Arts and culture in Munich

The official Oktoberfest beer stein with our new Oktoberfest motive is now available to order.

The city walk for everyone who wants to become acquainted with the most beautiful parts of Munich's city centre.

The Munich Residence is one of Bavaria’s most significant historic buildings and a real highlight for visitors to the city.

Take the time to discover "the Wiesn" as it lives and breathes on a guided tour of the festival grounds.

Book a visit to the observation deck of Munich's Frauenkirche and enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the city.

Impressive architecture and unique ambience: discover the Law Library in the New Town Hall.

Buy now vouchers for your visit in Munich. The ideal gift! Guided tours, guest cards and more...

This exciting bike tour takes you through the city, the Englischer Garten and past other well-known sights.

Enjoy this special tour and pedicap ride past all the famous sights of Munich's old town.

Enjoy this special tour and pedicap ride past all the famous sights of Munich's old town and into the Englischer Garten.

This is pure relaxation: you take a cosy rickshaw ride with your guide through Munich's old town and enjoy a fresh beer and pretzel.

The hop-on hop-off city bus tours of Gray Line will let you collect unforgettable impressions of Munich.

Discover the sights of Munich and visit the Allianz Arena and the training grounds of FC Bayern.

Immerse yourself in the world of the Fairy-Tale King! Discover the royal castles on an unforgettable day trip from Munich.

A day trip to Germany’s highest mountain – with spectacular views, tobogganing and a ride on the historic rack-and-pinion railway.

Visit the birthplace of composer extraordinaire Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, stroll through the Baroque old town and then relax on the journey to beautiful Lake Wolfgang.

Hop on and be whisked away by one of the world's most beautiful stretches of street: the Romantic Road to Rothenburg and Harburg.

The day trip takes you along the Alpine Road to Berchtesgaden area with its dreamlike scenery.

Experience a brewery tour at Spaten with a look behind the scenes, interesting facts about the company history and beer tasting in the brewery tower.

Get to know the special role of Munich during the time of National Socialism on this walk.

Exclusive and safe: Discover the most beautiful sights and corners of Munich's city centre with your official personal guide.

From the Old Masters to the new young things: Munich's museums showcase art from all branches and eras. Here are some exhibitions that you'll definitely want to catch in 2026!

From the Residenz to the Bier- und Oktoberfestmuseum: Munich's city centre is a paradise for museum lovers. An overview.     

Classic, modern, stately, contemporary: four tours through Munich's museums and galleries. A quick glance at all the key artistic highlights.

Interim uses are creative approaches for repurposing temporarily vacant buildings. Munich regularly hosts exciting events for anyone who wants to discover the city's dynamic side.  

Munich is renowned for its grand museums, but there are also some smaller venues in the city that offer exciting exhibitions and are sometimes real insider tips!

The exhibition at the BMW Museum with its futuristic façade tells the story of the car manufacturer through the lens of cars, motorbikes and engines.

Munich is known for its great museums, but there are also plenty of young galleries and art venues in the city that are worth a visit.

Every museum contains an exhibit that is particularly hard work – because it requires especially laborious setup or needs to be monitored. Three conversations.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria, also known as the Fairytale King, built elaborate palaces and innovative devices that were visionary. Here are just five of his amazing inventions.

Munich’s theatres are legendary – and diverse. We have put together a Q and A as a guide to Munich's opera and theatre scene.

Believe it or not, Munich was a pioneer of the German graffiti scene. From a juicy punishment for the first wholetrain in Europe to the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art: a review.

Awakening in spring, revelry in autumn, retreat in winter: the passage of the seasons as depicted in works of art Three examples from Munich’s galleries.

The Archäologische Staatssammlung is one of the few museums in Munich that our author was not yet familiar with. She was there for the first time after the reopening and felt thoroughly entertained.

Our Munich-based author has been cycling past the Alpine Museum for over 30 years. For the series ‘I've never been ...’ she was finally inside!

Munich, Germany's design capital, ranks alongside international centres such as Barcelona, Milan, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai. An overview.

The comedy duo Liesl Karlstadt and Karl Valentin were a dream couple in Munich's cultural history – but what about in real life?

Munich’s Bayerisches Nationalmuseum owns the world’s most artistically valuable and extensive collection of nativity scenes. An interview with curator Thomas Schindler.

Some public art in Munich is unknown even to the locals. We present six works of art that can often only be discovered at second glance.

It is right in our midst, and yet we hardly know anything about it: Munich's public art. We asked some passers-by what they thought.

The Brandhorst collection has the greatest works by Andy Warhol from anywhere outside the USA. The “Forever Young” exhibition brings home just how important the artist remains – even today.

A visit to the opera must be planned well in advance? Admission is only available in the finest evening wear? And you can't do anything without studying music? Far from it!

Munich has long been the cradle of the European graffiti scene. Our author once painted graffiti himself, and today looks back on a quite exceptional piece of work.

Our author takes part in a special cycling tour that leads her to discover important works of graffiti and street art in public spaces.

What defines a visit to a gallery? A conversation about modern art and its meaning.

How does it feel to visit an opera for the first time? And what makes the Munich Nationaltheater so special?

The story of Ludwig II is a legendary tale: an account of a glamorous time that played out not only in Neuschwanstein, but also directly within the Munich court – the Residenz palace in the city centre.

Our author tries to elicit enough tones from the seemingly easiest instrument so that she can accompany a simple march.

Lenbachhaus, Museum Brandhorst, Pinakothek: We asked three museum professionals to introduce us to some of their favourites.

