Free Things to Do in Munich
Places that cost nothing to enter
Many of the best-known places in Munich cost nothing, from the churches and squares of the Altstadt to the Englischer Garten and the Flaucher. Museums on this list, such as the NS-Dokumentationszentrum, are free.
61 places
All year When
The places
Museum · Maxvorstadt NS-Dokumentationszentrum München Museum on the site of the former Nazi party headquarters, covering the rise of National Socialism in Munich.
Museum · Maxvorstadt Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke University collection of plaster casts of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture.
Landmark · Altstadt Marienplatz Central square of the old town with the Neues Rathaus and the Mariensäule.
Landmark · Altstadt Neues Rathaus Neo-Gothic town hall on Marienplatz with the Glockenspiel and a tower that can be climbed.
Landmark · Altstadt Altes Rathaus Gothic town hall at the east end of Marienplatz with a hall and a tower that houses the toy museum.
Landmark · Altstadt Mariensäule Column of the Virgin Mary from 1638 in the middle of Marienplatz.
Landmark · Altstadt Viktualienmarkt Daily food market in the old town with stalls, a beer garden and a maypole.
Landmark · Milbertshofen Olympiapark Park built for the 1972 Summer Olympics with a stadium, the Olympic Tower and a hill to climb.
Landmark · Maxvorstadt Königsplatz Neoclassical square framed by the Glyptothek, the Antikensammlungen and the Propylaea.
Landmark · Schwabing Siegestor Triumphal arch at the south end of Leopoldstraße, between Maxvorstadt and Schwabing.
Landmark · Altstadt Feldherrnhalle Loggia on Odeonsplatz modelled on the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.
Landmark · Altstadt Odeonsplatz Square at the head of Ludwigstraße with the Feldherrnhalle, the Theatinerkirche and the Residenz.
Landmark · Altstadt Hofgarten Renaissance court garden beside the Residenz with a pavilion at its centre.
Landmark · Altstadt Isartor Medieval city gate on the east side of the old town, now with a museum inside.
Landmark · Altstadt Karlstor Gate in the old city wall at the west end of the pedestrian street towards Stachus.
Landmark · Altstadt Sendlinger Tor Medieval gate with two round towers at the south end of the old town.
Landmark · Bogenhausen Friedensengel Gilded monument above the Isar at Prinzregentenstraße, with terraces and a fountain.
Landmark · Ludwigsvorstadt Theresienwiese Large open field south-west of the centre, site of the Oktoberfest.
Landmark · Dachau KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau Memorial site on the grounds of the first Nazi concentration camp, about 20 km north-west of central Munich.
Landmark · Schwabing Englischer Garten One of the largest city parks in the world, with beer gardens, a Japanese tea house and the Eisbach.
Landmark · Schwabing Chinesischer Turm Wooden pagoda in the Englischer Garten with one of the best-known beer gardens in the city.
Landmark · Lehel Eisbachwelle Standing wave at the Eisbach, where surfers ride all year at the edge of the Englischer Garten.
Landmark · Au-Haidhausen Maximilianeum Building above the Isar at the end of Maximilianstraße, seat of the Bavarian state parliament.
Landmark · Maxvorstadt Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Major research library in a long Italianate building on Ludwigstraße.
Landmark · Maxvorstadt Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Hauptgebäude University main building on Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, with a memorial to the White Rose resistance group.
Landmark · Nymphenburg Hirschgarten Park with deer enclosure and one of the largest beer gardens in the city.
Landmark · Milbertshofen BMW Welt Exhibition and delivery centre for BMW across from the Olympic Park.
Landmark · Isarvorstadt Gärtnerplatz Round square in the Glockenbachviertel with the Gärtnerplatztheater and a ring of cafés.
Landmark · Isarvorstadt Alter Südfriedhof Historic cemetery from 1563 with the graves of artists and scientists, now used as a park.
Church · Altstadt Frauenkirche Late Gothic cathedral of Munich with two towers topped by copper domes.
Church · Altstadt Peterskirche Oldest parish church in the old town, known locally as Alter Peter.
