Get the appSign inSign up
Trip ideas  /  Europe  /  Germany  /  Munich, Bavaria  /  3-day itinerary
Archie
Celebration
Munich, Bavaria: 3 days in MunichPhoto: GraphyArchy, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Celebration ToastTrip idea · Munich, Bavaria

3 days in Munich

The 6-day plan, rearranged for 3 days: the best-ranked places stay, and each day keeps to one part of town.

3 daysAnyoneLate September12 places
Copy this plan to your own trips, then change anything you like.
Munich
Photo: Wilfredor, CC0 on Wikimedia Commons
Munich
Photo: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
How many days?Pick yours and the plan rearranges.
Rearranged from the 6 day plan. See it as written

Best time to go

May to October are the most comfortable months for walking around.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Arrival day

Before Day 1. The old town is small and walkable, so you can start with a stroll and an early table.Details
From the airport
The airport lies outside the city. A suburban train line runs from it to the main station and the center, and a taxi is the other choice. Plan for a trip of some length and do not count on a short hop.
Getting around
The old town is a walk of a few streets. For the rest, trams, the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn cover the city. Check how to buy and stamp a ticket before you ride, because the rules differ for single and day tickets.
The Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest runs for a few weeks around late September to early October. Dates and rules change from year to year, so check ahead, and book a room and any table early if your trip falls in those weeks.
First evening
Walk to Marienplatz while the lights come on, then find a long table somewhere with a pretzel and a cold drink. Day 1 begins on the same square.

Day 1. The English Garden and the Eisbach and the Isar side and Gaertnerplatz

6 stops · 9.0 km

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

  1. 1
    MorningPick your rooms

    Residenz

    The former palace of the rulers of Bavaria, a huge complex of courtyards, halls and rooms in the middle of the city. Choose the parts that interest you, because it is too big to see in one visit.

    Go when Morning, when the palace is quietest.

    Local tip Walk through a courtyard or two even if you do not go inside, and check ahead for which parts you can visit.

    Residenz, Munich
    Photo: Bayreuth2009, CC BY 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 8 min walk0.7 km
  2. 2
    MorningWorth a short look

    Eisbach Wave

    A standing wave on a small river at the edge of the English Garden, where surfers take turns all year round. It is for skilled surfers, so watch from the bridge or the bank.

    Go when Morning or midday, when the surfers take turns.

    Local tip Watch from the bridge or the bank. Only skilled surfers should enter the water, because the current is strong and the riverbed is hard.

    Eisbach Wave, Munich
    Photo: Harald Süpfle, CC BY-SA 2.5 on Wikimedia Commons
  3. Lunch

    A picnic for the English Garden

    Cold cuts, cheese, a soft pretzel, pickles and a bottle of something cold from a shop on the way. Spread it out on a meadow or at a bench.

    Local tip Bring a light blanket and carry your rubbish out.

    About 15 min walk1.2 km
  4. 3
    MiddayA lunch stop

    Viktualienmarkt

    A food market in the middle of the old town, with stalls of cheese, sausage, fruit, flowers and bread, and a beer garden among the trees. Walk the rows once before you choose.

    Go when Late morning, when the stalls are full and the tables are still free.

    Local tip Buy a pretzel, some cheese and a radish at the stalls and carry it to the beer garden tables. In many traditional beer gardens you may bring your own food, but look for the sign.

    Viktualienmarkt, Munich
    Photo: Shootzurich, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 9 min by car or transit2.1 km
  5. 4
    AfternoonWorth the time

    English Garden

    A huge park of meadows, streams and woods in the middle of the city. Walk up to the small round temple on the hill for a view back over the roofs and towers.

    Go when Late afternoon, around sunset (about 7:27 PM), up on the hill by the little temple.

    Local tip Walk toward the temple on the hill for the wide view back over the city, then drift down toward the tower. Wear shoes for grass.

    English Garden, Munich
    Photo: Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 9 min by car or transit2.4 km
  6. 5
    AfternoonPick your sections

    Deutsches Museum

    One of the largest science and technology museums in the world, on an island in the Isar. Choose two or three sections, such as ships, mining or music, and let the rest go.

    Go when Midday to afternoon, on a rainy day if you can.

    Local tip It is vast, so choose two or three sections and stop when you are full. The ships and the music rooms are good picks for a mixed group.

    Deutsches Museum, Munich
    Photo: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 10 min by car or transit2.6 km
  7. 6
    EveningWorth the time

    Chinese Tower

    A wooden pagoda in the park, ringed by a big beer garden with long tables under old chestnut trees. A beer garden is a Bavarian tradition, and a slow afternoon here is part of the trip.

    Go when Afternoon, then stay through the evening.

    Local tip Choose a long table under the chestnut trees and share it. If you bring a picnic, look for the sign that says whether own food is allowed.

    Chinese Tower, Munich
    Photo: Diliff, CC BY 2.5 on Wikimedia Commons
  8. Dinner

    Dinner under the chestnut trees

    A beer garden evening: a long table under old trees, a half roast chicken or a grilled fish on a stick, a pretzel, and a drink in a heavy glass. Stay until the light goes.

    Local tip Find a free table first, then queue for the food and the drinks. Keep the glass and return it when you finish.

If it rains. Residenz and Deutsches Museum are covered, so keep them. Move Eisbach Wave, Viktualienmarkt, English Garden and Chinese Tower to a dry day if you can.

