Free Salem Walking Tour:
Walking Tour Location: Old Town Munich (Altstadt)
Cost: Free, Self-Guided (Museum and sight costs below)
Style: Do-It-Yourself Walking Tour (Self Guided)
Start: Karlsplatz Stachus Square & Metro Stop
End: Hofbräuhaus Beer Hall & Restaurant
Walking Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 90 Minutes for Walk (Full tour 6+ hours with all stops)
Fun Scale: 9.5 out of 10
Munich’s compact Old Town is one of our favorite places to walk in Europe. Primarily geared toward pedestrians, the neighborhood truly is where old meets new and is a perfect setting for a free walking tour. Originally surrounded by a series of Medieval walls, you still enter Old Town Munich through the mighty city gates. Once inside you’ll experience great shopping mixed in with historic beers halls, amazing museums, and even a royal palace. The Bavarian atmosphere is very predominate everywhere you turn which adds to the fun of our free Munich walking tour.
To help you maximize your time in this wonderful city we have put together the perfect self-guided walking tour of Old Town for you. We go to Munich often, and this walking tour will make sure you hit up all the must-see attractions along with a couple of hidden gems. Enjoy our free Munich walking tour map!
Historical Overview of Old Town:
Settled by Benedictine Monks in the 700s, Old Town Munich is full of rich history. While Munich (München) means “by the monks”, you’ll see a lot of Lion Statues on this Old Town Munich walking tour because it was officially founded in 1158 by Henry the Lion. Early-day Munich was less than 1 square mile centered on Market Square and was surrounded by a gated Medieval wall.
As a growing trading power, Old Town Munich tripled in size by the 1300s and was surrounded by a larger wall with a wide moat to protect the booming city. The expansion of Old Town was largely fueled by Munich’s Wittelsbach family who took over ruling Bavaria in 1180 and quickly moved the capital from Regensburg to Munich. The powerful family formed an imperial dynasty through the year 1918 and even produced multiple Holy Roman Emperors along the way. Old Town Munich quickly became known around Europe for its museums, its beauty, and of course its festive beer halls.
Dark days came upon Munich after Hitler helped form the Nazi Party here starting in 1919 which eventually led to Old Town being heavily bombed in World War 2. Luckily as the new modern Munich rose out of the ashes, many of the historic sights were persevered or rebuilt. Today, Old Town Munich has a ton of great attractions and an unbeatable atmosphere to keep you coming back again and again. The sights on this free Munich walking tour will help you experience true Bavarian charm as you fall in love with Munich.
1. Karl’s Square – Stachus (Karlsplatz):
About Karlsplatz: We love to start our free Munich walking tour by entering
2. Citizen’s Hall Church (Bürgersaalkirche):
About Karlsplatz: We love to start our free Munich walking tour by entering
Other Sights Near Central Salem:
28. English Garden Walking Tour:
About Karlsplatz: We love to start our free Munich walking tour by entering