Marienplatz ★★★

Marienplatz and the Neues Rathaus, Munich
(Photo by Chris 73)

The central square of Munich, Germany

The Glockenspeil on the Munich Neues Rathaus town hall
The Glockenspeil on Munich's Neues Rathaus. (Photo by S. Böttcher, courtesy of München Tourismus)The center of Munich is the lively, cafe-lined Marienplatz, home to street performers and the daily bustle of the city—and the seasonal bustle of Munich's famous Christmas market.

The Munich Rathaus

This city square is bounded along its long north side by the pinnacles and tracery of the 19th-century Neues Rathaus (New City Hall), done in neo-gothic style with a fabulous tavern beer hall in the basement.

The clock on this town hall is equipped with a bi-level glockenspiel, the fourth largest in Europe, whose mechanical jousting show plays out daily at 11am and noon (and at 5pm in summer).

The Peterskirche

Off the southeast corner of the square at Rindermarkt 1 sits St. Peter's church (www.alterpeter.de) whose 300-foot tower you can climb for excellent city views that, on clear days, reach the Alps.

There is a small fee (€1.50) for climbing the tower, which is open Mon–Fri 9am–6:30pm, Sat–Sun 10am–6:30pm (in winter, it closes at 5:30pm).

Tips & Links

Marienplatz details

ADDRESS

Marienplatz

OPEN

Always

ADMISSION

Free

TRANSPORT

S-Bahn/U-Bahn: Marienplatz
» Munich City Hop-on Hop-off Tour

TOURS

• Munich City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
• Munich Bike Tour

How long does Marienplatz take?

Planning your time: You'll undoubtedly pass through several times, but do take 20 minutes to sit at an outdoor and enjoy the peopel parade.

Climbing the church tower takes at least 30 minutes.

» Suggested Munich itineraries

Marienplatz tours

Book a tour: Visit the Marienplatz on a guided tour of Munich booked at a discount via our partners Viator.com:

Useful Munich links & resources

SIGHTS

Tourist info: Muenchen.de, Bavaria.by, Germany.travel

Tours & activities: Viator.com, City-Discovery.com, Intrepidtravel.com, Gadventures.com

LODGING

Hostels & camping: Hostelworld.com, Gomio.com, Hostelbookers.com, HostelsClub.com, Hostelz.com, Booking.com, Venere.com, Muenchen.de (campgrounds list)

TRANSPORT

Airports: Munich-airport.de, Allgaeu-airport.de (Ryanair, flybe, Wizz)

Public transport: Mvv-muenchen.de

Driving/parking: Muenchen.de

Bike rentals & tours: Viator.com, Mikesbiketours.com

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This article was by Reid Bramblett and last updated in September 2013.
All information was accurate at the time.

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Copyright © 1998–2013 by Reid Bramblett. Author: Reid Bramblett.