How many days do you need in Munich?

1. 1Altstadt & MarienplatzGlockenspiel at 11:00, Alter Peter view1 day
2. 2Residenz & English Gardenhalf-day palace, beer garden evening1 day
3. 3Nymphenburg or Deutsches Museum1 day
4. 4Neuschwansteinabout 2 hours to Füssen; book the timed tour1 day
5. 5Salzburg or Dachau MemorialSalzburg about 1.5 to 2 hours by train1 day

The short answer by trip length

• 1 day: Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel, the view from Alter Peter, the Frauenkirche, Viktualienmarkt and an evening in a beer hall.

• 2 days: add the Residenz and the English Garden. This is the core of our Munich guide.

• 3 days: the right length for the city alone, with time for Nymphenburg Palace or the Deutsches Museum.

• 4 days: add one day trip, usually Neuschwanstein.

• 5 days: what we had. Add Salzburg or the Dachau memorial as a second day trip. See day trips from Munich.

The old town is small: Marienplatz to the Residenz is about 5 minutes on foot, and the English Garden starts just beyond it. That is why the city needs fewer days than its reputation suggests, and why the day trips decide your total.

Day by day: 5 days in Munich

Day 1, the Altstadt. Be on Marienplatz at 11:00 for the Glockenspiel in the Neues Rathaus tower; it plays at 11:00 and 12:00 every day, and at 17:00 from March to October. Then climb the tower of St. Peter's (Alter Peter) for the classic view across the square to the Frauenkirche's two domes. Walk to the Frauenkirche, back through Viktualienmarkt for lunch, and finish at a beer hall such as the Hofbräuhaus.

Day 2, the Residenz and the English Garden. The Residenz, the Wittelsbach palace, is an easy half-day: the vaulted Antiquarium, the gilded Ahnengalerie and the Schatzkammer treasury. Leave through the Hofgarten and walk north into the English Garden for a beer garden under the chestnuts at the Chinese Tower.

Day 3, Nymphenburg or the museums. Nymphenburg Palace, the summer residence west of the center, with its long canal and park, or the Deutsches Museum on its island in the Isar. In the evening, try a different beer garden; our what to eat in Munich covers Weisswurst, Schweinshaxe and what to order with them.

Day 4, Neuschwanstein. Regional trains to Füssen take about 2 hours, then a local bus runs to Hohenschwangau below the castle. Castle entry is by timed guided tour of about 30 minutes; the 2026 ticket is €21 (≈ $23), plus a booking fee online. Book on the official Hohenschwangau ticket site well ahead, because only a small number of same-day tickets are sold on site and the morning slots go first.

Day 5, Salzburg or Dachau. Salzburg is about 1.5 to 2 hours by direct train. Or visit the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, open daily 09:00 to 17:00 with free admission, by S-Bahn to Dachau and a local bus to the memorial; give it at least half a day.

For these day trips, price out the Bayern-Ticket: unlimited regional trains in Bavaria for a day, €34 (≈ $38) for one person plus €10 (≈ $11.1) per extra traveler, valid from 9:00 on weekdays. Our Deutschlandticket guide compares it with the monthly pass.

Only room for one day trip? Choose Neuschwanstein if the fairytale castle is the reason you came, and accept a long day: about 2 hours each way plus the bus, the walk up and a fixed tour slot. Choose Salzburg if you would rather have an unhurried old town, the fortress and the river, with no ticket to time around. Both are about two hours out, so whichever you skip is a good reason to stay a fifth night.

Where Munich fits in a wider route

Our Germany leg ran north to south: Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt (with a day in Heidelberg), Würzburg, a night in Ulm, then 5 days in Munich, and from Munich we went on to Verona. That order works because each step is short. Ulm is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Munich by train and Würzburg about 2 hours; see our Ulm guide, Würzburg guide and Würzburg day trip guide.

Munich is also the gateway to northern Italy over the Brenner Pass. Direct trains to Verona take about 5.5 hours, so it is a travel day, not a day trip. Our how many days in Verona and Italy itinerary pick up from there.

For a base, our where to stay in Munich compares the Altstadt, Maxvorstadt, Schwabing and the streets around the Hauptbahnhof, which suit early day-trip trains.

When to go to Munich

Late May through September is beer garden season, with long evenings outside; we were there in late July. Oktoberfest runs from mid-September to early October (19 September to 4 October in 2026), and accommodation prices and availability change completely in those weeks, so either plan the trip around it or avoid it.

The Christmas market on Marienplatz is the other peak: in 2026 it runs from 20 November to 24 December, closed on Sunday 22 November. Our German Christmas markets guide has the dates for Munich and the other cities on our route.

Common mistakes

• Turning up at Neuschwanstein without a ticket. In summer the same-day allocation can be gone by mid-morning. Book the timed tour first, then the train.

• Trying to do Neuschwanstein and Salzburg on the same day. They are in different directions from Munich. One day each.

• Spending a whole day on Marienplatz. The Glockenspiel takes about 15 minutes; pair the square with Alter Peter, the Frauenkirche and Viktualienmarkt, then move on.

• Ignoring local manners. Cash still matters in some beer gardens, and tipping works differently; see tipping in Germany and what is considered rude in Germany.

Frequently asked questions