Five days in Munich covers the Altstadt and Residenz on Day 1, Nymphenburg Palace and the Englischer Garten on Day 2, the Deutsches Museum and BMW Welt on Day 3, Neuschwanstein Castle as a full-day regional rail trip on Day 4, and Salzburg, Austria as a direct Railjet day trip on Day 5. Days 1-3 use the MVV Zone M day pass ($10.50 from the MVV app or any yellow ticket machine); Days 4-5 use the Bayern-Ticket ($31 per person, purchased the night before from any MVV machine or at db.de). Book Neuschwanstein castle entry at ticket.hohenschwangau.de at least 3 days before the trip date; timed entry slots sell out. Book the Salzburg train return at db.de or oebb.at 7+ days ahead to lock the $18-22 advance fare rather than the $40-55 same-day rate.

Day by day

Day 1: Marienplatz, Residenz, Hofgarten, and Viktualienmarkt

  • Marienplatz Glockenspiel performance, 30 min. Free; the carillon runs at 11 AM and noon daily (5 PM added March through October). Arrive 10 min early and position center-square.
  • Residenz Museum and Treasury, 2 hr. $16 combo ticket at residenz-muenchen.de; enter through the Residenzstrasse door. The Ancestral Gallery on the upper floor, a 67-meter mirrored hall with 121 Wittelsbach portraits, is bypassed by most tour routes.
  • Hofgarten, 30 min. Free. The 1613 court garden at the north side of the Residenz; the Diana Temple at the center has a painted ceiling map of historic Munich.
  • Odeonsplatz and Theatinerkirche, 20 min. Free to enter. The 1690 Baroque facade on the north side of the square; side chapels contain Wittelsbach tombs from the 17th and 18th centuries.
  • Rest valve: Cafe Luitpold on Brienner Strasse, 30 min. Coffee $4, Bavarian cake $5. Three minutes northwest of Odeonsplatz in the 1887 confectioner's building.
  • Viktualienmarkt: Obatzda with pretzel ($7) and Langos ($6) from the northeast corner stand, 45 min. Cash only at both stalls.
  • Sendlingerstrasse evening walk: Asamkirche and the Sendlinger Tor medieval gate, 30 min. Free. The Asamkirche is the smallest and most densely decorated Baroque church in Bavaria, entry free, closes at 6 PM.
  • Peterskirche tower for the Marienplatz rooftop view, 30 min. $4. Enter from Rindermarkt; 306 steps, no lift, the closest elevated frame over the Neues Rathaus and the Frauenkirche towers.
  • Total: ~5 km walking; 0 transit segments.

Day 2: Nymphenburg Palace and Englischer Garten

  • Tram 17 from Hauptbahnhof to Schloss Nymphenburg, 22 min. $4.50 or covered by day pass.
  • Nymphenburg Palace: Grand Hall, Gallery of Beauties, and State Apartments, 1.5 hr. $16 combo entry. The Gallery of Beauties holds 36 full-length portraits including a shoemaker's daughter displayed at equal scale to the queen.
  • Nymphenburg Park: north canal walk to the Pagodenburg teahouse, 1 hr. Included with palace ticket. The canal path runs through an empty woodland section with no tour groups; the Pagodenburg is a 20-minute walk north from the main building.
  • Rest valve: Schlosscafe im Palmenhaus in the palace orangery, 30 min. Coffee $4, lunch $10-14. The 1820 greenhouse serves food year-round under an arched glass-and-iron roof.
  • Tram back to Maxvorstadt, 25 min. Covered by day pass.
  • Maxvorstadt: Alte Pinakothek or Neue Pinakothek (or both on Sundays at EUR 1 each), 1.5 hr. $11 weekdays or $1.10 on Sundays per gallery. The Alte Pinakothek holds the Rubens and Dürer collections across 19 rooms.
  • U6 north to Giselastrasse for the Englischer Garten south entrance, 10 min. Covered by day pass.
  • Monopteros viewpoint and Eisbach wave, 45 min. Free. The Monopteros hill gives the city panorama; the pedestrian bridge above the Eisbach wave is the uncrowded alternative to the packed bank.
  • Chinesischer Turm, 30 min. Free. Brass band on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 AM at the pagoda.
  • Dinner on Turkenstrasse in Schwabing, 1 hr. Döner $7-10 or student restaurant for Käsespätzle $12-15.
  • Total: ~9 km walking; 3 transit segments.

