Suggested Itineraries for Munich:
Suggested Stay: 3-4 Full Days
Oktoberfest Changes: Obviously the sample itineraries for Munich listed below would change to be heavy on Oktoberfest if you are visiting during the end of September. Make sure to read our complete Oktoberfest guide to help plan your visit. Table reservation for Oktoberfest can be super hard to get, so you may want to visit during the week of instead of the packed weekends. You will also want to plan ahead and have a hotel reserved as early as 6-8 months in advance as the prices will skyrocket and rooms will sell out.
Related Article: Top 10 Things To Do In Munich
Helpful Tip: Best Places To Stay In Munich
Planning Your Time:
Overall, itineraries for Munich can differ greatly so here are our suggestions to make sure you can fit all of the best experiences into your schedule. We often get asked “what is there to do in Munich in two days?”, and the answer really depends on how much you are willing to plan out your time. Three to four days is the minimum amount of time you need to truly see all of the main sights around Munich, but you can still do a lot with a well planned 1-2 day itinerary as seen below. We suggest staying 4 full days if you can as we like to take a side trip from Munich while visiting town and we also usually need plenty of time to sleep off Bavarian beer hall hangovers. Regardless of how long your visit is we know you’ll love this amazing city and enjoy our suggested itineraries for Munich!
One Day In Munich:
If you only have one full day in Munich you really should center your itinerary in and around Munich’s historic Old Town (Altstadt). If you start this suggested itinerary for Munich early you will be able to see all of our Old Town Walking Tour sights including a full visit to the Munich Residenz. Victuals Market (Closed Sundays) is a good place to grab lunch during while following our walking tour, although there are also options near Old Town Square.
In the afternoon you will have time to wander through the Southern half of our English Garden Walking Tour including the River Surfing and Chinese Tower Beer Garden. The outdoor beer garden is self-service with many food options, has over 6,000 seats, and is centered on a 6 story tall gazebo. After relaxing in the English Garden, spend your evening with dinner and drinks at the famous Hofbräuhaus Beer Hall for a truly German experience; it’s amazing. From our own experience, this suggested itinerary is the best way to spend 24 hours in Munich.
•Day 1: Morning Old Town Walking Tour with full Munich Residenz tour. Lunch at Victuals Market. Afternoon English Garden Walking Tour. Evening dinner and drinks at the Hofbräuhaus.
Morning Old Town Walking Tour with full Munich Residenz tour.
Afternoon English Garden Walking Tour.
Evening dinner and drinks at the Hofbräuhaus.
Two Days In Munich:
There is a TON you can accomplish with 2 days in Munich, but you’ll need to choose what to do wisely! Even with just 48 hours in Munich, it really starts to open your itinerary options up as you can use your 2nd day to pop out to the amazing Neuschwanstein Castle. The Castle is considered the greatest fairy tale castle in all of Europe and is our favorite castle to visit in the entire World. If this Alpine castle looks familiar that may because it inspired Walt Disney to design his iconic theme park castle.
You need to book your Neuschwanstein Castle tour time at least 3 days in advance, but the train ticket with the Bayern Pass you can get the same day. We suggest leaving early to make the itinerary more flexibility but don’t worry you can always take a nap on the train if needed. Depending on your preferences you can swap Neuschwanstein Castle one of our other day trips or more time in Munich. In the other suggested itineraries for Munich listed below, we list more options, but we feel this is the best way to maximize the fun for two days in Munich. End night two at for dinner and drinks at the Augustiner Beer Garden which is the favorite of locals and sits just north of the train station.
•Day 1: Morning Old Town Munich Walking Tour with Lunch at Victuals Market or Old Town Square. Afternoon English Garden Tour. Dinner & drinks at the Hofbräuhaus.
•Day 2: Day trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle (2 hour train). Evening at Augustiner Beer Garden.
Day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.
Day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.
Evening at Augustiner Beer Hall & Garden.
Three Days In Munich:
If you can stay at least 3 days in Munich you will start to really fall in love with the city. The best thing that a 3-day itinerary for Munich does is lets you see Old Town at a slower pace on day 1 so you can really investigate the museums in a little better depth. Our favorite museum in Old Town is the Munich Royal Residence (Residenz) which was built as a small castle in 1385, was expanded over the centuries into a sprawling palace, and remained the royal residence until 1918. The ornate rooms, portrait galleries, elegant theater, and the impressive treasury of the Munich Residenz deserve half of a day’s attention. Ending your 1st day in Munich at the lively Hofbrauhaus is always a must.