Church · Altstadt Asamkirche Late Baroque church built by the Asam brothers as their private church, with a densely decorated interior.
Church · Altstadt Theatinerkirche Italian Baroque church with a yellow facade on Odeonsplatz and a burial crypt of the Wittelsbach family.
Church · Altstadt Michaelskirche Renaissance church on the pedestrian street, with a royal crypt that includes King Ludwig II.
Church · Altstadt Heilig-Geist-Kirche Church beside the Viktualienmarkt, rebuilt in Baroque style after the Gothic original.
Church · Altstadt Bürgersaalkirche Two-storey church in the old town, with a Baroque upper hall and a crypt.
Church · Altstadt Dreifaltigkeitskirche Baroque church near the Promenadeplatz, built in the early 18th century.
Church · Maxvorstadt Ludwigskirche Round-arch style church on Ludwigstraße with a large Last Judgement fresco by Peter von Cornelius.
Church · Altstadt Matthäuskirche Protestant church at Sendlinger Tor built 1953 to 1955 to a design by Gustav Gsaenger, with a freestanding reddish bell tower.
Church · Altstadt Salvatorkirche Late Gothic church on Salvatorstraße near the Frauenkirche, used by the Greek Orthodox community since 1829.
Church · Lehel St. Anna im Lehel Neo-Romanesque parish church in the Lehel district, built in the 1890s.
Church · Au-Haidhausen Mariahilfkirche Neo-Gothic Catholic church on Mariahilfplatz in the Au, begun in 1831, with a 65-bell carillon.
Church · Altstadt Herzogspitalkirche Baroque church that was destroyed in the war and rebuilt in 1955 on Herzogspitalstraße 7 to 9. It is not in a hospital building.
Church · Bogenhausen St. Georg Bogenhausen Rococo parish church by Johann Michael Fischer in the old village centre of Bogenhausen.
Church · Lehel St. Lukas Large Protestant church on the Isar, one of the biggest in the city.
Church · Schwabing Erlöserkirche Protestant church in the Schwabing district, built around 1900 near Münchner Freiheit.
Viewpoint · Schwabing Monopteros Round Greek-style temple on a hill in the Englischer Garten with a view towards the city centre.
Viewpoint · Milbertshofen Olympiaberg Hill in the Olympiapark built from war rubble, with a view over the park and the city.
Viewpoint · Bogenhausen Friedensengel Terrasse Terrace below the Friedensengel in the Maximiliansanlagen, with a view west along Prinzregentenstrasse towards the Haus der Kunst.
Park · Schwabing Kleinhesseloher See An artificial lake inside the Englischer Garten with an island and a lakeside beer garden. Rowing boats can be rented in season.
Park · Nymphenburg Schlosspark Nymphenburg Baroque garden behind Nymphenburg Palace, with canals, lawns, woodland and small pavilions.
Park · Sendling Westpark A large park in the south-west with lakes, rose gardens and Asian-themed gardens built for the 1983 garden show.
Park · Ramersdorf Ostpark A big park in the south-east with a lake, lawns and sports grounds, popular for cycling and picnics.
Park · Schwabing Luitpoldpark A park in Schwabing with a hill built on rubble from the Second World War, which gives a view towards the Alps on clear days.
Park · Thalkirchen Flaucher A gravel island in the Isar south of the centre, used for sunbathing, barbecues and swimming in summer.
Park · Maxvorstadt Alter Botanischer Garten A small park near the central station, with a fountain, the Neptune Fountain and shaded benches.
Park · Au-Haidhausen Maximiliansanlagen Riverside park on the east bank of the Isar, running up to the Maximilianeum.
Park · Riem Riemer Park A park on the former airport site in the east, with a lake and wide lawns.
Park · Obermenzing Schlosspark Blutenburg Park around the moated Blutenburg Palace in the west of the city.
Park · Oberschleißheim Schlosspark Schleißheim Baroque park with a long central canal behind the Neues Schloss Schleißheim, north of Munich.
Park · Pasing Pasinger Stadtpark A park in the centre of Pasing.
