Munich Old Town Walking Tour: City History & Highlights

Intruduction to Munich’s history in the Old Town: from Wittelsbach Bavaria and Bismarck-era unification to the Nazi origins and the Beer Hall Putsch. We visit Marienplatz with the New and Old Town Halls, Hofbräuhaus, Odeonsplatz, Max-Joseph-Platz with the Residenz, and the National Theater/State Opera.

Pay what you wish
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Basic Information


  • Total time

    2h 30m

  • Language

    English (check the calendar for availability)

  • Price

    „Pay what you wish” tours do not have a fixed price. It is up to you to evaluate your guide’s work and reward it. Some people give 10€, others 50€ depending on their satisfaction and abilities.

Meeting point

St. Peter’s Church main gate Nearest public transport: E metro station; D metro station

  • Additional info

    ☂︎ This tour is organised by Walkative Munich guides. Look for the guide with the yellow umbrella.

    ❗Our tours run no matter the weather. High or low temperatures, rain or snow is not a reason for us to cancel our tours. We are always here for you. The only reason for cancellations are extreme weather conditions (like heavy storms…), guide's sudden sickness or no minimum number of people (5) to run the tour, but we will always let you know using the data you provided during registration for the tour.

  • Booking rules

    Booking is obligatory. Our pay as you wish tours are designed for individual travellers and small groups. We don’t accept parties of more than 7 people on them. If you travel in a party of 8 or more (school groups, bigger groups of friends etc.), please choose a paid option of 18€ per person or book a Private Tour. For more information on the latter, please contact us.

About the tour


Snow-covered Alps, Oktoberfest with hectolitres of beer in litre mugs, smiling Germans in leather pants, lederhosen, green vests and caps with feathers. When we think of Germany often, this is the image that comes to mind. What we see though is not Germany, it is Bavaria! When it comes to popularity, it definitely wins the race with the rest of the country! Munich, being the capital of this richest German state, with its grand Catholic churches, palaces, huge automobile industry, gigantic breweries and the Bayern Munich football team can be considered the quintessence of all of Germany.

But Munich is also the place where the darkest chapter of German history began. It was here that the young Austrian Adolf Hitler attempted to seize power in the country by force during the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, for which he ended up behind bars. It is where he wrote his “Mein Kampf”, the book that was the basis for the criminal Nazi ideology. It was also the birthplace of the NSDAP, which eventually seized power throughout the country and, with Adolf Hitler at its head, led to World War II…

During our tour we will talk about both the light and dark pages of German history. We will learn about the history of Bavaria from the Roman beginnings of the city, through 700 years during which it was ruled by one powerful family, the Wittelsbachs, to the unification of Germany by Bismarck in the 19th century. We will see the places where Nazism was born, but also those where Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, worked while still an archbishop. We will also see, perhaps the most disappointing attraction of the city – a show of knightly figure fights in the city’s carillon.

Take a walk with us and get to know a city that combines like no other seemingly contradictory fields: history and motoring, art and technology, entrepreneurship and a specific lifestyle of Munich people, which is a mixture of self-confidence, freedom and cheerfulness. Perhaps all these contradictions are seamlessly united by what is most important to Munich people… beer!

After visiting Munich do check our tours in other German cities: Berlin and Dresden!

Highlights


  1. 1

    Marienplatz

    Munich's central square, featuring the New and Old Town Halls and its famous Glockenspiel carillon.

  2. 2

    Hofbräuhaus

    One of the world's most famous beer halls, central to Munich's beer culture and history.

  3. Show more
    6

    Bavarian State Opera

    See the magnificent National Theatre, home to world-renowned opera and ballet on Max-Joseph-Platz.

Map


St. Peter’s Church main gate Nearest public transport: E metro station; D metro station

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