Must-Sees in the Old Town of Munich
What should you see in Munich's old town?
Well, there's quite a lot! In our “village of a million people”, the beautiful famous sights are all very close to each other. It takes an easy stroll from one attraction to the next. When you join one of our walking tours, our routes will never be the same! Instead, we often decide spontaneously whether to turn left or right on our way. There are interesting stories everywhere, and we want to make sure to provide you with the perfect Munich experience for your group!
This is what a Munich tour with us could look like:
At Marienplatz, Munich's old market, you will find out where traders used to sell their fresh produce day after day: from barley for beer and wheat for bread to fresh fish, herbs, eggs, salt and wine. Today, Marienplatz is car-free and the pedestrian zone celebrated its 50th anniversary some time ago. What happened to the market? It moved literally around the corner! But before we go there, we will explain why there is an old town hall on Marienplatz that looks new, but a new town hall that looks old - and where FC Bayern Munich regularly celebrates the first place in the national soccer championship.
Just a few steps away, at Petersbergl, we will travel far back in history, to the time before Munich was founded. About 1,000 years ago, monks settled here, and our city would be named after them: The German word for “monk” is “Mönch” which already sounds a lot like “München”. If you look at our buildings, buses and streets, you will spot the Münchner Kindl, the Munich child monk, everywhere! Our oldest parish church, St. Peter's or Alter Peter, as we like to call it, is also located here. Hear the amazing story of the reconstruction of this beautiful baroque church and experience how religious traditions are still practiced today.
Do you know what Viktualien are? What makes a real Munich beer garden? And do you know you are drinking a true Munich brew? Let us visit the colorful hustle and bustle of the world-famous Viktualienmarkt together. Work up an appetite for your next stroll through the market as you take a look behind the scenes of the stalls with us. Who knows, maybe there will be some time for a little chat with the market people?
Let's stick to the topic of beer, an essential part of Bavarian culture. In the Alter Hof, the first residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty, you will not only find the Monkey Tower with its legendary history. This is also where we had the first Hofbräuhaus. The Hofbräuhaus am Platzl is definitely one of the most famous places in Munich. Tourists and guests from all over the world gather here, as well as many locals at their traditional regulars' tables. However, at the Platzlgassen around the corner, we will explain that things were not always as peaceful here.
The 738-year reign of the Wittelsbach dynasty, the dukes, electors, kings and even emperors, they all have left their mark on Munich. At Max-Joseph-Platz, right in front of the Munich Residence and the Opera, you will feel like in an Italian piazza! Okay, that was slightly exaggerated, because the square still has an austere charm. But we're working on it, we promise! Find out who we owe all these magnificent buildings to, and listen to our stories about the Bavarian monarchy.
How about a trip to modern Munich? The Fünf Höfe, an exclusive shopping mile with a historic façade, impresses us with an imposing architecture and a fascinating mix of stores, restaurants and modern art. Walking through impressive brick buildings, we will eventually reach the famous landmark of our city: the Frauenkirche, or more officially, the Cathedral of Our Lady. A Gothic masterpiece with remarkable towers and lots of exciting history. Incidentally, it was built in no less than 20 years in the 15th century. But do you know how that was possible? There's a remarkably devilish story about it.... just go with us, we will tell you all about it!