The Various Others art festival provides a platform for contemporary art in Munich every year. Exhibitions, performances and parties take place over a period of ten days.

Famous faces from Munich describe their favourite pieces in Munich’s museums and explain just what makes these pieces so special to them.

Angelika Nollert is the Director of the Neue Sammlung, the international design museum housed within the Pinakothek der Moderne. She picked her five favourite pieces for us.

Good ballet appears lightweight, as if almost floating. A trial training session with the Munich ballet star, Dustin Klein.

We talked to the producers of the tourism spot The Unbelivabowls about the creative side of Munich and their favourite places in the city.

Adolf Hitler’s journey to power began in Munich. A tour into the past.

At the turn of the 16th century, no painter was considered as modern as Caravaggio. His use of light and shadow was both radical and new. An interview with curator Dr. Bernd Ebert.

For centuries, lighting has played a dominant role in painting. But then came the great age of abstraction. A conversation about the importance of light in art.

Club today, opera tomorrow: the musician Beni Brachtel loves new sounds and old equipment. A visit to his studio.

The Lenbachhaus is for the first time now exhibiting works by Marianne von Werefkin and Alexej von Jawlensky. Curator Annegret Hoberg explains the extraordinary lives the pair led.

Cy Twombly’s Lepanto cycle in the Museum Brandhorst is a monumental study about life, history and light. A visit to Achim Hochdörfer, director of the museum.

Pretzel, beer glass, typeface: Munich designers critique some everyday objects that are a regular sight around the city.

Daniel Speck, bestselling author of the novel Bella Germania, talks about how the novel came about, feelings of home, and what he appreciates most about Munich.

Screenwriter and novelist Elena Hell, a true Munich native, talks about her research for the new series ‘Sisi’ and why she has never turned her back on Munich.

Annegret Liepold tackles an important topic in her debut novel and reveals where she goes in Munich to experience contemporary literature.

Pierre Jarawan, poetry slammer and writer, shows us two of his favourite places and tells us where else he likes to go in Munich.

What is the right way to play in a beer garden? An interview with bandmaster Mathias Achatz.

Experience the adventure of archaeology, a special kind of time travel. Whether it's the permanent exhibition or a special exhibition.

During the renovation of the Gasteig cultural centre, the aim was to avoid vacancies. This gave rise to the Fat Cat, an interim use project, dedicated to the city's cultural diversity.

The listed 19th century riding hall has become a "happening place" for concerts, festivals, exhibitions, theatre and readings. Historical ambience meets state-of-the-art technology here.

For over 40 years, the Münchner Theater für Kinder has been staging charming pieces for old and young alike. Curtain up!

The former Pfanni potato factory is now home to Werk 7, a musical theatre run by Stage Entertainment.

More than 70 flying objects can be marvelled at in the Flugwerft Schleißheim - from modern fighter jets to historic wooden planes, there is something for young and old.

An amazing experience for young and old alike: The transport centre displays unique means of transport – such as the first car with an internal combustion engine.

Never before had there been so much art and progress witnessed in the city: The reign of Prince Regent Luitpold is considered to be Munich's “Golden Age”.

The Marstallmuseum displays over forty antique carriages, sleighs and gala carriages. Also on display: fine Nymphenburg porcelain.

The small natural history museum shows the close connection between humans, animals and nature - from the beginnings of hunting to the forest habitat.

From bead work by the Sioux to artistically painted paddles from the Solomon Islands: This museum provides cultural riches from all over the world.

The Glyptothek with its Greek temple façade offers visitors an outstanding collection of ancient Greek and Roman marble statues. It was opened in 1830 as Munich's first museum by King Ludwig I.

One of the world's most important collections of Greek, Roman and Etruscan minor art: the Staatliche Antikensammlungen on Königsplatz (square).

Modern equipment, a flexible stage and outstanding acoustics: the Residenztheater has been delighting Munich residents since 1951.

The place that launched Bertolt Brecht's career in theatre. The Kammerspiele is one of the most important traditional theatre in the German-speaking world.

Enjoy free open-air opera at the "opera for all" event at Max-Joseph-Platz in Munich.

Bizarre humor at its best: the Valentin-Karlstadt Museum is dedicated to the life and work of Munich comedian and folk singer Karl Valentin, and his wonderful partner, Liesl Karlstadt.

A new cultural venue opened in Munich-Aubing: The Bergson invites you to concerts, art, parties and gastronomy on around 20,000 square meters.

A diverse and creative programme of classical spoken theatre and on the major music stages: here is an overview.

The Deutsches Museum is one of the oldest and largest science and technology museums in the world. Here, you can find countless hands-on experiments – science you can touch.

The Bavaria has a fascinating history – explained by Aslan Göktepe, who runs the Kunstgießerei München together with his father.

The soprano Anna Feith sings in the vocal ensemble of the Bayerische Orchesterakademie. She loves the district of Haidhausen.

Our author is a modern young woman. What does Jawlensky's ‘Portrait of the Dancer Alexander Sacharoff' mean to her?

The best Wiesn histories are tales of friendship and love, inebriation and generosity. Fairground operators about their Oktoberfest experiences.

Many Munich museums and institutions have their own podcast. Here we present a few examples that are particularly worth listening to.

When it comes to stages, Munich is known above all else for its big performance locations. But there is also plenty of cabaret going on in the city.

There are more and more immersive and interactive exhibitions in Munich that encourage visitors to join in and experience them. An overview.

The Munich Residence is one of Bavaria’s most significant historic buildings and a real highlight for visitors to the city.