Munich itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 days

Munich rewards a short, dense visit. The old town is compact enough to walk end to end in half an hour, and the U-Bahn and S-Bahn fill the gaps cheaply. One day gets you the landmarks and a beer garden. Two days lets you add a museum or two and the Englischer Garten without rushing. Three days is where the city stops being a checklist and starts being a base: you spend one full day outside Munich, most often at Neuschwanstein or in the Bavarian Alps.

If you are building a longer Germany trip, Munich usually gets three or four nights, paired with Berlin by high-speed train. Anything less than two nights means you see the station, Marienplatz and little else.

Start at Marienplatz before the crowds thicken, look at the Glockenspiel on the Neues Rathaus, then walk five minutes to the Frauenkirche. From there the Viktualienmarkt is a short stroll: a food market with stands and a beer garden in the middle, good for an early lunch. Afternoons go to the Residenz, the former royal palace, or to the Alte Pinakothek if you prefer paintings to rooms.

Finish in the Englischer Garten. Walk north from the surfing wave at the Eisbach to the Chinese Tower beer garden, or stop at the smaller Seehaus by the lake. In winter, move the evening indoors to a beer hall instead.

Day one: the old town route above, ending in the Englischer Garten. Day two: pick one museum properly rather than three badly. The Deutsches Museum covers science and technology and can swallow half a day; the Alte Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne sit close together in the Kunstareal. If you have children or want a lighter morning, the Nymphenburg Palace and its park are a tram ride west of the centre.

Keep the late afternoon free for the Olympic Park and the BMW area north of the city, or for a second beer garden. Evenings: the beer halls around the centre for the full room, or the streets of Schwabing and Glockenbachviertel for smaller places.

Day three is the day trip. The classic is Neuschwanstein and Füssen: train to Füssen, then bus or a walk to the castle, with tickets booked ahead in high season. The Alpine option is Garmisch-Partenkirchen, from where you can ride up the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, in clear weather. Ingolstadt is the shorter, quieter choice: about an hour by train, with the Audi museum and a compact old town.

Salzburg is also reachable in roughly 1 h 30 by train and works as a long day out, though it is in Austria, so carry your passport or ID. Whichever you choose, leave early; the popular routes fill up by mid-morning in summer.

Munich is not a cheap city, but the transport network is the best value on the list. A single MVV ticket inside the city and a day ticket are both modest; buy the day ticket if you plan more than two rides. Beer garden meals are cheaper than restaurant dinners, and the market stands at the Viktualienmarkt are cheaper still.

Museum entries vary widely, and the major state museums usually cost less than the private ones. Castle and mountain tickets are the big variable on day three. All figures below are 2026 estimates; check current prices before you travel.

Buy transport tickets before boarding and validate them where required; inspectors do check. Sunday trading is limited, so plan shopping for weekdays or Saturday morning. Many museums close on Mondays, so put the old town or a day trip there instead.

Oktoberfest runs in late September and early October and pushes hotel prices up across the city; book months ahead or avoid those weeks. In December the Christmas markets fill the centre, which is pleasant but slow. If you are coming from the airport, the S-Bahn is usually faster and cheaper than a taxi.