The epicentral heart and soul of the Altstadt, Marienplatz is a popular gathering spot and packs a lot of personality into a compact frame. It's anchored by the Mariensäule, built in 1638 to celebrate victory over Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War. This is the busiest spot in all Munich, throngs of tourists swarming across its expanse from early morning till late at night. Many walking tours leave from here.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.32 MILES
Officially called the KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau, this was the Nazis’ first concentration camp, built by Heinrich Himmler in March 1933 to house political…
3.64 MILES
This commanding palace and its lavish gardens sprawl around 5km northwest of the Altstadt. Begun in 1664 as a villa for Electress Adelaide of Savoy, the…
0.25 MILES
Home to Bavaria's Wittelsbach rulers from 1508 until WWI, the Residenz is Munich's number-one attraction. The amazing treasures, as well as all the…
0.83 MILES
Munich's main repository of Old European Masters is crammed with all the major players who decorated canvases between the 14th and 18th centuries. This…
0.91 MILES
The sprawling English Garden is among Europe's biggest city parks – it even rivals London's Hyde Park and New York's Central Park for size – and is a…
0.7 MILES
Germany's largest modern-art museum unites four significant collections under a single roof: 20th-century art, applied design from the 19th century to…
0.81 MILES
Picture the classic 19th-century museum, a palatial neoclassical edifice overflowing with exotic treasure and thought-provoking works of art, a repository…
0.61 MILES
If you’re one of those people for whom science is an unfathomable turn-off, a visit to the Deutsches Museum might just show you that physics and…
Nearby Munich attractions
Mariensäule (St Mary's Column) was erected in 1638 to celebrate Bavaria's victory over Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War. It's topped by a…
0.02 MILES
For pinpointing Munich's landmarks without losing your breath, catch the lift up this 85m-tall tower.
0.02 MILES
The Glockenspiel has 43 bells and 32 figures that perform two historical events. The top half tells the story of a tournament held in 1568 to celebrate…
0.04 MILES
The soot-blackened façade of the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus is festooned with gargoyles, statues and a dragon scaling the turrets; the tourist office is on…
0.06 MILES
Some 306 steps divide you from the best view of central Munich via the 92m tower of St Peterskirche, central Munich's oldest church (1150). Inside awaits…
0.07 MILES
The eastern side of Marienplatz is dominated by the Altes Rathaus. Lightning got the better of the medieval original in 1460 and WWII bombs levelled its…
0.07 MILES
Spielzeugmuseum, in the south tower of the Altes Rathaus (1474), has a huge collection of toys, Barbie dolls and teddy bears.
0.12 MILES
Gothic at its core, this baroque church on the edge of the Viktualienmarkt has fantastic ceiling frescoes created by the Asam brothers in 1720, depicting…