Munich is one of the most popular travel destinations in Germany with children. The capital of Bavaria offers numerous parks, family-friendly museums, excursions and exciting leisure activities. There is always something to discover in Munich. These are our suggestions for families with children at any time of year and in any weather!
- Munich sights: with children in the city centre
- Museums for children in Munich
- Excursions with children in and around Munich
- Children's activities in Munich for sports fans
- The Englischer Garten (park): tips for families
- Hellabrunn Zoo
- Beer gardens with a playground
- Munich Olympic Park
- Theatre for children in Munich
- Child-friendly cafés in Munich
Munich's city centre is easy to explore on foot or with a pushchair. These many sights and Munich landmarks appeal not only to adults but also to little ones:
Marienplatz, the heart of the city, with its famous Glockenspiel.
St. Peter's, also known as Alter Peter, is one of the city's most famous churches and vantage points. How many steps lead up to it?
The tower of the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall), which, unlike the popular Alter Peter lookout tower, has a lift – and the view is just as fantastic!
The Frauenkirche: Particularly fascinating for young and old alike is the Devil's Step legend in Munich Cathedral.
The Viktualienmarkt (market): Here you can get fresh food and regional snacks for in-between hunger pangs. Strolling through the stalls and tasting food is also fun for children.
Odeonsplatz with the white Theatinerkirche and its Hofgarten. The two lion figures in front of the entrance to the Residenz (next to the entrance to the Hofgarten) are famous in Munich: They say whoever strokes their nose is lucky.
The Deutsches Museum is one of the largest natural science museums in the world. It is not only the Children's Kingdom (for children aged 3 to 8) that captivates the little ones. Experimental workshops, workshops and guided tours are very popular with children and young people. The adjoining Transport Museum and Schleissheim Airfield also offer plenty of things worth seeing for children.
The Museum Mensch und Natur (human and nature Museum) is an outstanding natural history museum near Schloss Nymphenburg (palace). Here you can also visit the Marstallmuseum with its impressive collection of courtly carriages in the southern part of the palace.
Magic Bavaria: The adventure museum in the MONA shopping centre offers fun, illusions and unforgettable photo opportunities for families, tourists and influencers. Immerse yourself in a world full of surprises and create memories that will last!
WOW Museum Munich: Immerse yourself in the world of optical illusions. 19 interactive experience rooms, 5 photo stations, puzzle stations with a competition and much more await visitors.
The Children's Museum at the main railway station: a place of world discovery that invites you to experiment with changing hands-on exhibitions.
FC Bayern Museum: Combine a visit to the Allianz Arena and the FC Bayern Museum with an extraordinary city tour. Info here.
BMW Welt and BMW Museum: racing cars, automobiles and motorbikes in the BMW Welt also inspire the little ones. In the varied Junior Programme at BMW Welt and the BMW Museum, children and teenagers interactively discover the mobility of the future and take a look at more than 100 years of automotive history.
The Pinakothek der Moderne is ideal for all those who are enthusiastic about art, design, architecture and graphics. Especially interesting for families: the family tours and the creative children's programme.
A visit to the Egyptian Museum is a real cultural experience. There are regular exciting guided tours for families. Admission is free for children under 18. Also free is the small Palaeontological Museum on Königsplatz – among fossils and skeletons, dinosaur fans are guaranteed to be happy.
Kinderkunsthaus at Schwabing: In the “open programme“ in the workshop and media lab, children become artists and creatives. Worshops and courses are also offered.
A historic toy collection from over two centuries awaits in the Spielzeugmuseum (Toy Museum) in the Old Town Hall, directly on Marienplatz.
Looking for family-friendly excursion destinations in Munich and the surrounding area? Here you will find our excursion tips:
If you like riding waves, visit the O2 Surftown MUC, the first surf park of its kind in Germany, which is located near Munich Airport. Even if you don't want to get wet, you can watch the surfing action on the terrace.
Day trip to Starnberger See (lake) with a boat trip. It's worth visiting the children's playground in the Bürgerpark near where the boats dock.
Excursion to Schliersee (lake): Near the “Schliersee“ railway station on the shore of the lake is a lovely playground next to a beer garden with pedal boat hire.
Trip to the Allgäu Skyline Park: the amusement park has over 60 attractions: pure thrills and fun rides for children. Here you'll find the highest overhead roller coaster in Europe and the most powerful motorbike coaster in the world. Younger children will love the Kids Farm. And for refreshment and slide fun, there's the fun pool and the new white-water slide.
Day trip to the castles of the Bavarian fairytale king Ludwig II in the surrounding area, for example to Neuschwanstein, Linderhof or Herrenchiemsee. Here, München Tourismus also offers organised day trips with bus transfers and skip-the-line service!
Märchenwald amusement park in the Isartal: Child-friendly fairytale houses, numerous climbing opportunities, attractions and rides make the park particularly attractive for families. Children can let off steam in the climbing garden and playgrounds.
The Bavaria Filmstadt: Here you can take a look behind the scenes of cinema & TV as well as a unique 4D experience cinema.
Wildpark Poing (Wildlife Park): Families can observe a wide variety of animals in their natural environment on a 4 km long forest hiking trail. The birds of prey demonstration and the adventure playgrounds are further attractions.
Bergtierpark Blindham in Aying: Native wild animals, a variety of attractions, a barbecue area and panoramic views of the Alps. In bad weather, the SpielStadl at Blindhamer Hof offers great fun for children. Attention: no card payment possible.
