Getting to Know Munich: From Stachus to the Siegestor

In a single day, this tour shows you the places that make Munich what it is. You start at the Karlstor and walk through the pedestrian zone to Marienplatz, where the Old and New Town Halls face each other. After a detour to the Viktualienmarkt with its maypole, you catch the Glockenspiel and can look out over the rooftops of the Old Town from the Town Hall tower. The Alter Hof then recalls the days when the Wittelsbachs had their first residence here.

After lunch in the shadow of the Frauenkirche, Theatinerstrasse leads you to Odeonsplatz with the Feldherrnhalle and the Theatine Church. Your longest stop is at the Residenz, whose state rooms and courtyards give you a good sense of court life in Bavaria. In the Hofgarten, you can take a short break at the Diana Temple before strolling along Ludwigstrasse to the Siegestor, which also introduces you to the transition into Schwabing.

In the evening, you take the subway back to the Old Town, have dinner in the vaulted cellars of the Ratskeller, and wind down the day with a drink at a bar near Marienplatz. The distances are short, the pace is balanced, and you hardly need public transportation. The tour is especially well suited if it's your first time in Munich and you want to get an overview of the history, architecture, and everyday life of the city center in a short time.