Munich with kids: green, easy, relaxed. This mellow urban gem in Germany is full of world-class museums, sprawling parks and kid-friendly beer gardens. The German love of orderliness made it an easy place for a family to get around with children, too. Here’s a list of eleven fun things to do in Munich with kids.

German Museum of Technology

The best way to spend a rainy day in Munich is to explore one of the oldest and largest science and technology museums in the world. The museums offer a whole section dedicated to children. Young explorers can fly into the air, sit behind the wheel of a rear fire engine at “Kid’s Kingdom”. Children under 6 are free. https://www.deutsches-museum.de/en

Bavaria Film Studios

If your kids like movies, take them to the Bavaria Film Studios a Munich’s answer to Hollywood. Kids can take a ride on Falkor the dragon from “The Never-Ending Story” in Europe’s largest filmmaking center and parents can experience the submarine of Das Boot. https://www.filmstadt.de/en/

Beer Garden

Although it sounds like more adult type of activity, you can definitely take your kids to the beer garden. Munich’s beer gardens are very family-friendly and keep the kids happy while you enjoy Bavarian beer. Most of them have playgrounds or at least a sandbox. Kids will love the food too: potato salad, sausages and apple strudel. We have put the list of 6 Beer gardens in Munich you will absolutely love:

Augustiner Bräustuben

Off the beaten tourist track, this huge beer hall provides good atmosphere, great booze and cheap food. http://www.braeustuben.de/en/

Waldwirtschaft (a.k.a WA-WI)

If there is any one beer garden that is an absolute must-see, it’s this cosy place in the southern suburbs of Munich. If the weather is good, you just have to go there, as it offers a cosy outdoor location, live jazz and big band sounds on the weekend and traditional food stalls. http://waldwirtschaft.de/?lang=en

The Hofbräuhaus

Be warned, this is the most popular and also most touristy beer hall in Munich. Nevertheless, it’s also one of the most traditional ones and helped to shape the city’s beer culture. http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/hofbraeuhaus.html

Hirschgarten

This is the largest beer garden in the world. It offers space for up to 8,000 (!) guests and is part of Munich beer culture since 1791. https://www.hirschgarten.de/

Seehaus

A place to hang out for Munich’s celebs, it can be overpriced and posh. However, the location is a killer, as it is based right on the shore of a lake in the English Garden, next to a paddle boat rental. https://www.kuffler.de/en/restaurant/seehaus/

Augustiner Keller

The traditional Augustiner Keller provides an indoor beer hall as well as the second largest beer garden in Munich (up to 7,000 guests). Here, the atmosphere on a summer evening is without a question, must have. https://www.augustinerkeller.de/home/

Hellabrunn Zoo

A visit to Munich’s zoo is fun for the whole family. The park is more like a nature preserve than a traditional zoo.  The visitors can enjoy the wonderful view of animals that could normally be obtained on safari. There’s also a petting zoo, pony and camel rides in summer, and a penguin parade in the winter. https://www.hellabrunn.de/en/

See Life

No doubt you have been to at least one Sea Life around the world, so you’ll know they are a fantastic place to take the little ones.  Of course, the highlight at any Sea Life is the massive glass tunnel which goes through the 400,000-litre tank and at Sea Life Munich here you will see a range of ocean life including tropical fish, great big sharks, turtles and stingrays. Kids will love visiting the rockpool where they can touch some of the animals and can see some shows, including watching the ray feeding or seeing the divers who feed the sharks. https://www.visitsealife.com/en/munich/

Glockenspiel

When it comes to things to do in Marienplatz, the most famous attraction would have to be the Glockenspiel.  At 11 am, midday and the addition of 5 pm between March and October, a 15-minute show is played on the 43 different bells on the clock. It will recount various dances and history through figurines – a fun way kids will love and appreciate. Make sure you wait for the show to finish with the clock transforming to a cuckoo clock at the end.

English Garden

One of the largest urban gardens in the world (even bigger than NYC’s Central Park)! The English Garden is a great way to take some time out and appreciate the beautiful city. With 78 kilometres of paths, a Japanese tea house, playground, paddle boats to rent and beer gardens there is something for everyone.

BMW Museum

If anyone in your family is a car lover, then the BMW Museum is one of the Munich things to see.  Located within the BMW factory and spanning across more than 500 sqm, this museum showcases the history of the BMW brand and products since 1916.  Here you will see around 125 automobiles, motorbikes and engines as well as the newest BMW line up. https://www.bmw-welt.com/en/locations/museum.html

Olympic Park

For families who love the Olympics, one of the must-do places to see in Munich includes the Olympic Park.  Visitors can come and walk through the Olympic Stadium, visit the Olympic flame, see the open-air exhibition on the Munich Olympics as well as watch a short film about the Munich Olympics. You can also go up to the observation deck of the Olympic Tower which rises 290 metres above the park.  From the top, you can see a panoramic view of Bavaria all the way to the Alps. https://www.olympiapark.de/de/olympiapark-muenchen/

Nymphenburg Palace

The Nymphenburg Palace is a 17th-century palace which served as the summer residence of the Bavarian rulers and is one of the castles near Munich that tourists love visiting. Over time, the palace has expanded into a magnificent structure surrounded by beautifully landscaped baroque gardens. The tour of the palace walks through the Grand Hall, the royal apartments, and rooms which are decorated with frescoes and numerous artworks.

There are 2 museums included in the palace tour, housed in the pavilions outside the main palace building – MarstallMuseum (Chariot Museum) and Nymphenburg Porcelain Museum. MarstallMuseum displays ornate carriages used by the royal family, like King Ludwig II. The Porcelain Museum displays a wonderful collection mainly comprising of tea sets, table centrepieces and dinner sets from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Do not miss the palace gardens which has numerous small baroque palaces, pavilions, fountains and sculptures. https://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm

Neuschwanstein Castle

Perhaps one of the most photographed Munich sites is the Neuschwanstein Castle. This is one of the best castles near Munich and is said to be the castle that inspired the infamous Disney castle that you can find at Disneyland’s across the world.

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century palace which was created by Ludwig II.  Located high up on the cliffs in the countryside of Bavaria it has to be seen to be believed!  It’s no wonder this is one of the most visited castles in all of Europe. We visited during the winter and it was just magical with a sprinkling of snow all over the place. 

Given this is one of the most popular Munich tourist places, it is recommended that you book your tickets well in advance to avoid disappointment.  Although, if you do miss out on tickets (like us oops), then it is still worth going there just to admire its beauty and take a walk around the outside.  You will quickly see why this is one of the popular attractions near Munich. https://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm