Munich Old Town & Viktualienmarkt Walking Tour in German

Marienplatz and the New Town Hall

Marienplatz has been the centre of Munich since the city was founded in 1158, first as a grain and salt market and today as the square where every walking tour of Munich begins. The Mariensäule column of 1638 stands in the middle, and the north side is filled by the neo-Gothic New Town Hall, built between 1867 and 1908, with its 85-metre tower and the Glockenspiel whose painted figures dance at 11:00 and 12:00 (and at 17:00 from March to October).

Your guide explains the figures of the Glockenspiel, the coopers' dance and the tournament, and points out the Old Town Hall at the east end with its gate tower that once closed the medieval city. The 10:45 start means the group is often standing in the square as the 11:00 chimes begin, which is the best moment of the day to be at Marienplatz.

The Frauenkirche, Munich's cathedral

A few minutes west of Marienplatz the two brick towers of the Frauenkirche rise about 99 metres above the rooftops, capped by the green onion domes that have become the symbol of the city. The cathedral was built between 1468 and 1488 in late Gothic style, and no building in the Old Town may be taller than its towers, which is why the skyline still looks the way it does.

Inside, the guide shows the vast white nave and the legend of the Devil's footprint by the entrance, a dark footprint in the floor tied to a story about the windows. The Frauenkirche opening hours are long and entry is free, so the group steps in briefly when no service is taking place. For many visitors asking whether the Frauenkirche is worth visiting, the answer is the view from the south tower, which you can climb on your own after the walk.

Fünf Höfe and the streets of the old merchants

Between the cathedral and Odeonsplatz lie the streets where Munich's merchants, bankers and delicatessens have traded for centuries. The guide leads you through the Fünf Höfe, five linked courtyards turned into a bright covered arcade of shops, cafes and a hanging garden of greenery, a good example of how the Old Town mixes historic facades with modern design.

Along Theatinerstraße and the lanes around it you pass the grand delicatessen houses and restaurants that locals treat as institutions, and the guide shares anecdotes about the families behind them. This part of the Munich city walk is short on distance but rich in stories, and it shows you where to come back for shopping or a coffee later.

The Theatine Church and Odeonsplatz

The walk reaches Odeonsplatz, the wide square that marks the northern edge of the Old Town. On its west side stands the Theatine Church, begun in 1663 in Italian high baroque as a thanksgiving for the birth of an heir, with a yellow facade and twin towers that bring a touch of Rome to Bavaria. Its bright white interior with stucco decoration is one of the most photographed church interiors in Munich.

On the south side the arched Feldherrnhalle of the 1840s closes the square, and beyond it the Residenz, the former palace of the Bavarian dukes and kings, begins. The guide uses Odeonsplatz to explain how the city grew from the medieval core toward the royal avenues of the 19th century. From here the group turns back south through the Old Town toward the market.

Viktualienmarkt, the open-air market of Munich

The walk ends at Viktualienmarkt, the daily food market that moved here from Marienplatz in 1807 and now fills a large square south of St. Peter's Church with permanent stalls of fruit, vegetables, flowers, cheese, honey, spices, bread and Bavarian specialities. A tall painted maypole stands in the centre, and the tables around it are where locals eat a quick lunch under the chestnut trees.

Viktualienmarkt is open Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays and public holidays, so the market is lively on every day this tour runs. The guide finishes with a short orientation of the stalls, after which you are free to stay, shop and eat; there is no better place in the Old Town for lunch straight after a Munich Old Town tour.