Munich in 2 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Two days in Munich, run on a real budget
Two days covers Munich’s Old Town core and the Englischer Garten side of the city, run on real prices instead of guesswork. Short on time? Our 3 day and 4 day versions add a palace and a museum day onto this same route without reinventing it.
Book these before you go:
- A guided Residenz tour on Viator skips the ticket-desk queue on Day 1.
- A Munich walking tour on GetYourGuide if you want the Old Town oriented for you rather than by map.
- Rooms near Hauptbahnhof and around Oktoberfest dates (Sept 19-Oct 4, 2026) fill fastest, check rates on Booking.com early.
| Day | Focus | Approx cost |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Old Town core: Marienplatz, Residenz, Viktualienmarkt | ~64 EUR |
| Day 2 | Englischer Garten, Eisbach surfers, BMW Welt | ~54 EUR |
Day 1: Old Town, on foot
Start at Marienplatz, free to stand in, and catch the Glockenspiel if the timing lines up (11:00 or 12:00, plus 17:00 in summer). It’s a 12-15 minute figurine show that draws a bigger crowd than it deserves, so don’t build your whole morning around it, just swing by. If you want the view, book the New Town Hall tower online ahead (7 EUR, timed 20-minute slot, elevators the whole way up to the 85-meter platform).
Mid-morning, wander the Viktualienmarkt, free to browse, and if it’s before noon, grab a Weisswurst with sweet mustard and a pretzel, the traditional late-morning snack (order before the noon bell, by local custom). Afternoon is the Residenz : 10 EUR for the museum alone, 15 EUR for the museum-plus-Treasury combo, or 20 EUR if you add the Cuvilliés Theatre. Budget two to three hours if you’re doing the full combo.
For dinner, skip the queue at the Hofbräuhaus, it’s one beer hall among hundreds trading on its name, and head to Augustiner-Keller instead for better beer and a calmer room. A Maß runs 8-12 EUR there, and if you’re at a self-service table under the chestnut trees, you’re allowed to bring your own food as long as you buy your drinks on site.
Day 2: Englischer Garten and BMW
Morning belongs to the Englischer Garten, free, and specifically the Eisbach near Haus der Kunst, where surfers ride a standing wave in the middle of the city. It’s a genuinely odd, local sight worth more time than another church interior. From there it’s a short hop to BMW Welt, free to walk through, with the BMW Museum next door at 17 EUR, note it’s cashless-only, card or phone, so don’t rely on the cash you’ve been carrying everywhere else.
On your way back toward the center, the Frauenkirche costs nothing to enter and its south tower is 7.50 EUR (5.50 EUR reduced) for a 360-degree view. Round out the evening with dinner at Hirschgarten, Europe’s largest beer garden at roughly 8,000 seats, or back at the Viktualienmarkt’s own beer garden if you’d rather stay central.
How much does 2 days in Munich actually cost?
Roughly 118 EUR for the two days on sights, transit and dinner: about 64 EUR on Day 1 (day ticket, tower, Residenz combo, market snack, dinner with a Maß) and 54 EUR on Day 2 (day ticket, BMW Museum, Frauenkirche tower, dinner), not counting lodging or lunches.
Is the Frauenkirche tower or the New Town Hall tower the better climb?
The Frauenkirche. Its south tower costs 7.50 EUR against 7 EUR for the New Town Hall, but it’s a shorter climb (89 steps plus a lift) for a comparable 360-degree view, and it draws a smaller crowd than the square below the Glockenspiel. Do one, not both, on a two-day trip.
Two days, both cores covered, for around 118 EUR total on sights, transit and dinners. Check the MVV site for current fares before you land, and if a third day opens up, that’s when a day trip out of the city starts to make sense, but two days is genuinely enough for Munich itself.