Munich · With kids

Munich with kids: things to do

By Ramya ChinnaduraiPublished 12 October 2026Updated 12 October 2026

Munich is a city where a family day can stay outside: parks, a zoo on the Isar and a compact centre you can cross with a pushchair. When it rains, the official tourism site points you at hands-on museums rather than a long indoor shopping list.

This page is a practical shortlist for a first visit with children. Every fact below is sourced. Where a price or opening time was not published clearly, it is left out.

Getting around with children

Munich's MVV network is the simplest way to move a family between the centre, Hellabrunn, Olympiapark and the museums on the island. Children under 6 travel free and do not need a ticket. They may be taken in unlimited numbers. If they are not yet of school age, they must be accompanied by someone who is at least 6.

For children aged 6 to 14, MVV sells a Children's Day Ticket that covers the whole network (zones M to 12) until 6:00 the next morning. The official fare listed when we checked on 12 October 2026 was 3.80 euros. Some adult day and monthly tickets also let you take children aged 6 to 14 free after 9:00 on weekdays, and all day at weekends. Check the ticket you buy. The Monthly Ticket 65 does not include children.

Pushchairs are normal on the U-Bahn and tram. The city centre is also walkable. Munich Tourism notes that Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt and Odeonsplatz are easy on foot or with a pushchair.

The centre without a long walk

Start at Marienplatz for the Glockenspiel. If someone wants a view and not a climb, the New Town Hall tower has a lift. Alter Peter, the old St Peter's tower, is the opposite: the city site counts 306 steps to the viewing gallery.

On Odeonsplatz, the two lion statues by the Residenz entrance are a short, free stop. Local lore says rubbing a lion's nose brings luck. Next door is the Hofgarten, a calmer place to sit than the square.

Viktualienmarkt is the snack stop: fruit, bread and a chance to walk between stalls without a museum ticket. It sits between Marienplatz and the river, so you can continue to the Isar if legs are still good.

Museums that expect children

The Deutsches Museum on Museumsinsel is the city's science landmark. Its Kids' Kingdom (Kinderreich) is a hands-on exhibition written for children aged 3 to 8, with marble runs, a hall of mirrors, a shadow theatre and water play. Up to two adults may accompany them. The museum says the stations are not designed for younger or older children, so treat it as a morning for that age band, then move on. Kids' Kingdom is on level -1 under the aviation hall and is open daily from 9:00 to 16:30, last entry 16:15, on the museum's own visiting days.

The same museum has a transport collection (Verkehrszentrum) and the Flugwerft Schleissheim aviation site if older children want real aircraft.

Kindermuseum München has moved to Messestadt Riem. muenchen.de describes it for children aged 4 to 12, with changing hands-on shows. When we checked, the city site listed 5.50 euros from age 4 and a family ticket of 16 euros for up to five people (at most two adults). Confirm on the day. Exhibitions change.

The State Museum of Egyptian Art is a quieter indoor hour. Munich Tourism says admission is free for children under 18. The small Palaeontological Museum on Königsplatz is also listed as free, with fossils for dinosaur fans.

BMW Welt and the BMW Museum sit by Olympiapark. Munich Tourism flags a Junior Programme for children and teenagers. Sea Life is in the same park if you need an indoor aquarium.

Parks, the zoo and playgrounds

On a dry day, skip a second museum. The Englischer Garten has beer-garden playgrounds, the Kleinhesseloher See (boat hire at the Seehaus) and the Eisbachwelle, where children watch surfers from the bridge. The Chinese Tower beer garden has a historic children's carousel from April to October, in fine weather only.

Hellabrunn Zoo is the full-day outdoor plan. The city site calls it one of the main family places in Munich: animals, Isar floodplain paths, a large adventure playground and a smaller play area by Café Rhino. You do not have to walk the whole park. For toddlers, one geo-zone plus a playground is enough.

The city also keeps a playground map. The newer Theresienwiese playground has a 12-metre play tower. Hirschgarten has an elephant playground and a summer water playground, plus deer in the enclosure. Westpark has a water playground and long slides. Adventure playgrounds such as Maulwurfshausen in Ostpark are staffed and aimed at school-age children (about 6 to 13). They are not open around the clock, so check hours.

Rain, holidays and what is free

Rainy-day lists from the city start with hands-on museums, indoor pools, the city libraries and ice skating at SAP Garden. A library card is free for children and young people up to 18.

Plenty of outdoor time costs nothing: playgrounds, staffed adventure playgrounds (free entry), Sunday play afternoons in Westpark in usable weather, and watching the Eisbach surfers.

The Munich Holiday Pass is for children and young people aged 6 to 17 during Bavarian school holidays, including visitors who do not live in the city. The official page listed 14 euros for ages 6 to 14 (including MVV in the summer holidays) and 10 euros for ages 15 to 17 (without that MVV use). It includes a programme of activities and, among other things, indoor-pool and zoo vouchers. Weekends and public holidays are generally excluded.

Munich Tourism noted the Olympic Tower and the stadium roof tour as closed for renovation into 2026. Do not plan those until the park says they are open.

A simple first day

Morning: Marienplatz, a tower or the lions, then Viktualienmarkt. Midday: U-Bahn to either the Deutsches Museum (if you have a 3-to-8-year-old) or Hellabrunn. Late afternoon: Englischer Garten playground and an early dinner. That is enough. The city is better when you leave slack for a playground you did not plan.

If you are here in late September, read the separate Oktoberfest with kids guide. This page is the year-round city, not the Wiesn.

All Munich guides