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Itinerary · 3 nights

Three nights in Munich, under three hours' flight from Madrid or Barcelona.

A direct flight to Munich, the S-Bahn to the centre and three days on foot and by tram: Glockenspiel and Hofbräuhaus, Deutsches Museum and Nymphenburg, Alte Pinakothek and the Eisbach wave.

Part of MunichChristmas markets of Europe

The planMap1. When to go2. How you travel3. Where to stay4. Where to eatQuestions
Duration3 nights, Thursday to Sunday
Getting thereFlight to Munich (MUC) and the S-Bahn to the centre
Getting aroundOn foot, metro, S-Bahn and tram
Best timeMay – October and December
BudgetFrom about €450 pp excluding flights

The plan

The plan, hour by hour

Designed to fly out on Thursday afternoon and return on Sunday night, with the whole of Friday and Saturday. Sunday is the day for the Alte Pinakothek, which costs €1; the special dinner goes on Saturday, because Tantris is closed from Sunday to Tuesday. You do not need a car at any point.

Thursday

  1. 119:00Arrival and first dinner

    You land at MUC, take the S8 to Isartor and leave your suitcase at the Torbräu. Dinner five minutes away, at the Hofbräuhaus: the kitchen serves until 22:00 and on the ground floor you do not need to book.

Friday

  1. 110:45Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel

    Stand in front of the New Town Hall ten minutes before 11:00, when the 43 bells ring. Afterwards, a stroll through the centre and the Viktualienmarkt.

  2. 213:00Deutsches Museum

    Ten minutes' walk to the Isar island. Admission €18, €11 for ages 6 to 17; open until 17:00. Have something quick to eat there or beforehand in the centre.

  3. 318:00Augustiner-Keller

    S-Bahn to Hackerbrücke. In good weather, a jug of Edelstoff from a wooden barrel under the chestnut trees of the Biergarten; if not, dinner in the restaurant, open until 1:00.

Saturday

  1. 109:30Nymphenburg Palace

    Tram 17 from the main station. The palace, the carriage museum and the park: combined ticket of €20 in summer, free for under-18s. Buy the time slot online.

  2. 214:00Free afternoon in Schwabing

    Head back towards the centre and stroll through Schwabing and Maxvorstadt, the university districts.

  3. 319:30Dinner at Tantris

    The special dinner of the trip, in a haute-cuisine French house from 1971. Book weeks ahead and wear smart clothes. If you are under 35, ask about the Menu Jeune.

Sunday

  1. 110:00Alte Pinakothek

    On Sunday admission costs €1: Dürer, Rubens, El Greco, Velázquez and Murillo. Two and a half hours without hurrying.

  2. 213:30English Garden and the Eisbach wave

    Twenty minutes' walk to the Haus der Kunst. Watch the surfers from the bridge and continue through the park to the Chinese Tower.

  3. 318:00Journey back

    Pick up your suitcase and take the S8 from Isartor to the airport.

Munich is well seen in three nights from Spain: there are direct flights from a dozen airports, the S-Bahn links the airport with the centre without changes and almost everything that matters is on foot or a tram ride away. In three days you see Marienplatz and its carillon, the great science and technology museum, the summer palace of the kings of Bavaria, one of Europe's great picture galleries and the Eisbach surfers, and you eat in two of the classic beer halls.

How do you get there from Spain?

By air to Munich-Franz Josef Strauss (MUC). There are direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, Palma, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma; see the "By air" panel on the Munich page. From the airport to the centre, the S-Bahn: the S8 from the east and the S1 from the west reach Marienplatz and the main station in about 40 minutes. Buy the Airport-City-Day-Ticket: €17.50 per person, or €32.60 for groups of up to five, valid that whole day across the whole network.

Where to sleep?

AccommodationAreaWho it suits
Hotel TorbräuIsartor, beside Tal streetFour stars five minutes from Marienplatz, with a direct S8 to the airport
Hotel MariandlGoethestraße, near the TheresienwieseA house from around 1900 above a café with music, no lift and with moderate prices
Wombat's HauptbahnhofBeside the main stationFor spending little, with doubles and dormitories with their own bathroom

What if it is during Oktoberfest?

The 2027 Oktoberfest runs from 18 September to 3 October on the Theresienwiese, with free entry. Swap Friday afternoon for the festival, on a weekday and early, and book the hotel months ahead: prices rise a great deal. The Hotel Mariandl is 500 metres away and publishes fixed prices for those dates.

What if I have an extra day?

Head out by train towards the Alps: Berchtesgaden, with Lake Königssee, is to the south-east, near Salzburg. Or north, to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the walled town on the Romantic Road.

With children

Munich is comfortable with children. Under-18s do not pay at Nymphenburg or the Alte Pinakothek, the Deutsches Museum is free for under-6s and the Biergarten at the Augustiner-Keller has a playground. Swap dinner at Tantris for dinner at the Augustiner-Keller restaurant and add the plan Munich with the family in a day.

Map

The stops, in order

What to do Eat 88 €Stay Services

Plan the trip

Munich, step by step

Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.

