Klenze.
Also on display are special collections such as silver, ecclesiastical vestments, and porcelain from Europe and East Asia.
Hours: Daily — April – Oct. 21, 9 am – 6 pm (last entry 5 pm); Oct. 21- March 10 am – 5 pm (last entry 4 pm).
Admission: €7, €6 reduced; Combination Ticket (Residence Museum, Treasury) €11, €9 reduced; Combination Ticket (Residence Museum, Treasury, Cuvilliés
Theatre €13, €10.50 reduced).
Address: Residenzstraße 1, 80333 München, Germany
Münchner Stadtmuseum (Town Museum)
The museum charts the city and culture in a former arsenal building. Look for the exquisitely carved dancing figures by Erasmus Grasser that were originally in the Altes Rathaus. You can see historic furniture, film, photos, musical instruments and brewing equipment, and a huge doll collection. A cinema is also on the grounds, the Filmmuseum, which shows nightly films with many in English.
Hours: Daily 10 am – 6 pm, Closed Mondays
Admission: Adults €7, Children under 18 free
Address: Sankt-Jakobs-Platz 1, 80331 München, Germany
Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum (German Hunting and Fishing Museum)
Housed in the former Augustinian Church the museum displays weapons dating from the Renaissance, hunting trophies, stuffed animals, deer antlers, and prints.
Hours: Daily 9:30 am – 5 pm, to 9 pm on Thursdays.
Admission: Adults €5, Children (3-16) €4 and Families with Children €10
Address: Neuhauser Str. 2, 80331 München, Germany
Jüdisches Museum (Jewish Museum)
Showcases the diversity of Jewish history and culture and focuses on the subjects of migration and inclusion.
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10 am – 6 pm, Closed Saturdays
Admission: Adults €6, Reduced €3, children under 18 are free
Address: St.-Jakobs-Platz 16
Hofbräuhaus München
Three-floor German beer hall and German restaurant that dates back to the 16th century, which has shows and a lively atmosphere. It is a very popular tourist destination.
Hours: Daily 9 am – 11:30 pm.
Address: Platzl 9, 80331 München, Germany
CHURCHES
Asamkirche
It was erected between 1733 and 1746 by the Asam brothers and bears the official name of St. Johann Nepomuk. Originally planned as a private church for the builder, its Baroque facade is integrated into the row of houses on Sendlingerstraße. Two massive rocks arise from the base of the columns at the entrance. The luxuriously furnished interior breaks from Baroque convention with its proportional distribution. Every inch of wall space has gilt garlands and docile cherubs, false marble, and oversized barley-twist columns.
Hours: 9 am – 6 pm.
Address: Sendlinger Str. 32, 80331 München, Germany
Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Holy Trinity Church)
The baroque church avoided the bombings in World War II. It has a beautiful example of Italian Baroque and has a dome fresco by Cosmas Damian Asam, “The Adoration of the Trinity.”
Hours: Daily 8 am – 4 pm
Admission: Free
Address: Pacellistraße 6, 80333 München, Germany
Frauenkirche
It is located in Munich’s Old Town, not far from the centrally located Marienplatz. Construction on the cathedral began in 1468 under Prize Sigismund, who commissioned Jörg von Halsbach with its construction. In World War II, the Frauenkirche was heavily damaged by air strikes but was later rebuilt and renovated. The building includes two tall rounded onion domes.
What to see in the cathedral include The Devil’s Footprint with a spur and it is said to have been made after the devil lost a bet with the cathedral’s builders. Look for the Emperor’s Tomb, which is intricately carved for Emperor Ludwig IV of Bavaria by Hans Krumpper in 1622. The cathedral also has star-patterned vaulted ceilings, a gigantic organ, the Statue of St. Christopher, and Gothic stained windows.
Hours: 7:30 am – 8:30 pm daily. No tours during Mass (9 am, noon, 5:30 pm Monday- Saturday, 10 am Sun.)
Admission: Tours – €6 May- Sept. 3 pm, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
Address: Frauenplatz 12, 80331 München, Germany
Marianische Männerkongregation Mariä Verkündigung am Bürgersaal zu München
The outside includes a colorful baroque exterior. The lower floor is filled with statues and shrine to Peter Rupert Mayer who was a Jesuit parish priest who worked for the resistance against the Nazi regime and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1987.
The upper part of the church is an amazing example of Bavarian Rococo and a figure of the Guardian Angel can be found in the oratory.
Hours: Lower Church Hall – daily 8 am -7 pm and Upper Church Hall – April – Oct. 9 am – 5 pm daily and Nov. – March 10 am – 4 pm daily
Admission: Free
Address: Kapellenstraße 1, 80333 München, Germany
Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church)
It was built by Duke Wilhelm and was the first Jesuit church in northern Europe. Its highly unusual 20-meter wide barrel vault is the world’s second-largest cantilever barrel vault after St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The church also houses one of the most important tombs of the Wittelsbach family: the Fairytale King Ludwig II who was laid to rest here on June 19, 1886. Look for the stunning statue of St. Michael at the entrance.
Hours: Daily from 7 am to 7 pm. The crypt Monday to Friday 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 4.30 pm, Saturday 10 am to 3 pm.
Admission: Free
Address: Neuhauser Str. 6, 80333 München, Germany
Peterskirche
The oldest parish church stands on the highest point in Munich. The inside of the church incorporates different styles from the Gothic St. Martin Altar to Johann Baptist Zimmermann’s baroque ceiling fresco to Ignaz Gunther’s rococo sculptures. The church includes a 299-step tower that you can go up for panoramic views and on a clear day, you can see the Alps.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 6 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am.
Admission: Church—free, Tower – Adults €3 and children €2
Address: Rindermarkt 1, 80331 München, Germany
Theatinerkirche (Theatine Church)
Built in the 17th century it counts among the most magnificent examples of Baroque architecture in Europe. The outside bright yellow Rococo facade is spectacular. The Baroque interior is completely white.
Hours: 7 am – 9 pm
Admission: Free
Address: Salvatorplatz 2A, 80333 München, Germany
CITY GATES:
Sendling Gate
It is the southernmost gate of the three remaining city gates. It separates the two areas of Altstadt and Isarvorstadt. It is flanked by two towers and includes a brick arch. It once had a central tower but was demolished in 1808 for transport purposes.
The gate marks the beginning of the Sendlinger Strabeshopping district at the corner of Sendlinger and Herzog-Wilhelm streets. FYI—There is a public restroom by the gate. As you walk down the street a few blocks look for the late Baroque Asamkirche and next door the Asam-Haus, both ornate buildings.
Address: (Sendlinger Tor) Oberanger 44, 80331 München, Germany
Isartor Gate
It is the eastern gate of the Alstadt area of Munich. Completed in 1337, the gate has a 40-meter high tower and was the main gate of Munich’s Salt Road. On the west side, you can see a reverse clock. The gate also includes the Valentin-Karlstadt Museum dedicated to the life and works of Munich comedian and folk singer Karl Valentin (1882 – 1948), and his wonderful partner, Liesl Karlstadt.
Address: Tal 43, 80331 München, Germany
Karlstor
Can be found on the western end of Neuhauser Straße and is in white stone, with turrets and statues, and looks like a wing of a castle.
In front of the gate is Karlsplatz with its historical buildings, a fountain, and an underground shopping arcade.
Address: Karlstor — Neuhauser Str. 47, 80331 München, Germany
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