# What is a good 5-day Munich itinerary? > A 5-day Munich itinerary day by day: the Altstadt, the Residenz and English Garden, Nymphenburg, then Neuschwanstein and Salzburg or Zugspitze day trips. - Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/munich-itinerary-5-days - Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries) - Published: 2026-11-10 **Spend days 1 to 3 in the city (the Altstadt, the Residenz and the English Garden, then Nymphenburg or the Deutsches Museum) and days 4 and 5 on day trips: Neuschwanstein, then Salzburg or the Zugspitze.** Munich's sights are concentrated enough that three days cover them without rushing, and the city is the base for Bavaria's big day trips, each roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours away and each worth a full day. This is a suggested plan built around the 5 days we spent in Munich, from 20 to 25 July 2023, after Ulm and before Verona. Below: the day-by-day plan, which day trip to pick for day 5, tickets, and where to sleep for early trains. ## 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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/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](https://clevertourists.com/guides/munich) 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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/day-trips-from-munich). ## 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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/munich-airport-to-city-guide). If you are in Germany for longer, the [Deutschlandticket](https://clevertourists.com/resources/deutschlandticket-for-tourists-2026-price-how-to-buy-guide) 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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/oktoberfest-2027-munich-dates-guide)), and for the Christmas market weeks; our [Munich Christmas markets guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/munich-christmas-markets-2026-dates-marienplatz) has the 2026 dates. Our German leg ran Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt, [Würzburg](https://clevertourists.com/guides/wurzburg) and [Ulm](https://clevertourists.com/guides/ulm) before Munich, and from Munich we went on to Verona; see [how many days in Verona](https://clevertourists.com/resources/how-many-days-in-verona). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best 5-day Munich itinerary? Three city days (the Altstadt; the Residenz and the English Garden; Nymphenburg or the Deutsches Museum), then Neuschwanstein on day 4 and Salzburg or the Zugspitze on day 5. ### Is 5 days in Munich too long? No. Three days cover the city, and the other two go on day trips such as Neuschwanstein and Salzburg, each 1.5 to 2.5 hours away. We spent 5 days in Munich in July 2023. ### How much is a Neuschwanstein ticket in 2026? €21 (≈ $23) for an adult, plus a €2.50 (≈ $2.8) booking fee online. Entry is by timed guided tour of about 30 minutes, and only remaining tickets are sold on site for the same day, so book ahead. ### Should I visit Salzburg or the Zugspitze from Munich? Salzburg in any weather: about 1.5 hours by Railjet, with an old town and fortress. The Zugspitze only on a clear day: about 1 hour 15 minutes to Garmisch, then the cogwheel railway and cable car to 2,962 m. ### Does the Bayern-Ticket cover the trip to Neuschwanstein? Yes. It covers the regional trains to Füssen for €34 (≈ $38) for one person plus €10 (≈ $11.1) per extra traveller, but on weekdays it is valid only from 9am.