  1. 11. When to go
  2. 22. How you travel
  3. 33. Where to stay
  4. 44. Where to eat

When to go

When to go to Munich

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Best timeGood timeLow season

How you travel

The same break, your way

The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.

Direct flight to Munich and the S-Bahn from the airport to the centre

Munich has its own airport, Munich-Franz Josef Strauss (MUC), with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, Palma and several Canary Islands airports. It is about 30 km north-east of the city: the S-Bahn drops you in the centre in about 40 minutes and you do not need a car at any point of the trip.

  • Getting thereMunich (MUC), the city's airport
  • Getting aroundU-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus…
  • Where to stayWombat's, next to the main…
  • ServicesS1 and S8 S-Bahn, airport–centre

Getting there

  • Munich (MUC), the city's airport
  • S8 S-Bahn, via Ostbahnhof, to Isartor, Marienplatz and the main station; it runs day and night
  • S1 S-Bahn, via the west, to the main station and Marienplatz
  • Airport-City-Day-Ticket: €17.50 per person or €32.60 for groups of up to five; valid that day across the whole network until 6:00 the next morning

Getting around

  • U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus of the MVG and the MVV on the same ticket
  • On foot through the old town: from Marienplatz to the Hofbräuhaus is five minutes
  • Tram 17 from the main station to Nymphenburg

Where to stay

  • Wombat's, next to the main station, if you arrive late and want to spend little
  • Hotel Torbräu, at the Isartor stop of the S8, with no change of train from the airport
  • Hotel Mariandl, ten minutes' walk from the main station

Services

  • S1 and S8 S-Bahn, airport–centre
  • Main station (Hauptbahnhof), for onward trains to Salzburg, Berchtesgaden or Rothenburg

How much does it cost?

People2
Nights3

Approximate, for 2 people and 3 nights: staying, eating and getting around there for each way of travelling. Getting there is not included.

Where to stay

Where to stay if you're flying

We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel

The lit façade of the Hotel Torbräu at night, next to the Isartor tower© Hotel TorbräuThe city's oldest hotel

Hotel Torbräu

Next to the Isartor and the Viktualienmarkt · Kirchlechner family since 1903 · Air-conditioned rooms · Klimt bar and Italian restaurant

Why we like it: Four-star hotel next to the Isartor, at the start of Tal street, which boasts of being Munich's oldest: there has been an inn here since 1490.

From €145 / night View details
The terrace of the Café am Beethovenplatz at night, under the trees, next to the hotel's stone façade© Hotel MariandlBelle Époque without a lift

Hotel Mariandl and Café am Beethovenplatz

Protected house of around 1900 · Reception at the café bar · Music in the café · 500 m from the Oktoberfest

Why we like it: Small hotel in a protected house of around 1900, above a café with red ceilings and live music, 500 metres from the Theresienwiese.

From €84 / night View details
A hostel dorm with wooden bunks with curtains, a table and benches© Wombat's City HostelsFor a low budget next to the station

Wombat's City Hostel Munich Hauptbahnhof

Next to the main station · Bathroom in every room · Glass-roofed courtyard · 24-hour reception

Why we like it: Hostel next to the main station with dorms and double rooms, all with their own bathroom, a glass-roofed courtyard, a bar, a café and a kitchen.

View details

Where to eat

Where to eat in Munich

The Hofbräuhaus façade lit up at dusk on Platzl square© Hofbräuhaus MünchenThe classic beer hall

Hofbräuhaus München

Restaurant · Munich (Altstadt) · €€€€

What to order: the crispy roast pork with dark-beer sauce and potato dumpling (€18.90), or two white sausages with sweet mustard before midday, with a half litre of Hofbräu Original.

The beer garden full of people at long tables under the chestnut trees, at sunset© Augustiner-KellerThe beer garden under the chestnut trees

Augustiner-Keller

Restaurant · Munich (Maxvorstadt) · €€€€

What to order: a mug of Augustiner Edelstoff from a wooden barrel (€9) and, in the restaurant, the roast pork with potato dumpling and red cabbage (€17.90).

The dining room of the Restaurant Tantris, with its 1970s decor© Tantris (foto de Kathrin Koschitzki)For a special meal

Tantris Maison Culinaire

Restaurant · Munich (Schwabing) · €€€€

What to order: if you are under 35, the midday Menu Jeune (four courses with aperitif, wine and coffee, €150 per person); otherwise, the Tantris DNA menu, with the cheese and desserts from the trolley.

Tips

Worth knowing first

Local tip

Check the Augustiner-Keller website's front page on the same day: it says whether the Biergarten is open or only the restaurant.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does the getaway cost?

Without flights, with a mid-range hotel, tickets, transport and meals, from about €450 per person for the three nights; dinner at Tantris is extra.

Do I need a car?

No. The centre is done on foot and the rest by S-Bahn, metro and tram.

What is the best time?

From May to October, with the Biergärten open, and December for the Christmas markets. During the Oktoberfest, hotels become much more expensive.

Can it be done in two nights?

Yes, by dropping the Deutsches Museum or Nymphenburg, although Friday becomes very full.

From €84 / night
if you're flying
See places to stay

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