Free things to do in Munich

19 places in Munich with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

DoEast
Bayern Munich training ground
These pitches host junior teams of Bayern Munich, right down to 8 year olds - so some of them will be star players five or six World Cups from now, imagine. The first team also trains here with a public session at least once a week. They're usually happy to oblige with autographs and selfies.
Free
SeeSouth-West
Blutenburg Castle
Schloss Blutenburg
This was built in 1438 as a hunting lodge for Albert III, Duke of Bavaria. It was on a river island between two arms of the River Würm, with the east arm dammed to create an ornamental lake - leisure rather than defence was always the intention here, and the ring wall, towers and gatehouse weren't designed against serious assault. It was embellished and extended by Albert's son Duke Sigismund, the stand-out being the chapel of 1488 in late Gothic style. Since 1983 the castle has housed the International Youth Library (Internationale Jugendbibliothek) so there is limited public access to the interior. You enter through the gatehouse into the courtyard. A stepped ramp or "ox piano" leads to the upper courtyard, with the Herrenhaus or mansion. The castle often hosts concerts and other cultural events and has a restaurant. Just outside is a modern sculpture park: notable works are the Spanish stone cross, the "plastic-granite" blocks, the Joseph Michael Neustifter memorial, and the memorial to the 7000 sent on the death march from Dachau just ahead of the Allied advance.
Daily Apr-Sep 09:00-17:00, Oct-Mar 10:00-16:00Free
SeeAltstadt
Frauenkirche
Church of Our Lady
This huge church defines the Munich skyline with its twin onion-domed towers, a shade over 98 m tall - the money ran out for the planned spires. It's the Roman Catholic cathedral, but always known locally as Frauenkirche. It was built from 1469 to 1488 in brick because of a lack of suitable local stone; the towers were only completed in 1525, cleverly anticipating a law of 2004 that no structure within Altstadt may exceed 99 m in height. Although its style is Gothic, it's fairly simple outside and in, without the usual ornamentation of that style. Eleven kings or archdukes of Bavaria are interred here. The church was bombed in wartime and full restoration took until 1994. Its three naves are of equal height, creating a single hall soaring so high that you can't see the windows, and light floods in from no visible source. This is in legend is the feature that caused the devil to stamp in pique, leaving a black footprint (Teufelstritt) within a yellow flagstone just inside the entrance. You can climb the south tower.
Daily 07:30-20:30, tower ascent 10:00-17:00Free; tower ascent adult €7.50, child €5.50
SeeNorth
Herz Jesu Kirche
This Roman Catholic church was built 1997-2000 after the previous church burned down. It's a large blue glass cube 14 m per side, which contains a wooden interior cube. The church within is spare and minimalistic. The entire glass facade can be opened like a gigantic gate. This only happens on public holidays so don't be lured by their "open door" announcements, which will engulf you in prayer and parish activities.
Thu-Sun 08:00-19:00, Mon 12:00-19:00Free
SeeAltstadt
Kunstfoyer VKB
Changing art exhibitions provided by the art foundation of Versicherungskammer Bayern.
Daily 09:30-19:00Free
SeeAltstadt
Michaelskirche
Grand Renaissance church built for the Jesuits 1583-1599 by Duke Wilhelm V, as a bastion of the Counter-Reformation against those awful Lutherans. The Duke nearly busted the state coffers in buying up the land and funding a construction that townsfolk reckoned was too big to stand. And down fell the tower: "I know, I'll build it bigger". This version survived until bombed in wartime and was restored in the 1950s. The facade and interior continue the triumphal theme, for example the statue of Archangel Michael slaying a demon who might be Protestant. The church crypt holds many tombs of the Wittelsbach dynasty, including "mad king" Ludwig II.
Mon-Sat 08:00-19:00, Sun 07:00-22:00Free
SeeNorth
Nordfriedhof
Northern Cemetery
In mid-19th century the city's only cemetery was the Southern in Ludwigvorstadt. It was getting full so a north cemetery was opened in 1868 in Maxvorstadt - and was obviously too small for the burgeoning city. A further north cemetery was created here in 1884. Among the 34,000 interred are singer-actor "Jopi" Heesters, Ernst Mach who gives his name to a measure of supersonic speed, and Oswald Spengler who predicted the collapse of Western civilisation from 2000 AD. It has an impressive funeral chapel and morgue, which figure in Thomas Mann's novel Death in Venice. The "grove of honour" holds 2099 victims of the World War II Allied air raids.
