Marienplatz and the New Town Hall Glockenspiel

What it is

The Glockenspiel is the carillon in the tower of the Neues Rathaus, the New Town Hall, which presides over Marienplatz, the central square of Munich. It has 43 bells and 32 figures that move on two levels while music plays. It was finished in 1908 and made its debut in February 1909; in 2007 it was restored, the bells were cleaned and tuned, and today it runs on solar power. Watching it is free and you do not need to book anything: just be in the square on time.

What you see

• Top level: the wedding of Duke William V and Renata of Lorraine, in 1568, with a knights' tournament. The Bavarian knight always wins.
• Lower level: the coopers' dance, the Schäfflertanz, which the city associates with the end of a plague epidemic.

The music changes with the month: each year the city publishes which tunes are played.

Times

• Every day: at 11:00 and 12:00.
• From March to October: also at 17:00.
• At night, at 21:00: a short version, about two minutes, with the night watchman, an angel and the Münchner Kindl, the child monk who is the symbol of the city.

On Good Friday it does not play all day. There may be changes for maintenance or events in the square.

Where to stand

The city's website advises not standing right under the tower: stand in the middle of the square or a little towards the Mariensäule (the Virgin's column), at some distance from the facade. That way you see both levels of figures and the tower fits in your photo. Arrive 10 minutes early: at 11:00 and 12:00 the square fills with groups.

How to get there

Marienplatz has its own station: all the S-Bahn lines on the central section and the U3 and U6 metro stop there. Bus 132 also comes here. By car it makes no sense: the centre is pedestrianised.

Climb the tower

If you want to see the square from above, the Town Hall tower is 85 m high and has a viewing platform. You go up in two lifts, with no stairs, in 20-minute slots from €7. It is open every day from 10:00 to 20:00, with the last ascent at 19:40, except on 1 and 6 January, Shrove Tuesday, 1 May, 1 November and 25 and 26 December. It holds 30 people at a time and you cannot go up with a rucksack or large bag. Tickets are bought online or at the tourist office, under the arcades of the Town Hall itself.

Also go into the Town Hall's main courtyard, free, through the tower portal or from Weinstraße. The historic Ratskeller cellar is closed.

How long and with children

The show lasts a few minutes; with arriving and waiting, allow half an hour. If you climb the tower, an hour. Children like the tournament most; put them on your shoulders, because the square fills up. With a pushchair, stand at the sides.

Before or after

Marienplatz is the starting point for almost everything in the centre. From here, the Deutsches Museum is down towards the Isar, and the Eisbach wave and the English Garden are 10 to 15 minutes on foot from Odeonsplatz. The Town Hall tourist office runs guided tours of the city from €28.