This blog post was updated on October 1, 2018.
Germany’s southern-most metropolis is a sea of shiny BMWs, endless golden liter beers and plenty of grand museums and palaces. Munich is the obvious capital of Bavaria and for most visitors, it is an essential stop while visiting the country. However, just as the case is in most major European cities, Munich can drain a wallet faster than a twenty-something can glug down that liter beer at Oktoberfest. Travelers shouldn’t write off Munich or pass it by on the autobahn due to cost. Here are a few very simple yet substantial budget savers to put in place on your visit to Munich.
Save Your Museum Visits for Sundays and Save: Munich has a wealth of museums, many of which cost a pretty euro to enter most days of the week. However, a select few of Munich’s museums offer €1 admission on Sundays. One of the most notable is the Bayerisches National Museum, otherwise known as the Bavarian National Museum. The museum traces Bavarian cultural history from the early Middle Ages to the 20th century. The Alte Pinahothek also offers €1 Sunday admission. The museum boasts over 800 European masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the end of the Rococo period.
Stay Outside of the City Center: While in many cases, staying outside of the city center can produce problems, in Munich, this is not generally true. Due to a well connected train system surrounding the inner city, you can very easily take the train into town for your touring and head back out when you are ready to turn in for the night. Room rates at hotels are much cheaper outside of Munich. Also, these hotels tend to have free parking nearby as opposed to those in the city center where parking is a major budget drainer.
Resist Ordering too Much Food at Popular Beer Gardens: Beer gardens are very much a part of Munich’s identity. While you don’t want to miss the experience, you also don’t want to lose your entire trip budget to those steins of beer. If you are visiting the biggest, largest and/or most famous of Munich’s beer gardens, you might want to resist ordering too much to eat. While beer is usually quite consistent with the rest of Munich, food prices can often be high for somewhat mediocre meals.
Purchase the CityTour Card: For some cities, the city card offering unlimited access on public transportation and discounts on attractions is not always a bargain. Sometimes the price of the card is very high and impossible to make worth it in three days time. However, in Munich, the CityTour Card is actually a budget saver for travelers. The tourist card is available for one, three and four day periods, either within the Inner District or all areas in and around Munich. You can use public transport unlimitedly in your selected area. In addition, the card provides discounts on more than 70 tourist attractions such as the BMW Museum and Schloss Nymphenburg. If you just bought your train and metro tickets individually, you will pay €2.60 for one way, one trip. The CityTour Card is particularly appealing for families up to five people. For three days, the whole gang can travel through the Inner District for €30.90 and receive a number of euros off museums, attractions and even restaurants.
Photo: gary yim
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