Day 2. The old town and Nymphenburg and the Olympic park

5 stops · 14.2 km

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

  1. 1
    MorningWorth the time

    Marienplatz

    The main square of the old town, with the tall neo-Gothic New Town Hall on one side. Look up at the Glockenspiel in the tower, a clock with moving figures that plays a few times a day.

    Go when Morning, before the square fills, or in the evening when the lights come on.

    Local tip The Glockenspiel in the tower plays a few times a day, so check ahead for the times. Stand in the middle of the square and look up, not at the shop windows.

    Marienplatz, Munich
    Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 2 min walk0.2 km
  2. 2
    MorningWorth a short visit

    Frauenkirche

    The cathedral with two round-topped towers that mark the skyline of Munich. Step inside, then look back at the towers from the street.

    Go when Morning, right after Marienplatz.

    Local tip Just inside the door there is a dark mark in the floor that legend calls the devil's footprint. Stand there and look at the nave.

    Frauenkirche, Munich
    Photo: Diliff, CC BY 2.5 on Wikimedia Commons
  3. Lunch

    Obatzda, radish and fresh bread

    Obatzda is a soft cheese spread mixed with butter, onion and paprika, eaten with pretzels and thin-sliced radish. A beer garden lunch from the market stalls.

    Local tip Ask for the spread with a pretzel, and share a plate of cold cuts.

    Obatzda, radish and fresh bread
    Photo: Rainer Z ..., CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 16 min by car or transit5.7 km
  4. 3
    MorningWorth the time

    Nymphenburg Palace

    The summer palace of the rulers of Bavaria, with a long baroque front, canals and a large park behind it. Walk the garden paths toward the pavilions in the trees.

    Go when Morning, before the park fills up.

    Local tip Walk through the palace front, then spend longer in the park behind it. The canal and the pavilions in the trees are the quiet part.

    Nymphenburg Palace, Munich
    Photo: 2014_Olympiastadion_Munic…, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 14 min by car or transit5.1 km
  5. 4
    AfternoonPick your rooms

    Alte Pinakothek

    A great museum of European painting from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century. Choose a few rooms and give them time.

    Go when Afternoon, then leave before you are tired.

    Local tip Choose a handful of paintings you want to see and stay with them. Standing before ten is better than rushing past a hundred.

    Alte Pinakothek, Munich
    Photo: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
    About 11 min by car or transit3.2 km
  6. 5
    AfternoonWorth the time

    Olympiapark

    The park built for the Olympic Games of 1972, with a lake, a hill made from rubble and a roof like a stretched tent. Walk to the top of the hill for the view.

    Go when Afternoon, with a walk up the hill.

    Local tip Walk to the top of the grassy hill for the view of the roof and the tower. It is an easy climb on a path.

  7. Dinner

    A grilled fish on a stick

    Steckerlfisch is a whole mackerel or trout grilled over wood on a stick, a Bavarian beer garden favorite. Eat it with your hands on a sheet of paper.

    Local tip Ask for a bit of horseradish on the side, and wash your hands after.

    A grilled fish on a stick
    Photo: www.elbpresse.de, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
If it rains. Frauenkirche, Nymphenburg Palace and Alte Pinakothek are covered, so keep them. Move Marienplatz and Olympiapark to a dry day if you can.

Day 3. The castles near Fuessen

1 stop · 91.0 km

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

  1. Drive from OlympiaparkAbout 1 h 27 min by car91.0 km
    Where Day 2 ended.
  2. 1
    MorningWorth the time

    Neuschwanstein Castle

    The fairy-tale castle that King Ludwig II built on a ridge in the nineteenth century. The inside is seen on a guided tour with set times, so check ahead for tickets.

    Go when Morning, with a booked time.

    Local tip Check ahead for tickets, because the inside is seen on a guided tour with set times. The way up is a steep walk, with other ways available. Check ahead for which are running.

    Neuschwanstein Castle, Munich
    Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw…, CC BY-SA 3.0 de on Wikimedia Commons
If it rains. Everything today is indoors, so rain does not change the plan.

Departure day

After the last day. Plan the way to the airport the night before and the morning stays calm.Details
Check-out
After a late night, leave time for a slow breakfast of weisswurst and a pretzel, then ask whether the hotel can keep your luggage for the afternoon.
To the airport
The suburban train to the airport is the steady choice. Check ahead for planned works on the line, which can change the route or the time, and leave a generous margin before a flight.
If you have a few hours
Take a last walk through the Hofgarten or along the Isar, buy a pretzel for the road, and go.

Questions people ask

When is the best time to visit Munich?

By average weather from 2021 to 2025, May to October are the most comfortable months for walking around Munich. This plan is built for late September, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.

How many days does this plan cover?

It covers 3 days in Munich, planned for late September. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.

Who is this plan for?

It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.

Is anything on this plan booked?

No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.

Can I plan my own days like this?

Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.

Can I change this plan?

Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.

How much walking is there?

Each day has about 9.0 to 14.2 kilometers between its stops, and 23.2 kilometers in all across 3 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.

Keep exploring

Nearby trips

More like this

More Celebration trips ›More trips in Germany ›

More guides to Munich

Other guides with a page about Munich. Each one opens in a new tab.

Photo: Bayreuth2009, CC BY 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw…, CC BY-SA 3.0 de on Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Harald Süpfle, CC BY-SA 2.5 on Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Shootzurich, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons

Make this plan yours

Make it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.

A trip idea · Updated October 2026

Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.