Day 3: Deutsches Museum and BMW Welt

  • S-Bahn to Isartor and 10-min walk to Deutsches Museum island, 20 min total. $4.50 or covered by day pass.
  • Deutsches Museum: basement mining gallery and aviation hall, 3 hr. $16. Start in the basement; the 1-kilometer tunnel walk through reconstructed medieval and 20th-century mine shafts is the most underrated room in Munich. Aviation hall on the 2nd floor has the original 1919 Junkers F 13 and the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
  • Rest valve: museum ground-floor cafe, 30 min. Lunch $10-14. Outdoor terrace faces the Isar river, open May through September.
  • U3 to Olympiazentrum, 20 min. Covered by day pass.
  • BMW Welt upper walkway, 45 min. Free. Take the escalator to the upper level inside the main entrance and walk the glass bridge above the delivery hall; the overhead view shows concept cars and live handover bays below.
  • BMW Museum, 1.5 hr. $11. The 1973 bowl-shaped building covers 100 years of production with 120 vehicles; the 2002 Turbo concept car and the 1951 501 sedan are the anchors.
  • Olympic Park hill, 45 min. Free. Ten minutes on foot southeast from BMW Welt; the landscaped hill gives a 360-degree city panorama with the Alps visible on clear days.
  • Dinner in Maxvorstadt, 1 hr. Käsespätzle at an Amalienstrasse student restaurant $12-15.
  • Total: ~7 km walking; 3 transit segments.

Day 4: Neuschwanstein Castle day trip

  • Bayern-Ticket purchase: buy at any MVV machine or via db.de the evening before. $31 for 1 person, valid on all regional trains and buses in Bavaria all day from 9 AM (or 0 AM on weekends). Group rate: $31 for the first person plus $9 each for up to 4 additional travelers.
  • RegionalExpress or Bayerische Oberlandbahn from Hauptbahnhof to Füssen, 2 hr 10 min. Departs roughly every hour; the 7:51 AM departure arrives at 10:02 AM and is the best option for beating the midday crowds at the castle. Covered by Bayern-Ticket.
  • Bus 73 or 78 from Füssen Bahnhof to Hohenschwangau/Museum der Bayerischen Könige stop, 15 min. Covered by Bayern-Ticket.
  • Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) approach path, 30 min walk uphill from the castle ticket office. Free to cross the bridge itself. The iron footbridge spans the Pöllat gorge 90 meters above the valley floor and gives the direct face-on view of the full castle facade; arrive before 10 AM to beat the path queue. The bridge closes in icy conditions.
  • Rest valve: picnic on the castle meadow at the Hohenschwangau viewpoint platform, 30 min. Buy a Laugenbrezel and a tub of Obatzda at any Füssen bakery before boarding the bus; the meadow below Marienbrücke has timber benches with the castle backdrop.
  • Neuschwanstein Castle timed tour, 35 min. $16-18 at ticket.hohenschwangau.de, booked minimum 3 days ahead. The guided tour covers 15 rooms including the Throne Room, the Singers' Hall, and the kitchen; photography inside is banned. Arrive at the castle gate 10 min before your printed slot time.
  • Walk back down to Füssen old town, 40 min on foot or bus 73 back. Free walk; the downhill path takes 35-40 minutes through the forest.
  • Füssen Altstadt: Hohes Schloss courtyard and the Benediktinerabtei St. Mang cloister, 1 hr. Free to walk the courtyards. The 15th-century hilltop castle has a painted facade with trompe-l'oeil windows and holds Füssen's city museum.
  • RegionalExpress back to Munich Hauptbahnhof, 2 hr 10 min. Covered by Bayern-Ticket. Last departure around 8 PM; check the live timetable via the DB Navigator app.
  • Total: ~5 km walking at the castle area and Füssen; 4 regional train and bus segments.

