These are the top 10 places you must explore on A Walking Tour of Munich. Walking in Munich in the early morning is a great experience. Munich is such an intriguing city to watch wake up. Munich is the capital of Bavaria, and is home to centuries-old buildings and numerous museums, and of course the famous Mitteleuropa beer halls, the Oktoberfest, and a lot more. It is one of those cities that we are definitely returning to.
Watching a city wake up in the morning is one of the things that we value a lot when travelling. We found Munich to be charming; to the point that is definitely a return visit city. It is architecturally stunning and the city appears to have a cheeky laissez-faire attitude.
Despite being a city, it has a small town feel about it as we wander past beer and food halls, unusual and usual sculptures and also past some of the very stunning architecture of Munich.
Our Walking Tour of Munich is easy as the city is flat. While we took 5 hours it could be done in a few. We just like to stop al lot. Getting lost is easy too, as we didn’t have a map, however, there are some landmark buildings that you can reference, so that you never actually feel totally lost.
This map will help when you also go on a walking tour of Munich
1.The Historic Centre on your Walking Tour of Munich
Contents
While we have outlined some grand architecture on the walking tour of the historic centre of Munich, it is those unusual and unexpected things that we discovered that gave us the sense of this place. We saw humour, wit and cheekiness in sculptures, street art and the people themselves.
2. Frauenkirche
Despite massive bombings, these towers escaped Allied bombardments during World War II. They now serve as landmarks on Munich’s skyline and are a great way to ensure that you don’t get lost.
3. Marienplatz
The main square Marienplatz is where you will see the New Town Hall, or Neues Rathaus is an immediate winner with its gargoyles and statues, and what we found amusing was the dragon climbing the turrets.
Also, you will see the golden statue of the Virgin Mary. The famous Glockenspiel, the mechanical clock that performs a show several times a day is definitely worth a look as well as it is visually unbelievable and highly entertaining. The Old City Hall or Altes Rathaus, which was rebuilt in its present form in 1470 after fire destroyed an even earlier version, is also here.
4. Peterskirche
This church’s interior is baroque stunning, with its stucco and gilt. This is the oldest parish church in Munich, and for many years, it was the only one.
5. Viktualienmarkt
Known as “Munich’s stomach,” this is a very buzzy place where you can see all of the stalls set up with the fresh produce. It is easy to stay here a while ..and ..eat and watch the people go about their daily lives.
6. Max-Joseph-Platz
This plaza was built in the 19th century on the site of a Franciscan convent in honor of Bavaria’s first king. It is a focal point for the Maximilianstrasse – a very chic boulevard.
7. Feldherrnhalle
This is an open-air loggia. The two lions on the steps are the work of a sculptor, Ruemann, in 1906. This was a rallying point for the Nazi’s and where the Beer Hall Putsch took place.
8. Odeonsplatz
The Odeonsplatz is a large square in central Munich. The square is named for the former concert hall, the Odeon, on its southwestern side. Here you will find lots of fountains and cafes.
9. Hofgarten
This is a lovely garden right in the heart of this city/town.
Also, see the people’s shrine to Micheal Jackson – an accidental discovery – serendipity
10. Wittelsbacher-Platz
This is one of the most famous squares of Munich.
A Walking Tour of Munich is a great way to see how stunning this German or Bavarian city is and to see that it is a city with a great character.
Great post, Munich is one of my favorite cities in Europe. I used to travel every year to the Oktoberfest when I lived in Brussels and Germany. Aside from the party, I enjoyed spending time in the city center, so much to see!
I am jealous. I would love to spend more time in Munich.
Nice post Paula – we saw some of the same things a few years back. Pretty city Munich and the idea of an early morning tour is a good one. Streets can get jam-packed last afternoon.
Great photos!
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank, we had a glorious morning and the city was so fresh and the photos, all unedited, came out so beautifully, reflecting the light. Love Munich.
Love the shots of Munich that you took!! I live in Munich and I feel like it’s quite a tricky city to photograph. Although, I’m not photographer myself, but still–I have an easy time recreating the feel of, say, Prague, in a photo, but I struggle to get good photos that that represent Munich. But you did a wonderful job!!
Thanks, I think that it was because it was very early morning that the lights were magnificent.
I enjoyed my tour of Munich and loved the castle like appearance of the Gothic Neues Rathaus. Munich is a friendly city, a lot to see and food is great. Enjoyed your post.
Thank you, we also found it to be such a welcoming city/town. It was a place that we just felt comfortable in. We are going back for sure.
Sounds like a great tour! Looks like you got to see a lot of different parts of Munich.
It was when we woke up super early (middle of the night) from jet lag and thought, why not start exploring. It was one of the best walks we have ever done, and it was totally random. We were watching the city wake up and the businesses open and everyone was so lovely.
Beautiful pictures of Munich! It brings me back to when I was there for a day or two last Christmastime. The Viktualienmarkt was one of my favorite things to experience there (but then again, I have a soft spot for a good market!).
Gordon did a great job with the photos. I definitely want to go to the Christmas markets … I love markets and a Christmas market in Muncih would be magical.