The 14 best things to do in Munich

Dating back over 200 years, open-air food market Viktualienmarkt offers a handy (and relatively inexpensive) pit stop if you’re exploring Munich’s historic centre. Some 100 stalls offer a wide range of German and international delights from Monday through Saturday. You’ll find barrels of pickles, cheeses from around Europe and locally roasted coffee, as well as more recent additions such as the FIRST8 Kombucha stand and the newest branch of Munich-based deli Coucou Food Market. Come hungry!

🤫 Insider tip: This market isn’t just for lovely sunny days. In late November and December, it hosts an annual Christmas Market, Alpenwahn, complete with carols, home-made cards and gifts and lashings of glühwein. 

Surfing seems an unlikely sight in a landlocked city – but watching surfers master the main wave in the Eisbach (‘ice brook’) has become a pastime for locals and visitors alike. Special boards and skills are needed for this cold-water sport, which was banned until 2010 and now draws brave professional and semi-professional athletes in wetsuits all year round. Unlike ocean surfing, there’s no paddling to catch the wave, which is artificially created on a concrete break. This means surfers must be ready to ride as soon as they hit the water. Fall and their turn is over. 

🤫 Insider tip: Things can get a little weird here in summer, so be prepared to see a local or two surf completely naked. Obviously, that’s not a photo opp – remain respectful!

Many of Munich’s museums reduce their admission fee to one euro on Sundays. This includes the Pinakotheken, the Bavarian National Museum, the Egyptian Museum and the Museum of Man and Nature. Other money-saving options to look out for include the free evening entry to the Lenbachhaus on the first Thursday of the month and free evening entry to Haus der Kunst on the last Friday of every month. 

🤫 Insider tip: A lot of these museums are located in the heart of the lively student district, Maxvorstadt. For a break in between museums, head to Türkenstraße or Schellingstraße for a great selection of cafes and restaurants.

📍 Discover more of the coolest neighbourhoods in Munich

Munich is home to some of the most revered galleries in Germany, such as the Neue Pinakothek and Haus der Kunst, but try this former health department building for something a little different. Since 2021, Kunstlabor 2 has been coordinated by the owners of MUCA (the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art) and hosts artists from around the world who use the space as studios. It’s open to the public at weekends, while the stylish AMARi Kantine & Bar on the ground floor is open Tuesday through Sunday. Swing by to try their small plates and signature drinks.  

Gentrification is well underway in the once-edgy beating heart of Munich’s LGBTQ+ scene. The vibrant Glockenbachviertel remains one of Munich’s prettiest districts, brimming with chic boutiques, cosy cafes and buzzing bars. Tushita tea house on Klenzestrasse makes a cup of tea a spiritual affair with its assortment of 150 traditionally prepared blends and collection of kettles, teapots, cups, bowls, plus just about everything else in the tea arena (they also have a daily-changing vegan menu and excellent homemade cakes). Summer draws locals and visitors alike to the terrace of the Flushing Meadows Bar on the fourth floor of the hotel of the same name, where artisanal cocktails come with sweeping views of the city.

Often dubbed the beer captial of the world, a trip to Munich wouldn’t be complete without a glug of that boozy nectar. Visit the best beer halls, breweries and local eateries at one of these top tours across the city.

💡 Editor’s tip: Some of these tours include a guided tour of the Oktoberfest Museum year-round, which is well worth it for some very fun history. 

Built for the 1972 games, the Olympiapark is well worth a visit with several attractions, lots of green space, a hill offering fantastic views and a beer garden or two. On the northern end you’ll find the former women’s Olympic village. The blocky bungalows here, most of which were rebuilt in 2007, are now much sought-after student accommodation. With the tenant of each given creative control of the exterior, you’ll find a sea of colourful and ever-changing paintings, a number influenced by pop culture – don’t miss the flat with a ‘Central Perk’ theme. 

There aren’t many places in the world where beer for breakfast is practically mandatory. To enjoy the full experience of Weisswurst, a pale and tender Bavarian sausage in which minced veal, pork and seasonings are crammed into pork casings, head to Schneider Bräuhaus, and pair your meat with a pillowy-soft Brezn (pretzel) and a glass of Weissbier (wheat beer). Best dunked in süßer Senf (sweet mustard), the sausages are traditionally made fresh and not eaten after midday, meaning you won’t find the locals ordering them in the afternoon. Follow suit if you want to blend in.

📍 Discover more of the best restaurants in Munich

In the inner courtyard of an office building, a spiral steel staircase reaches up into the sky – only to return to earth again. A study of movement without purpose by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, ‘Umschreibung’ is a sculpture comprising two spiral staircases merging to create a double helix. You’ll find it at Ganghoferstrasse 29. Worth a look, if only to admire the engineering required to balance the structure on a single point.

Bageri is probably one of the city’s smallest and most unusual bakeries. Since summer 2023, a talented team has been making focaccia and cardamon buns in the confines of an old shipping container. All the products are available to go and best enjoyed with a coffee – yes, they found space for an espresso machine too. Look for somewhere to perch outside and take in the surroundings, which include more shipping containers and an abundance of street art – all part of an alternative cultural centre known as Bahnwärter Thiel.  

Insider tip: Not far away you’ll find Alte Utting, a decommissioned boat sitting on a railway bridge. The buzzy spot has a bar and several places serving food – and has to be seen to be believed!