Closed · opens 8 am tomorrowFree
SeeLudwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt
Old South Cemetery
Alter Südfriedhof
This was established in 1563 when plague overfilled the church graveyards, and bodies needed to be interred beyond city limits. St Stephan's church at its main north entrance was built at the same time. From 1788 to 1868 it was Munich's single collective burial ground, becoming non-denominational, so it's the last resting-place of some 14,000 citizens. The roll-call includes Josef von Fraunhofer, Friedrich von Gärtner, Leo von Klenze, Justus von Liebig, Georg Simon Ohm and Carl Spitzweg. Also here are many of the 1100 victims of "Sendling's Night of Murder" (Sendlinger Mordweihnacht), a peasant rebellion against Austrian rule in 1705. The cemetery is studded with elaborate gravestones and crypts, and you can find particular graves on the city cemetery website. It was gradually closed down during the early 20th century but is maintained as a cultural relic and green space.
Daily 08:00-20:00Free
SeeMaxvorstadt
Palaeontological Museum
Lots of fossils including Archaeopteryx, Triceratops and Saber-toothed Cat. The museum itself is an interesting building, on three floors but an hour is plenty to see it all.
Mon-Thu 08:00-16:00, Fri 08:00-14:00Free
DrinkMaxvorstadt
Palais Club
Popular techno club with plushy red charm. Free entry until midnight, and it only starts getting populated then.
Fri Sat 20:00-10:00
SeeLudwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt
St Andreas' church
Striking modern Roman Catholic church completed in 1953. Even more striking are the five bells, which are trying their best to be heard in Hamburg.
Daily 09:00-18:00Free
SeeMaxvorstadt
St Benno's
This neo-Romanesque church was completed in 1895, one of a trio commissioned for the expanding district of Maxvorstadt. It was bombed in wartime but rebuilt to the original design. Outside, St Benno himself teeters on a column, and the statue of a fish with a key in its mouth recalls his days as 11th century Bishop of Meissen. He kept siding with the wrong king and the wrong pope, and when ousted hurled the cathedral keys into the Elbe. But later they turned up in his fish supper, whereupon regal order, apostolic succession and church access were serenely restored.
Daily 08:00-19:00Free
SeeMaxvorstadt
St Boniface's Abbey
Abtei St Bonifaz
This Benedictine abbey was founded in 1835 by King Ludwig I to renew his realm's spiritual life, while in no way impeding his liaison with dancing girls. Bombed during World War II, it was only partially rebuilt. The church holds regular services and the king is buried here, as is his queen Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
Sun 10:00-12:00, Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00Free
SeeMaxvorstadt
St Ludwig
This Roman Catholic church is opposite the main building of the University of Munich (LMU Munich). It's in Romanesque style, and features the second-largest altar fresco in the world. No, they didn't sanctify the king, the dedication is to Saint Louis IX of France, patron saint of Bavaria, and "Louis" in German is Ludwig.
Daily 08:00-20:00Free
SeeLudwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt
St Maxmilian Church
In a prominent position on the banks of the Isar, this Roman Catholic parish church was mostly complete by 1908, though the sacristry was only added in 1938. It was bombed during wartime but restored by 1953. It was again closed for restoration during 2021. The mighty organ and church bells will get your attention when they sound off, and the church sometimes hosts concerts. Since 1993 the pastor has been the flamboyant Rainer Maria Schießler (b 1960), who used to serve beer at Oktoberfest. No, not in a low-cut dirndl.
Mon-Thu 10:00-16:00Free
SeeLudwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt
St Paul's church
Paulskirche
Massive Roman Catholic church in neo-Gothic style, completed in 1906. It was bombed out in 1944 but rebuilt, albeit with a simpler interior. Its best known feature is the 97 m main tower. In 1960 a Convair C-131 transport plane lost power on take-off, clipped the tower and crashed into the street, killing all 20 on board and 32 in a passing tram. The tower can be climbed to a viewing platform but only during Oktoberfest (donation, and weather dependent), commanding a view from the Wiesn festivities below to the Alps.
Daily 08:00-20:00Free
SeeMaxvorstadt Not mapped
NS-Dokumentationszentrum
Documenting the deeds of the Nazis in Munich - it's a sort of inverse Yad Vashem, ensuring that the names and acts of the perpetrators are faithfully chronicled for all time. It's text-heavy, with translations, so it's an immersive collection if you're comfortable with that style.
Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00Free
SeeAltstadt Not mapped
Theatinerkirche
Church of St Cajetan and Adelheid
Roman Catholic church in eye-catching Italianate High Baroque, looking like it belongs in Syracuse. The Theatins were an austere monastic order founded by the 15th century Saint Cajetan, and they built several similar churches. This one was built from 1662 as thanksgiving for the birth of Maximilian II Emanuel, which secured the royal succession. The church was damaged in wartime but restored, and is now in the care of the Dominican Order.
Daily 07:00-20:00Free
SeeMaxvorstadt Not mapped
Die Neue Sammlung
Museum of industrial design.
Tue Wed Fri-Sun 10:00-18:00, Thu 10:00-20:00Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Munich (CC BY-SA 4.0).