Munich with Kids – Beyond Beer and Pretzels in Bavaria’s Capital

Ninety minutes after our flight touched down in Munich from LAX, my husband was downing a liter of beer at a picturesque beer garden. Meanwhile, my children stuffed hunks of giant pretzels in their mouths and I gazed at swans floating in a nearby lake. This scene sums up our glorious week in 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 us to get around with our three children, too. Here’s a list of eight fun and educational things to do in Munich with kids.

1. Englischer Garten – Munich's “Central Park”

For anyone visiting the city with kids, your first order of business should be finding a hotel within walking distance of the Englischer Garten. Enter my pick, Hotel Biederstein. Clean and friendly, with decent-sized rooms for families — this hotel provides the perfect launching pad for exploring Munich with kids.

From here you can easily explore Englischer Garten's pathways, babbling brooks, giant open fields, and no less than three beer gardens. This enormous park is larger than both Hyde Park in London and Central Park in New York City. Our favorite beer garden in the park was Seehaus. It offers cafeteria-style service, a playground, and nearby paddle boat and bike rentals.

The Seehaus is in the center of the Englischer Garten. This lovely garden makes a great place for a picnic, a breezy bike ride, or a makeshift soccer game. Small playgrounds dot the park. At the southern tip there is even a popular surf break created by an artificial wave in Eisbach River. Surfers in wetsuits line the banks of the river waiting for their chance to slip and slide this perfect wave. Even my California kids were mesmerized for a good 45 minutes watching these daring Deutschers surfing the wave.

2. Deutsches Museum – A Museum for All Ages

There is a multitude of amazing museums in Munich. One that families absolutely can’t miss is the Deutsches Museum. From dugout canoes and WWI U-boats to experimental airplanes, this gigantic assemblage of man’s technological advances is full of cool techie information. More importantly, it contains a warehouse full of interactive displays to keep kids captivated for hours. The entire basement floor has been turned over to kids ages 3 to 8. Called the Children’s Kingdom or Kinderreich, there’s no chance for boredom here. This adventure zone includes water play, pulley swings, and a giant fire truck made out of LEGO bricks.

3. Marienplatz – Munich's Pedestrian Zone

Find the center of Munich and you’ll discover a charming old town straight out of a storybook. The central plaza in this pedestrian zone is called the Marienplatz. This is where to view the famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel, a mechanized puppet show at the top of the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall). The clock's tiny knights joust and miniature jesters twirl in a carillon performance that rings at 11 am, noon, and 5 pm.

From here, pick a direction and follow the cobblestone streets to some of the city’s best shopping, sidewalk cafes, and historical sites. You can't miss the Frauenkirche. This church with its double onion domes is the emblem of the city. Also, you must visit Hofbrauhaus, the gigantic if touristy beer hall. An eccentric toy museum called the Spielzeugmuseum is full of vintage teddy bears and goofy amusements stuffed into a handful of rooms in the Old City Hall. And then there's the Viktualenmarkt, an open-air farmer’s market with plenty of stalls to sample everything from unusual cuts of meat to local cheeses.

4. Olympiapark – Munich's Olympic Park

Another must-see while in Munich with kids is the Olympiapark. Built for the 1972 Summer Games, it is now an activity complex complete with water sports and a zip line. The groovy Olympic Schwimhalle is where American swimmer Mark Spitz won his medals. It is still open to the public for swimming. A giant tower called the Olympiaturm rises 290 meters over the park. Take an elevator to the top to see a panoramic view of lower Bavaria all the way to the Alps, with landmarks labeled in white by the efficient tourist office.

5. BMW Welt – For Car Loving Families

For those with car-obsessed kids, a short five-minute walk from the tower brings you to the dark glass and steel behemoth of BMW Welt. This is a combination museum, mega dealership, and corporate headquarters dedicated to all things BMW.

6. Nymphenburg Palace – A Grand Place to Visit

Just outside the center of the city, and easy to get to via subway or streetcar (the S-Bahn), Nymphenburg Palace is a baroque but serene grand residence. Explore its expansive garden lined with pathways. You'll find surprisingly ornate outbuildings and a superb kid-friendly natural history museum.

7. Dachau – Tragic History Lessons

Dachau, a 20-minute streetcar ride outside of the city center, is the infamous former concentration camp. It now houses a thorough museum that covers not just the horrors of daily life at the camp, but also the political situation that gave rise to Hitler’s Nazi party. If visiting Munich with teens or older children, then I recommend visiting this somber site as an important lesson in history. You can book a half-day walking tour of this site to give context to the site for kids.

8. Neuschwanstein Castle – Disney Inspiration

Finally, Neuschwanstein Castle is the quintessential fairy tale castle, located an hour and a half outside Munich by bus or rental car. Built by Mad King Ludwig II and borrowed by Walt Disney as the inspiration for his Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, this building is an architectural wonder. It's full of one-of-a-kind Wagnerian flourishes. Tickets can be a problem during high tourist seasons. Be sure to book ahead. Many tour companies offer it as a one-day excursion from central Munich, like this private tour that you can reserve through TripAdvisor.

Of course, there are delicious beer and pretzels to be had in this Bavarian city. But as you can see, there's so much more to enjoy near and in Munich with kids, too!

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Do you have any questions or fun suggestions for things to do in Munich with kids? Let us know in the comments below!