What is a good 5-day Munich itinerary?

1. 1Altstadt & MarienplatzGlockenspiel at 11:00, Alter Peter, Viktualienmarkt1 day
2. 2Residenz & English Gardenpalace morning, beer garden afternoon1 day
3. 3Nymphenburg or Deutsches Museum1 day
4. 4Neuschwansteinabout 2 to 2.5 hours to Füssen; book the timed tour1 day
5. 5Salzburg or the ZugspitzeSalzburg about 1.5 hours by Railjet; Zugspitze on a clear day1 day

The 5 days at a glance

• Day 1, the Altstadt: Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel, the view from Alter Peter, the Frauenkirche, Viktualienmarkt, a beer hall.

• Day 2, the Residenz and the English Garden: the palace in the morning, the Hofgarten and a beer garden in the afternoon.

• Day 3, Nymphenburg or the Deutsches Museum: the summer palace and its park, or the science museum on the Isar.

• Day 4, Neuschwanstein: about 2 to 2.5 hours to Füssen by regional train, then a bus. Timed tour tickets.

• Day 5, Salzburg or the Zugspitze: Salzburg's baroque old town about 1.5 hours away, or Germany's highest mountain via Garmisch-Partenkirchen on a clear day.

Put the two day trips on days 4 and 5 only if the forecast is kind. Swap a city day in if the Zugspitze is in cloud or rain is forecast for the castle walk. Our how many days in Munich guide has shorter versions of this plan.

Day 1: the Altstadt

Be on Marienplatz before 11:00, when the Glockenspiel in the Neues Rathaus tower plays its jousting tournament and coopers' dance; it plays again at noon. Then climb the tower of St. Peter's (Alter Peter) just off the square, rather than the cathedral, for the classic view back over the Neues Rathaus to the Frauenkirche's two green onion domes. Our Munich guide has the detail.

Walk to the Frauenkirche, then back through Viktualienmarkt, the open-air food market, for lunch. Spend the afternoon on the old-town streets around Sendlinger Tor and the Asamkirche, and finish at a beer hall such as the Hofbräuhaus. Order Weisswurst before noon and Schweinshaxe in the evening; our what to eat in Munich guide explains the rules.

Day 2: the Residenz and the English Garden

The Residenz, the palace of Bavaria's Wittelsbach rulers for over 400 years, is an easy half-day. The highlights are the Antiquarium, a barrel-vaulted Renaissance hall over 60 metres long lined with busts of Roman emperors, the gilded Ahnengalerie portrait gallery, and the Schatzkammer treasury with its crowns and reliquaries. Go in the morning, when the rooms are quieter.

Leave through the Hofgarten and walk north into the English Garden, one of the world's largest city parks. Stop at the Eisbach to watch the surfers on the standing wave, then find a table in a beer garden under the chestnut trees at the Chinese Tower. Late May to September is beer garden season, and July, when we were there, is the best of it.

Day 3: Nymphenburg or the Deutsches Museum

Nymphenburg Palace, the summer residence west of the centre, is the pick on a fine day: the palace rooms, the long canal and a park big enough to fill an afternoon. Trams run there from the centre.

On a wet day, choose the Deutsches Museum, on its island in the Isar, one of the largest science and technology museums anywhere. Either way, keep the evening for a different beer garden or a neighbourhood dinner in Maxvorstadt or Haidhausen.

This is also the day to buy tickets for days 4 and 5 if you have not already: the Neuschwanstein tour slot first, then the train.

Day 4: Neuschwanstein

Ludwig II's castle on its crag above Hohenschwangau is the longest day of the trip that still works from Munich. Regional trains to Füssen take about 2 to 2.5 hours, often with a change at Buchloe, then a bus of about 10 minutes runs to Hohenschwangau, followed by a 30 to 40 minute uphill walk or a shuttle bus to the castle. Our day trips from Munich guide has the route in detail.

Entry is by guided tour only, about 30 minutes inside, with limited places. The adult ticket is €21 (≈ $23) in 2026, plus a €2.50 (≈ $2.8) booking fee online. Tickets are sold online on the official Hohenschwangau ticket site; the Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau sells only remaining tickets, for the same day. In summer and at weekends, book well ahead. The castle is open daily from 9am to 6pm in the summer season (28 March to 15 October in 2026) and from 10am to 4pm in winter, and closes on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.

Allow at least 90 minutes between your train reaching Füssen and your tour time. The Bayern-Ticket (€34 (≈ $38) for one person, plus €10 (≈ $11.1) for each extra traveller, up to five) covers the regional trains to Füssen and back, but on weekdays it is valid only from 9am, which pushes arrival to late morning; book a later tour or pay a full fare for an earlier train.

Day 5: Salzburg or the Zugspitze

Salzburg is the easy choice: ÖBB Railjet trains reach it in about 1.5 hours from Munich Hauptbahnhof. The baroque old town on the Salzach, the cathedral, Mozart's birthplace on Getreidegasse, the Mirabell Gardens and the Hohensalzburg Fortress, with a funicular up, fill a relaxed day. It is in Austria, so carry your passport. Take an early train: the old town is busiest from late morning.

The Zugspitze is the choice on a clear day. Direct trains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen take about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, then the cogwheel railway and cable car climb to the summit of Germany's highest mountain at 2,962 m. Check the summit webcam and forecast the evening before; the top is often in cloud, and a cloudy summit is an expensive view of fog. If it clouds over, Partenkirchen's painted houses and the Partnach Gorge are the fallback.

Which one? Salzburg works in any weather and adds a second country. The Zugspitze is the better day only if the sky is clear. Other options, such as Nuremberg, about an hour by ICE, or the free Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, are ranked in our day trips guide.

Where to stay and getting in

For this plan, sleep near the Hauptbahnhof or in the Altstadt close to Marienplatz: early trains on days 4 and 5 leave from the main station, and the city days start in the old town. Our where to stay in Munich guide compares the Altstadt, Maxvorstadt, Schwabing and Haidhausen. From the airport, the S1 and S8 S-Bahn lines run into the centre; see our Munich Airport to the city guide.

If you are in Germany for longer, the Deutschlandticket covers the same regional trains as the Bayern-Ticket nationwide, but neither covers ICE trains.

Season. Book rooms early for Oktoberfest, from mid-September to early October, when prices change completely (see Oktoberfest 2027), and for the Christmas market weeks; our Munich Christmas markets guide has the 2026 dates. Our German leg ran Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt, Würzburg and Ulm before Munich, and from Munich we went on to Verona; see how many days in Verona.

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