2 days in Munich: Everything you need to know to plan the perfect itinerary

If you are looking for a detailed itinerary for 2 days in Munich, you have come to the right place. Munich is an incredibly popular tourist destination filled with great food, traditional beer halls, a ton of history and so much more. To help you plan your next trip I have put together a 2 day Munich itinerary with everything you need to know including where to stay, eat, drink, and how to get around.

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Itinerary for Munich Factsheet

Here are some basic facts that you might need to know when planning your itinerary for Munich.

Currency– Euro

Language – German

French language basics:

Hello: Hallo

Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen

Please: Bitte

Tipping– not compulsory but leaving a few Euros is always welcomed

Credit Cards – most major credit cards are accepted but do always keep some Euros on you especially for things like tipping. Cash was very much king in Germany pre covid, and while card is accepted in most places it’s wise to carry a bit of cash.

Famous for – beer, traditional German food, and traditional German outfits.

If you are wondering if Munich is worth visiting, here is a handy guide.

Getting to Munich

Getting to Munich as part of your 2 day Munich itinerary is relatively easy. It’s a well connected city due to its popularity with tourists.

Most people will get to Munich by plane and Munich International Airport- also known as Munich Franz Josef Strauss Airport is the main airport in the city.

A lot of European carriers fly into Munich such as Easyjet, Lufthansa, and Eurowings to name a few. If you are travelling further afield to places like Asia or beyond, you may need to fly into Frankfurt and then make your way to Munich from there.

Once you arrive at the airport the easiest way to get into the city is to take the S-Bahn. These usually depart every 10 minutes and will get you into the city in around 40 minutes.

If you are coming from another European country, or even other parts of Germany, you also have the option to get a train to Munich. Munich Hauptbahnhof is the main station for regional and international train services in the city. It’s really close to Marienplatz the main square in Munich so once you get off the train you are basically in the bustling heart of the city.

Where to stay during your 2 days in Munich

If you are looking for accommodation in Munich I would highly recommend staying in the Altstadt area. This is essentially the centre of Munich, and where you will find the majority of tourist attractions. It’s also one of the best areas for bars and restaurants. And let’s face it, if you only have 2 days in Munich you want to stay somewhere central, that is close to food, drink, and attractions.

Where I stayed during my 2 days in Munich

I booked a 4 star hotel in the centre of Munich and this cost me around €140 per night. The hotel was Hotel Concorde München, and honestly it was clean, and they did a pretty decent breakfast buffet that was included in the cost. Keep in mind though this was in January and prices for accommodation skyrocket in the summer months, as well as during peak season such as Octoberfest.

Things to do as part of your 2 day Munich itinerary

Here are some of the best things to do as part of your itinerary for Munich.

Marienplatz

Marienplatz is the bustling heart of Munich with its ornate buildings, and street musicians. On a side note this is also where the Christmas Markets are held in December. It’s kind of impossible not to add this to your itinerary for Munich as you will probably pass through here quite a bit.

One of the main attractions in Marienplatz is the Rathaus-Glockenspiel. It’s a large clock located at the Rathaus, and it comes to life twice a day. The clock re-enacts scenes from the city’s history and is very popular with tourists. It’s a cool place to go for people watching too.

Town Hall/ Rathaus

Sticking to the Marienplatz area, as mentioned above this is where you will find the Rathaus or Town Hall. It was built in 1874, it is also worth exploring the courtyard, and climbing the tower for some pretty epic views over the square. It’s only €6.50 to head to the top of the tower, and you can get a lift pretty much to the top if you don’t like the idea of traipsing up all those stairs.

St Peter’s Church Tower

If you like views, St Peter’s Church Tower, is probably one of the best places to go in Munich. It also means that you can get some panoramic views of Marienplatz and the Rathaus. You do need to climb the stairs to get to the top, but the climb isn’t too bad and there is a lot of space for rests along the way if you need it.

Viktualienmarkt

Viktualienmarkt is an outdoor market just a short walk from Marienplatz. They sell a lot of local produce, and there are also some food and drink stalls that are well worth a visit.

Nymphenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Palace is well worth a visit if you want to get out of the centre of Munich and explore a former summer residence for rulers of Bavaria. You can do a tour of the inside with its ornate features, or you can do what I did and just explore the gardens.

It is worth visiting even if you don’t want to pay to explore the interior. The gardens are beautiful, and there is a lot of space to explore. It’s not too far from the centre in all honestly so still doable for your 2 days in Munich.

Hofbräuhaus

I’ve mentioned this a few times, but Munich is very much all about the beer halls. One of the most famous, and popular with tourists is Hofbräuhaus. There is very much a party atmosphere, and this. isthe best place to see guys in lederhosen as well as traditional oompah bands. It’s kind of a must when you visit Munich.

Visit the English Garden

The English Garden is the largest park in Munich, and perfect for a weekend morning stroll. It’s also great to visit at any time of the year, just wrap up warm if you are visiting in January like me.

It’s an English Country style park with lots of fountains, rose gardens, lakes, and pavilions. Basically there is a lot of explore.

Surf the Eisbach river

While you are exploring the English Garden make sure you check out the surfers along the Eisbach River. This is honestly the most random thing I have seen where you watch surfers line up and try to stay on their boards for as long as possible. It’s not really something you would expect to see in a German park, which makes it a must see for your trip to Munich.

Munich Residenz

The Residenz is located in central Munich and is a former royal palace. In fact it is the largest city palace in Germany today, and is open to visitors year round.

It was basically the residence and seat of government for Bavarian dukes, electors, and royalty between 1508 and 1918.

This is a fantastic place to visit if you are into culture, royalty, and some pretty cool architecture. There are a number of rooms to explore, each more opulent than the last.

If you want to explore the residence there are a number of different ticket options you can purchase including a visit to the museum, the theatre, and the treasury. Ticket prices start at €10 for the museum and then you can add additional rooms on for a higher cost.

For more information you can visit the official website here.

Asamkirche

One of the best hidden gems that I stumbled upon in Munich was the Asamkirche or the Asam Church. It is a Baroque style church located in the centre of Munich. It is said to be one of the most important late Baroque buildings in southern Germany.

The church was built between 1733 and 1746 by a pair of brothers, sculptor – Egid Quirin Asam and painter – Cosmas Damian Asam. It’s quite hidden but is worth searching for because the inside really is incredible.

Kunstareal or Museum Quarter

If you are looking for a bit of culture in between your beers, you should definitely check out the museum quarter in Munich. Here you will find 18 museums and exhibition halls, and 20 galleries. Culture lovers should make a day of exploring the area.

Must eat foods to add to your itinerary for Munich

If you are anything like me, food is a big part of any trip abroad. So obviously when I visited Munich I had to give the traditional dishes a go. And I was not disappointed. If you like stodgy and hearty kinds of meals, you will love Munich. It’s also handy to soak up all that alcohol.

Here are some of the must eat foods that you should add to your 2 day Munich itinerary.

Schweinshaxe

Schweinshaxe is one of my favourite dishes in Bavaria. It’s essentially a pork knuckle, and it is marinated for days to bring out that incredible flavour. It’s usually served with potato dumplings and cabbage, and because the meat has been marinated for so long, it is incredibly soft.

Weisswurst

Weisswurst is a very unique looking white susage that is local to Bavaria. It’s made from minced veal and pork, and unlike your traditional German sausages they aren’t smoked.

Käsespätzle

A lot of the traditional German dishes tend to be very meat based so Käsespätzle is a good option for vegetarians. It’s like a German version of mac and cheese but about a thousand times better.

Münchner schnitzel

Schnitzel is another great traditional dish you can try in Munich. It’s usually a breaded veal or pork, that comes served with potato salad, or fries. Apparently what set the Munich Schnitzel apart from the rest of the world is the fact that the cutlets are brushed with mustard and horseradish.

