In “ things to do in Munich ” article, we will go into detail for sightseeing and must do attractions mentioned in Munich guide. So if you haven’t check that out yet, it may be better place to start!
Munich has it all, from historical buildings and churches to open air attractions and parks, from cheeky squares to streets that will satisfy shopping fans and of course many thing for good food and beer lovers.
Not surprisingly the number one on the list of things to do in Munich, is to visit Marienplatz. If you have time enough just to see one place in Munich, this is it! It is the main square of Munich, old times and modern times, and you will be amazed at the huge gothic style building called Rathaus. This is where the old and new council hall is located currently but building itself is really work of art. You will be amazed at details and there is The Glockenspiel in the tower part where at 11:00 am you see these figures moving – totally a tourist attraction! 
While you are in Marienplatz, you will probably also see the tips of two round tower which belongs to Frauenkirche – a famous landmark of Munich. Frauenkirche is Cathedral Church of Our Lady and you can also visit inside.
But before leaving Marienplatz area, if the weather is not foggy, go to the Alter Peter tower just across Rathaus. You can go up for 3 euro, though no elevator and lot of stairs (15 floors to be exact!) the top view is worth it. You can go to top of some other buildings in Munich but I like this one the best as it is the best position to see Rathaus and Frauenkirche and Olympia Tower –all landmark symbols of Munich in one view!
You will obviously see many shopping places, street performers, cafes around here as well but once you are done with the area, you can go to either in Viktualienmarkt or Odeonplatz direction (they are opposite sides).
Viktualienmarkt is one of my favorite place in Munich as this is an open air market place where you can buy snacks and drinks and sit outside tables and have a picnic all of a sudden! Here you will find many local small shops that sells all kinds of cheese, meat, fruits, salads, sausages, fishes, flowers…you name it! And of course you can buy beer from just next to tables so just pick what you want to eat and grab your drink with a table! These shops existed from old times and actually city council hold the rent low for these shops to help them survive in modern times. Though since I always saw this place as locals and tourists magnet not sure this is necessary 😀 But this place is good for a break so it is better if you come to this area after walking around a bit.
Odeonsplatz is Munich’s another main square. You can’t miss it because of the two big lion statues guarding the area 😉 This area is closer to more upper class streets of Munich.
The entry to English Garden can also be made from this area so just walk pass the gate on your left once you have Odeonplatz lions behind you and walk a bit.
Because if you are in Munich and you don’t go to English Garden this is on crime level!
This park is in the middle of the city but it is so big and inside you will be surprised what you can do as it is not your usual nice grassy area near river side park. Actually let me reprase it this way it is bigger than New York’s Central Park! Inside you will find places where you can surf (yeap you read that right), horse ride, get tea ceremony lessons from a Japanese Tea house, drink beer in Munich’s second largest beer garden which has 7000 capacity and a designated area if you want to get tan with your birth suit meaning a place you can be totally naked in public! (yeap, you read that right too!). So it is no exaggeration depending on which part of English Garden you visit you have a different experience. But enough details in this article, if you are interested more check this English Garden Munich article for more details. Also it is free so might as well be the number one on the list of things to do in Munich 🙂
Speaking of parks, Olympiapark another top list item on things to do in Munich lists. It is not just the park, which is totally beautiful and there is a hill where you can see city view but, also BMW Welt and BMW Museum is in this park. I wrote the details in that article but basically BMW Welt is the showroom where you can see lates BMW and groups’s other car models such as Mini Cooper and Rolls Royce. And BMW museum is not boring even if you are not a car enthusiast! So check the details 😉
Another one on things to do in Munich list would be Nymphenburg Schloss. This is a palace and it’s of course huge garden. Though the garden is free entry to inside of the palace requires tickets.
There is one special activity in Munich that should be done, combining sightseeing with good break time, which is visiting a beer garden. Because beer gardens are the soul of Munich and you should definitely experience sitting in one! In summer time or good weather you can sit outside and enjoy a drink (they will also have non alcoholic drinks too). You will be served with waitress/waiters in local dress which you can imagine as October fest clothes and it is really lovely to enjoy atmosphere where people really have a good time. There are hundreds of beer gardens in the city you can get an idea from here www.munichbeergardens.com.
But a must suggestion for first timers in Munich is to visit “Hofbräuhaus” . This is one of the most Baverian places ever. Inside is actually like an October fest tent and you will find live local music, food and of course good beer. But like an October fest it is also crowded and loud so though it is very very popular tourist activity, some tourists will just pass through, have a look inside, take some pictures but just go another place to enjoy a drink in a less loud environment! Frankly it wouldn’t be a complete list of things to do in Munich if I didn’t mention this place!
Also The Asam Church might be of interest to you. Initially it was intended as a private church then turned into public church, but this is what makes it interesting because since it was meant to be a private chapel, it was designed differently from strict design rules of the Baroque church. Check out the Asam Church page for this unique differences and yes visiting is free 🙂
For those of you who are interested in Munich opera and ballet, they might want to check Bayerische Staatsoper Opera House which is actually very gorgeous in the inside. And you can find tickets as cheap as 10 euro. But careful less expensive ones are likely to be standing up –no seat tickets!
And as for the museum lovers, I will eventually make a more detailed guide, but first thing they should know is that on Sundays museums are “1” euro (Except BMW museum which is 10 euro all time) so if you plan to visit a museum and you are there on a Sunday use that day. Most famous museums of Munich are Deutsche Museum and Alte Pinakothek. Deutsche museum is World’s biggest technology and science museum and you can find many interesting subjects inside and it is a place that will make you understand why Germans are ahead in engineering! Not to mention kids love here. And Alte Pinakotherk is where Renaissance and older art works are exhibited. İnside you can find works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Rafael and many other masters. (There is also Neue Pinakothek where as you can imagine you will find works of recent century)
After these major items on the things to do in Munich list, some other things that are worth mentioning:
Hauptbahnhof: Main station and its surroundings- hence an area where you can find everything. Karstad: A shopping center so huge that you can enter from Hauptbahnhof side and get out on next stop Karlsplatz stop!
Sendlinger Tor: Very close to Marienplatz, where number of tourists are just a bit decreased and young people numbers are a bit increased. Has many café and shops around also Asam’s Church is here as well which is famous for its baroque style gorgeous interior desing. Also one of the remaining old gates of Munich is here.
Isartor gate is one of the other old gates remained from city history (three our of four remained and third one is in Karlstor), if you stumble upon it while exploring fine but not something you should search if you are not a history geek.
Maxvorstadt: An upper class neighbourhood. If you are into brand shopping and fine dining check places near this area.
Schwabing: a local hub which has many nice restaurants, cafes and pubs.
Dachau Concentration Camp is also to be mentioned because it is very close to Munich and many tourist take the half day trip to visit here. Details for Dachau visit are on the article!
Since I live in Munich now, I’ll of course update this list of things to do in Munich and Munich guide from time to time and also continue to share Munich secrets in Munich category!
Let me know if you have any questions or things to add in the comments!