Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products and services; You can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
As the third largest city in Germany and the commercial and cultural center of Bavaria, Munich is large, vibrant and culturally rich. It’s home to Germany’s largest Oktoberfest and one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets, but it’s also beautiful in the spring and summer, with green spaces and museums galore and a famous food and drink scene. Given its location, it is also a good starting point for exploring the Bavarian countryside, including some of the most ornate castles in the world. With so much to see and do, consider booking one of the great tours Munich has to offer to help you get to know the terrain better or explore more deeply a topic or area of the city that interests you. There are many wonderful options available, and we have listed the best of the best below.
01
of 08
Best Walking Tour: Munich Old Town Walking
Buy tickets with Viator
Munich is a fantastic city to walk around with endless clean, well-maintained sidewalks and plenty of pedestrianized squares, not to mention great architecture, shop windows, and people-watching at every turn. The city center, or the old town, suffered extensive damage during WWII, but has been carefully rebuilt and restored with a historical preservation mindset, so there is a lot of history to see.
This two-hour walking tour takes you from the city’s central square, Marienplatz, through and around the city’s most iconic attractions: the massive reconstructed Frauenkirche, the city’s famous cathedral; St. Peter’s Church, the oldest church in Munich; Viktualienmarkt, the historic food market, and the old town hall with its huge moving glockenspiel.
It is a simple and thoughtful tour that will really give you a deeper understanding of the history and importance of this beautiful city.
02
of 08
Best bus tour: Munich city sightseeing bus tour
Buy tickets with Viator
Hop-on, hop-off bus tours are fun, affordable, and easy to use, and this one, the best in Munich, is no exception. Just buy a pass for 24 or 48 hours (buses run from 9:40 a.m. to 6 p.m., but if you buy a pass at noon on, say, noon the next day) and your voucher allows you to board and disembark on a network comprehensive of a dozen different stops around the city, each adjacent to a major landmark or district.
You can choose to board the double-decker bus, get comfortable in your seat at the top, and just watch the city go by as you go around the full loop and listen to recorded commentary, or you can stop at the most attractive tourist spots and take your time to explore. there. You most likely want to do a combination of the two, and with a full 24 hours to do it (or 48, if you upgrade), you certainly have time to do it. It’s low-maintenance and largely self-driving, but tremendously convenient, especially for dedicated tourists.
03
of 08
Best Segway Tour: Munich 2.5-Hour Segway Tour: Old Town and English Garden
Buy tickets with Viator
Segways are really convenient, as they allow you to move quickly through a city, covering a lot of ground without getting tired. This tour, led by an expert local history guide, takes you on a narrated zip through Munich’s most famous districts and sites, including the Old Town, Odeonsplatz, the Victory Gate, and the Angel of Peace. It conveniently begins and ends in Munich’s beautiful English Garden, the city’s equivalent of New York’s Central Park. Its quiet and lush trails offer an ideal place to learn to ride a Segway (don’t worry, your guide will give you an in-depth lesson) and a good place to take a ride once your informative tour is over.
04
of 08
Best Food Tour: Bavarian Beer and Food Night Tour in Munich
Buy tickets with Viator
Beer is more than a drink in Bavaria: it is a fundamental cornerstone of culture. There are particular local traditions not only for brewing, but also for ordering, drinking, pairing with food, and more. Enlist the help of a local brewing expert to show you and teach you the remarkable history of the region’s most famous beverage.
This tour begins with a guided tour of the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum, a small but fascinating place housed in an old town building dating back to the 1300s. From there, you’ll head to one of the city’s most famous breweries. , the Hofbrauhaus, where you will sample local beers and sample the regional foods that pair so well with them: pretzels, spaetzle and wurst in abundance while chatting with your guide and fellow travelers. It’s a joyous night that will leave you rosy-cheeked and full of new information. (And beer.)
05
of 08
Best Private Tour: Munich Private Walking Tour
Buy tickets with Viator
It’s a luxury, but a private tour is a really wonderful way to learn about a new place. Your guide can tailor your tour based on your interests, be it history, art, food, or even darker things, and you can move at your own pace, taking your time when something looks interesting to you and moving faster when you don’t. t.
This walking tour begins in your hotel lobby or, if you prefer, on the Marienplatz. Among the attractions on the suggested itinerary: the place where Adolf Hitler tried (and failed) to overthrow the Bavarian government in 1923 at the Beer Hall Putsch, the Munich State Theater and Opera, and the Royal Residence, where the Royal Family of Bavaria for centuries. Take this tour early in your visit if you can, as your guide will be an invaluable resource for everything from restaurant recommendations to entertainment ideas and small shops and markets that the guides don’t mention.
06
of 08
Best Dachau Tour: Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site Tour
Buy tickets with Viator
It is common for those who want to pay their respects at the Dachau memorial site to stay in Munich, the nearest large city (only an hour by train), and conversely for those who enjoy a holiday in Munich to take a shady remembrance day and visit this historical site. This walkthrough makes the latter very easy and is also comprehensive enough to work for the former. The five-hour tour, which includes all transportation costs, departs from Munich’s central train station (Hauptbanhof) and heads directly to the site of the Dachau concentration camp, the first and one of the most brutal camps in the horrible Third Reich. system.
You’ll spend three hours exploring the memorial site, which includes an exhibition center, several surviving buildings, some reconstructed buildings, and several different memorials. After paying your respects and exploring the exhibition center, you will return directly to Munich by train. Because Dachau does not allow children under the age of 14 at the memorial site, this is not a family tour.
07
of 08
Best Castle Tour: Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Royal Castles Day Tour
Buy tickets with Viator
Thanks to King Ludwig II of Germany – “the Mad King” – Bavaria is home to several of the most beautiful and famous castles in the world. This comfortable tour takes you on a quick trip to two of the most beautiful: the Rococo Linderhof, with its Moorish Pavilion, and the massive fairytale Neuschwanstein, the inspiration for the famous Disney castle. Note that the tour does not include entry to any of these castles, but time is on purpose, so if you want to pay to enter (around 25 euros in total), you will have plenty of time to do so. The tour also includes time to explore the charming village of Hohenschwangau, at the foot of Neuschwanstein, where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch and some souvenir shopping.
08
of 08
Best Oktoberfest Tour: Small-Group Munich City Tour and Oktoberfest
Buy tickets with Viator
Munich’s massive Oktoberfest draws more visitors than any other festival in the city, and if you’ve considered attending but are a bit overwhelmed by logistics, this small-group tour is perfect for you. Your tour begins with a 90-minute walking tour of Munich, which is more youthful and interesting during Oktoberfest. You will see all the major historical buildings and learn about the history of the city and the origins of this massive festival, the popularity of which has spread around the world. From there, head to Theresienwiese, the festival site, where you’ll take a quick tour (and if you want, you can wear lederhosen or dirndl) before heading to your reserved table in one of the biggest tents at the festival.
Included in the price: two liters of beer and half a chicken. (Could something be more Bavarian?) You’ll have the evening to explore the festival grounds with your new friends or alone, with a guaranteed place to sit and eat in between.
