5 Days in Munich
Now Go See It is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
We used Munich as a jumping-off point for exploring the southern portion of Germany’s Bavarian region with a day across the border to Salzburg, Austria.
Five Days in Munich Itinerary: (Jump to)
See the Glockenspiel
Climb to the top of St. Peter’s
Shop the famous Outdoor Market
Dinner at Ratskeller
Harburg Castle
Rothenburg
Visit a Beer Garden and Hall
See the Munich Residenz
Visit Nymphenburg Palace
Relax at the Olympiapark
Day 1 - Arrival to Munich
After an overnight stopover at the wonderful and underrated city of Stuttgart, we landed at the München Central Station in the late afternoon.
We decided to head straight for the heart of the city, Marienplatz. The town square is surrounded by the most famous buildings in town.
See the Glockenspiel
The New Town Hall and The Old Town Hall flank the square. Look up at the neo-Gothic architecture while you wait for the century-old Glockenspiel to spin and ring its bells to tell a story from German history. It runs at least twice daily with more shows in the summer.
Climb to the top of St. Peter’s
For a few Euros, you can take the steep staircase climb to the top of St. Peter’s Church Tower. The entrance is directly opposite the Glockenspiel on the backside of the church. From the top, you will get a wonderful view of the city’s many tall iconic towers.
Shop the famous Outdoor Market
The Victuals Market is located a few feet away. This is where you want to collect your souvenirs from the trip. There’s plenty to taste and try in the market too. If you’re here for the food, take the time to eat a few pretzels and dip a sausage into the best mustard on the planet.
Just don’t eat too much, because you’ll want to save room for…
Dinner at Ratskeller
Ratskeller is a restaurant housed in the basement of Munich's New Town Hall. It’s a huge place, so we had no problem getting same-day reservations for dinner.
Inside you’ll find a huge menu of German specialties and an even huger menu of German beers. The joke about bottled water being more expensive than beer in Germany is true!
Day 2 - Day Trip to Neuschwanstein
Up early for the first train to Neuschwanstein, the castle of all your dreams.
Read all about the day trip here.
Day 3 - Romantic Road
We were without a car during our visit, relying completely on public transportation. We wanted to take a trip on the famous Romantic Road but were having trouble navigating a route on our own.
We decided to book a trip on our partner Viator.
See Harburg Castle
The trip included a stop at the amazing Harburg Castle. (Read about it here).
See Rothenburg
We continued on the bus tour with a stop in Rothenburg, the most picturesque of all the Romantic Road stops. It’s the Bavaria from your expectations. (Read about it here).
The tour gave us almost three hours to explore the city on our own, which was plenty of time to sift through the many unique gift shops, have some lunch at a cute German cafe, and walk the old city walls.
The tour got us back into central Munich with plenty of time to…
Visit a Beer Garden and Hall
We picked the Augustiner-Keller Beer Garden and Hall. It was simply amazing. The dimly lit hall was filled with locals enjoying food and the camaraderie that comes with a communal dining experience.
Day 4 - Train trip to Salzburg
It’s so easy to take a day in the Austrian city just over the border. Read our itinerary from the day here.
Day 5 - Munich Tour
I don’t know how it happened, but here we are on our last day in Munich. We have to pack in the last few sights before getting back on the plane home. We woke up early for some culture.
See the Munich Residenz
The former royal palace does not skimp on size. The 130-room palace is filled with beautiful art and architecture.
Don’t miss The Hall of Antiquities.
Visit Nymphenburg Palace
The 17th-century palace is on the western side of town, but it's easy to get to on public transportation. The gardens and water features are remarkable.
Relax at the Olympiapark
Built for the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Olympiapark is a vast open green space. It’s the perfect spot for a lunch in the park. We had some delicious currywurst from a street vendor.
While there, you can choose to go up the Olympiaturm tower or take an easy walk around the lake via a paved path.
We packed in a ton of stuff in just five days. Munich has left us wanting more.
As we board the plane, with mustard and sausages for our friends back home, we reflect on our amazing German adventure.
This is part of our Two Week Germany Itinerary.