Just like our 2-day suggested itinerary for Munich, you’ll get a full day at Neuschwanstein Castle, but will also be able fit in a visit to the historic Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial on your last morning. With 3 days to work with we also like to split up our Old Town and English Garden walking tours on separate days to help make it feel more relaxed. After watching some river surfing, relaxing in the park, and grabbing a laid-back drink at the Chinese Tower Beer Garden, get your final dinner in Munich at the Baker’s Mill Restaurant (Pfistermühle). Dating back to 1573, the restaurant was originally the grain mill for the Duke of Munich, and today is beautifully covered in vines. The Baker’s Mill is also very close to the Hofbräuhaus if you are looking to re-visit it once last time for a nightcap.
•Day 1: Morning Old Town Munich Walk with lunch and shopping time. Afternoon a full Munich Residenz tour. Evening at the Hofbräuhaus for dinner, drinks, and music.
•Day 2: Day trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle (2-hour train). Dinner and drinks at the Augustiner Beer Hall & Garden.
•Day 3: Morning take a short side trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp. Afternoon English Garden Walking Tour with Chinese Tower Beer Garden. Dinner at the Baker’s Mill Restaurant (Pfistermühle) and a nightcap at Hofbräuhaus.
Side trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp.
Afternoon English Garden Walking Tour with time to relax.
After visiting the Chinese Tower Beer Garden, dinner at the Baker’s Mill Restaurant (Pfistermühle).
Four Days In Munich:
Four days in Munich is really the perfect amount of time to spend here as your days will be full, but you’ll still be left with a strong desire to return again someday. This longer 4 day suggested itinerary for Munich will let you see the highlights of Old Town and the surrounding area without getting burnt out. It will also give you a little flexibility in your schedule a to sleep in one morning if needed after drinking one too many strong Bavarian beers the night before.
With 4 days to work with, we like to use the 3rd day as a float day where you can see some of the other sights around the edges of Munich. If you are feeling really energetic you easily pop on a morning train to either Salzburg or Berchtesgaden for an extra day trip from Munich while napping on the train on the way. The Bayern Regional Train Pass covers your round-trip travel for a group really cheap to either place making it very tempting if you are up for it. Other popular day trips as fillers are Zugspitze Peak and Rothenburg, although we like to stay overnight while visiting Rothenburg as it’s more romantic when the hoards of tourist leave in the evening.
Day 4 will pretty much carry over from our 3-day suggested itinerary for Munich. This final day will let you visit the Dachau Memorial Camp, stroll through the English Garden sights, and get an excellent final dinner at the historic Baker’s Mill Restaurant.
•Day 1: Old Town Munich Walking Tour with Residenz tour during the day. Hofbräuhaus for dinner and drinks at night.
•Day 2: Side trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle (2-hour train). Evening at Augustiner Beer Garden.
•Day 3: Morning visit to Nymphenburg Palace followed by the Pinakothek Museums in the afternoon. Also consider the BMW factory & the Olympic Park Area.
•Alternative Day 3: Day trip from Munich to Salzburg (90-minute train) or Zugspitze Peak (2 hours away).
•Day 4: A short side trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp. Afternoon English Garden Walking Tour with Chinese Tower Beer Garden. Dinner at the Baker’s Mill Restaurant (Pfistermühle).
Five Days In Munich:
What is there to do in Munich over 5 full days and how can I fill my time? If you have 5 full days in Munich you can pretty much fit all of the major things to do into your itinerary without feeling rushed. Much of our 5-day plan follows the outline of the shorter sample itineraries for Munich listed above, but with the added option to fit in a 2nd potential day trip.
Depending on your travel plans before or after Munich, you may want to strongly consider staying overnight in either Salzburg or Rothenberg on the 3rd or 4th night to give yourself two trips in one. After your mid-trip overnight stay, you’ll then be able to return to Munich with plenty of time to re-visit any of our suggested walking tour sights you may have had to rush days earlier. The 5th day will also give you a chance to tour some of the great sights on the edges of Munich that many tourists overlook like the Nymphenburg Palace, the Pinakothek Museums, the BMW factory, and the Olympic Park Area.
•Day 1: Old Town Walk with full Residenz tour during the day. Dinner at the Hofbräuhaus.
•Day 2: Neuschwanstein Castle day trip (22-hour train). Evening at Augustiner Beer Garden.
•Day 3: Dachau Concentration Camp & the English Garden
•Day 4: Day trip from Munich to Salzburg (90 minute train), Berchtesgaden (2.5 hour train), -or- Rothenburg (2.5 hour train). Possible overnight stay.
•Day 5: Visit Nymphenburg Palace and your choice of Other Munich Sights. Revisit anything to missed from our walking tours.
Top 10 Things To Do In Munich:
1. Attend Oktoberfest
2. Beer Gardens & Hofbräuhaus
3. Explore Old Town Munich
4. Old Town Square
5. English Garden Walking Tour
Read More: Top 10 Things To Do In Munich