Munich Airport Visitors Park: Discover the airport world on an exciting airport tour. The most popular attractions include a viewing hill and an adventure playground, which is open all year round and accessible free of charge.
Excursion to Oberschleissheim/Unterschleissheim: Schloss Schleissheim and the Flugwerft Schleissheim of the Deutsches Museum are particularly worth seeing, where interesting exhibits, guided tours and a flight simulator will delight the whole family.
The leisure sports programme offered by the Department of Education and Sport includes various free sports and games activities for children and young people in the city.
Family-friendly Munich pools: Munich's outdoor and indoor pools, such as the Michaelibad, the Westbad, the Dantebad, the Cosimawellenbad and the Ungererbad.
Climbing and bouldering in Munich: Here you can find the Munich climbing guide.
Bicycle tours through Munich: Discover the city and its highlights in a relaxed way by bike.
Beer gardens, playgrounds, lakes and manicured meadows promise a relaxing afternoon in the English Garden. On foot, by bike or a rickshaw tour, here we reveal our favourite places:
The beer garden at the Chinesischer Turm in the Englischer Garten beckons with a lovely playground, a historic children's carousel (open from April to October; only in fine weather) and brass band music. Here you can enjoy a snack you have brought with you and of course there is also a delicious selection of Bavarian dishes directly in the beer garden.
The Seehaus is located directly on the shore of the Kleinhesseloher See. The idyllic location of the lake is perfect for walks and great fun for anyone who wants to hire a boat! At the Seehaus, the restaurant, beer garden and terrace with panoramic views are highly recommended.
The Eisbachwelle (river wave) is one of Munich's top attractions. Children and adults alike will be thrilled by the famous surfers at the Eisbachwelle. It is located in Prinzregentenstrasse opposite house number 22.
If you have a whole day to spare, after a lunch break you can continue on to Tierpark Hellabrunn – one of the most animal-rich zoos in Europe. The zoo has a lot to offer, especially for little guests: a petting enclosure with pygmy goats, two playgrounds and the Hellabrunn Children's Land.
If you are already in Thalkirchen, you can take a walk along the Isar river. It takes an hour to walk from the city centre to the Glockenbach district. If you don't feel like walking, take the little ones to the Flaucher – a great adventure and swimming paradise in summer!
Fresh air and sightseeing make you hungry. Here are a few family-friendly beer gardens that not only offer delicious Bavarian food, but also play facilities for the kids.
The Hofbräukeller on Wienerplatz in Haidhausen district.
The Augustiner-Keller beer garden at Hackerbrücke.
The beer garden at the Chinesischer Turm in the Englischer Garten.
The Königlicher Hirschgarten in the west of Munich.
In Munich, a visit to the Olympiapark (Olympic Park) is an absolute must. Fascinating for young and old are the architecture of the stadium of the 1972 Summer Olympics and the many green spaces. These are the most popular sights and leisure tips for families in the Olympic Park:
Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower): the Olympic Tower is Munich's tallest building and offers the best views over the city all the way to the Alps. (Closed until probably 2026 due to renovation work.)
Ride on the park railway: The ride departs every 30 minutes from the Olympiasee (lake) in front of the Olympic Tower and from BMW Welt. Tickets are available from the driver.
Tent roof tour on the Olympic roof: Here you can discover the exciting history of the Olympic Park with children (from ten years) and enjoy the spectacular view.
Visit to BMW Welt and the BMW Museum: Families discover more than 100 years of automobile history and the mobility of the future here.
Family outing to Sea Life Munich in the Olympic Park: a fascinating underwater experience!
In Munich's children's theatres, the little ones can experience theatre performances suitable for children. Our recommendations for families:
Munich Marionette Theatre: It is one of the oldest marionette theatres with a permanent seat in the German-speaking world.
Münchner Theater für Kinder (theatre for children): From the robber Hotzenplotz to Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio: professional actors perform plays for children from the age of four at the Munich Theatre for Children.
Kleines Theater im Pförtnerhaus (Small theatre in the gatehouse): The hand puppet theatre in Oberföhring has been impressing visitors for 40 years with its weekly changing programme and small theatre café.
In Munich, there are many opportunities to sit in a relaxed café with a child and take a short break from sightseeing.
La Sophia in the Au offers good Italian food and a reading and colouring corner for the little ones, where they can pass the time to their heart's content.
At the Kleine Sportgeister Café in Schwabing, which is also known as the Turncafé by parents, children from zero to three years of age get their money's worth in the mornings during the open Turncafé hours. The indoor playground may have a small selection of food, but nobody will go hungry.
In the Schlachthof district, there is Café Zuckertag, a day-care centre with a playroom and coffee for children aged zero to six. In summer, the outdoor area with a playground is a great attraction.
Café Pfefferminza in Giesing offers children's portions, children's cutlery and crockery as well as toys throughout the café and a play corner with a craft and colouring table.
When the weather is nice, Café Steinchen in Laim attracts many guests young and old with its beautiful green outdoor area. The homemade wooden railway is a great place to play.
Café Glückskind is located on a quiet side street in Haidhausen with its terrace and spacious children's play area. In addition to coffee and cake, there are also daily specials.
If you want to combine your coffee break with a little excursion between April and September, visit one of the Hofreiter Beerencafés around Munich. The Hofreiter Beerencafé in Johanneskirchen is a 15-minute walk from the Johanneskirchen S-Bahn station.