As touristy as it is, a visit to a traditional German restaurant is a must. Augustiner-Keller in Munich is one of my absolute favourites, so much so that I ended up eating here twice. They serve very traditional food, at a reasonable price as well.

How to get around during your 2 days in Munich

You do have a lot of public transport options when visiting Munich. That being said though I didn’t find myself using it all that much during my trip. I did get the S-Bahn to and from the airport, and I did use the tram to get to Nymphenburg Palace. Everything else though was in walking distance from the centre.

If you find yourself using the public transport in the city you will probably use either the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, or the bus. I actually got really slightly confused with the public transport in the city, and what kind of ticket I was supposed to buy so ended up purchasing a single ticket everywhere I went. You can purchase day tickets which are way more cost effective. For a summary of ticket types this is a handy website.

Once you purchase your ticket you need to stamp it before you travel in order for it to be valid so do keep this in mind.

Budgeting for 2 days in Munich

In this section I cover some of the basic information that you might need to know when budgeting for your 2 day Munich itinerary.

As a solo traveller to Munich I budgeted around €100 per day, not including accommodation. This included things like, public transport, 2-3 meals a day out, drinks, tourist attractions, souvenirs, and any other miscellaneous expenses. On most days I didn’t spend as much as I though, which is a plus.

Tourist attractions in Munich don’t tend to be that expensive. Or at least the ones I wanted to see anyway. Realistically you probably only need around €20-€40 per day allocated to attractions at the most.

Food and drink in the city are relatively cheap too. You are looking at around €15 for a main meal in a traditional Bavarian style pub. Beers are an extra €3-€5 depending on what you order, so all in all you can get away with paying around €20 for an evening meal.

Best time of the year to plan your itinerary for Munich

So obviously a lot of people visit Munich for Oktoberfest. Which incidentally isn’t in October, but late September. If this is when you plan to visit make sure you are booking everything way in advance. Expect it to be crowded and incredibly intense.

Summer is a fantastic time to visit Munich. For starters temperatures are warm, but mild, averaging at around 24ºC or 75ºF. And the lows are around 14ºC or 58ºF. It’s basically perfect beer garden weather, and believe me Munich has plenty. It does get busy at this time of year, but the weather is perfect for visiting.

I visited Munich in January which is of course smack bang in the middle of winter. Temperatures range between 3ºC and -3ºC (37.4ºF and 26.6ºF). Whilst it can be chilly there is still a lot to do in the city. For starters the museums are a great way to pass the time, as are the indoor beer halls. And honestly comfort food is best eaten in the colder months. Accommodation is also a lot cheaper at this time of year.

Don’t forget that in December the city has some pretty spectacular Christmas Markets with mulled wine, and other fantastic culinary treats.

Personally I think no matter when you plan your 2 day Munich itinerary you will find something to do.

Is 2 days in Munich enough?

You might be wondering if 2 days in Munich is enough time to see the city. I would say yes, but if you can stretch it out to 3 days that is even better. This is enough time to see the key attractions, checkout the neighbourhoods, plus most importantly sample some food and drink.

I didn’t feel like I needed much more than 2 days in Munich, but you may want to consider extra days if you are wanting to explore some of the neighbourhoods around Munich, or do some day trips in Bavaria.

Tips for planning your 2 day Munich itinerary

Here are some of my top tips for planning a trip to Munich.

• It is worth having some cash on you for your trip. Most places do accept card, but you do get the odd shop that won’t.
• On Sunday’s some of the city museums are only €1 for entry, so check this in advance.
• Munich can be pretty dead on a Sunday with a lot of the shops closing for the day.
• Book restaurants in advance particularly during peak season.
• Jaywalking is illegal in Germany so make sure you only cross at crossings when the green man is showing.

Should I spend 2 days in Munich?

If you are wondering if you should book your 2 days in Munich then take this as a sign. Munich is a culturally rich city, and is a must in my opinion for any German itinerary. This is where you should go to experience traditional German culture, food, and drink. It’s not the only part of Germany you should visit, but it really is worth a trip.