Museums · Munich · Germany
5 best museums in Munich
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Original: Richard Bartz , Munich aka Makro Freak Derivative work: Crassic, CC BY-SA 2.5
Quick answer
Start with Deutsches Museum, BMW Welt and BMW Museum and Alte Pinakothek. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 11–12 hours across 3 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 11–12 hours
- Areas
- Museumsinsel, Olympiapark and Maxvorstadt
Museums in Munich
Museum · Museumsinsel
1.Deutsches Museum
On an island in the Isar, this is one of the world's largest museums of science and technology, with aircraft, ships, mining tunnels, early computers and hands-on exhibits for children.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Olympiapark
2.BMW Welt and BMW Museum
Next to BMW's four-cylinder headquarters tower, BMW Welt is a free showroom with a swirling glass and steel roof, displaying current cars and motorcycles.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Gallery · Maxvorstadt
3.Alte Pinakothek
One of the world's great Old Masters galleries, with European paintings from the 14th to 18th centuries, including Albrecht Dürer's 1500 self-portrait, one of the largest Rubens collections anywhere, and works by Rembrandt, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Gallery · Maxvorstadt
4.Pinakothek der Moderne
Four museums under one roof cover modern and contemporary art, architecture, design and works on paper.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Gallery · Maxvorstadt
5.Lenbachhaus
The Italianate villa of the 19th-century painter Franz von Lenbach, extended with a modern wing, holds the world's largest collection of works by the Blue Rider group, including Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc and Gabriele Münter.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Museumsinsel | Deutsches Museum | 3–4 hours |
| Olympiapark | BMW Welt and BMW Museum | 2 hours |
| Maxvorstadt | Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne and Lenbachhaus | 2 hours + 2 hours + 1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 3 low cost, 2 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Deutsches Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Museumsinsel): Deutsches Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Olympiapark and Maxvorstadt): BMW Welt and BMW Museum → Alte Pinakothek, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Maxvorstadt): Pinakothek der Moderne → Lenbachhaus, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 5°C (41°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still cold; carnival parties peak before Lent and skiers pass through for the Alps.
- January: highs of 3°C (37°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold, often grey, with snow some days; museums and taverns are cosy and quiet.
- March: highs of 10°C (50°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Early spring with the first beer garden days on sunny afternoons.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Maxvorstadt — University and museum quarter of the Pinakotheken, Königsplatz and student cafés
- Glockenbachviertel and Gärtnerplatz — Stylish streets of cafés, cocktail bars and the city's LGBTQ+ scene by the Isar
- Haidhausen — Village-like streets of 19th-century houses across the Isar from the Deutsches Museum
More of Munich
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Munich?
Deutsches Museum. On an island in the Isar, this is one of the world's largest museums of science and technology, with aircraft, ships, mining tunnels, early computers and hands-on exhibits for children.