Day 5: Salzburg, Austria day trip

  • Bayern-Ticket or ÖBB/DB advance ticket: the Bayern-Ticket ($31) covers the journey to Salzburg and back on regional trains but not on the faster Railjet ICE service. For the Railjet (1h30 each way), buy a return at db.de or oebb.at 7+ days ahead for $18-22; same-day Railjet return runs $40-55.
  • Direct Railjet or RegionalExpress from Hauptbahnhof to Salzburg Central, 1 hr 30 min fastest by Railjet, 2 hr by regional. Departures every 30-60 minutes from platform 5-11 at Hauptbahnhof.
  • Mirabellgarten, 20 min walk from Salzburg Central station, 30 min. Free. The formal garden with the Salzach river backdrop and the Hohensalzburg Fortress framed above the roofline is the clearest introduction to the city layout.
  • Getreidegasse and the Salzburg Altstadt, 1 hr. Free to walk. The medieval lane holds the house where Mozart was born in 1756 at No. 9; exterior free, interior museum $12 if you choose to enter.
  • Rest valve: Turkish or Middle Eastern restaurant near Mirabellplatz for lunch, 45 min. $10-16. Several halal-friendly options on Franz-Josef-Strasse and the streets north of the square.
  • Hohensalzburg Fortress, 2 hr. $17 including the funicular from Festungsgasse at the foot of the cliff (or walk up the path for free). The fortress begun in 1077 has a 360-degree parapet walkway, the Princes' Apartments with original 15th-century tiled stoves, and a view across the Salzach valley to the Untersberg massif.
  • Staatsbrücke bridge over the Salzach to the Steingasse quarter, 15 min walk. Free. Steingasse, the main medieval lane on the east bank, is the best-preserved pre-Baroque street in Salzburg and sees almost no tourists despite being a 3-minute walk from the crowded Altstadt.
  • Kapuzinerberg viewpoint above Steingasse, 30 min. Free. A path at the north end of Steingasse climbs 150 steps to a clearing with an unobstructed view across the entire Altstadt and the fortress; the Kapuzinerberg summit is unmarked and the path is the same one the monks used for centuries.
  • Railjet back to Munich Hauptbahnhof, 1 hr 30 min. Covered by return ticket.
  • Total: ~8 km walking in Salzburg; 2 train segments.
Traveller Tips
  • The Bayern-Ticket covers Days 4 and 5 if both day trips are on regional trains: Neuschwanstein via the RegionalExpress to Füssen is fully covered, and Salzburg is covered if you take the slower regional train (2 hr) rather than the Railjet ICE (1h30). If you want the faster Railjet to Salzburg on Day 5, buy a separate advance return at db.de for $18-22 and keep the Bayern-Ticket only for Day 4.
  • Neuschwanstein Castle entry slots sell out 3-7 days ahead in peak season (May through September); book at ticket.hohenschwangau.de as soon as you have a confirmed travel date. The 10 AM slot is the busiest; the 8 AM and 9 AM slots (available in peak season) clear the Marienbrücke approach before the organized tour buses arrive from Munich by coach at 10:30 AM.
  • The Hohensalzburg Fortress on Day 5 is free to walk up on foot (280 steps via the Festungsgasse path); the funicular adds $9 to the $17 all-in ticket but saves 10 minutes and the climb. The view from the parapet is identical either way; the funicular is worth it on the return descent if your legs are tired from the Steingasse walk.
  • On Day 3 at the Deutsches Museum, a combined ticket with the Flugwerft Schleissheim aviation hangar north of the city costs $25 versus $16 for the main museum alone; the hangar is 35 minutes from the center by S1 and requires a separate trip. Skip the combined ticket unless you have a specific interest in historic aircraft, as the main museum's aviation hall covers the same era without the journey.
  • The Pinakothek museums in Maxvorstadt (Day 2 extension) charge EUR 1 each on Sundays; if your Day 2 falls on a Sunday, add 90 minutes at the Neue Pinakothek (19th-century European painting including 23 van Gogh letters framed as text pieces in Room 22) for under $1.20 — the same room costs $12 on a Monday.