48 Hours in Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Southern Germany and the quintessential location to experience Bavarian culture. The English word Munich translates to München in German, which means “Home of the Monks,” due to the first settlement in the area – a Benedictine monastery.

Munich was the first stop on a trip to Germany and Austria with my parents and we absolutely loved it. Here is how we spent 48 hours in the city!

DAY 1

Peterskirche, Marienplatz and the Residenz

Start your day by visiting Peterskirche, the oldest church in Munich. The church is quite pretty inside and you can climb the many steps up the tower for views of the city.

A short walk will bring you to Marienplatz, Munich’s central square dominated by the Old City Hall and the New City Hall. 

The New City Hall contains the “Glockenspiel” in its tower. Every day at 11:00 am and 12:00 pm, hundreds of tourists gather to watch a little show of figurines moving about in the tower along to music. In addition, there is also a 5:00 pm show from March to October.

Make sure to take the elevator up the New Town Hall tower for excellent views of the city!

Make your way to the Munich Residenz, the former palace of the Wittelsbach royal family. The full audio guide tour includes the Residenz Museum, the Treasury, and the Cuvilliés Theatre. Warning: the Residenz has over 100 rooms!

More info on visiting the Residenz: https://www.residenz-muenchen.de/englisch/residenc/

Hofbrauhaus

Built in 1589, Hofbrauhaus is one of Munich’s oldest beer halls and it has several different areas to sit in: Schwemme (the entire ground floor), Biergarten (the outdoor beer garden), Braustuberl (a slightly classier section upstairs), Festaal (the lively historical festival hall also upstairs), and several private rooms.

Believe me when I tell you that the Hofbrauhaus is SO much fun. There’s traditional Bavarian oom-pah music (in some rooms), good food and everyone is having a great time. Make sure to check out the Festival Hall!

DAY 2

Nymphenburg Palace

There are many options to get to Nymphenburg Palace. We chose to catch a tram from Karlsplatz station. The palace was the main summer residence of the Wittelsbach royal family.

We really enjoyed visiting this palace and the grounds; I highly recommend checking it out!

To read my blog post, “A Guide to Visiting Nymphenburg Palace,” click here. 

More info on visiting Nymphenburg Palace: https://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace/

Michaelskirche and Asamkirche

After arriving back at Karlsplatz station, walk over to Michaelskirche. The church crypt contains the tombs of some of the Wittelsbach family, including King Ludwig II (who built Neuschwanstein Castle). People from all over the world still bring flowers to his tomb.

A short walk will bring you to Asamkirche, which has the coolest church interior I have ever seen.

Viktualienmarkt

Spend some time at Viktualienmarkt, Munich’s huge outdoor market. The amount of stands, cafes and shops in the market is overwhelming! There is also a massive beer garden in the centre of the market.

Hofgarten and Englischer Garten

Pass through the Hofgarten on your way to the MUCH larger Englischer Garten.

The Englishcher Garten is a massive park – it is larger than both Central Park and Hyde Park. Make sure to check out it’s main attraction, the Eisbachwelle, an artificial wave in a man-made river that runs through the park. For decades, it has been a popular surf spot!

Head over to the Chinese Tower (Chinesischer Turm) for a cafeteria-style dinner in the beer garden.

Some additional Munich sites to visit are:

• BMW Museum
• Olympiapark
• Deutsches Museum
• Allianz Arena
• Hellabrunn Zoo
• Olympiaturm

I hope you enjoyed this 2-day itinerary for Munich!

To read my blog post, “What and Where to Eat in Munich,” click here.