Princesses, dinosaurs and Lego: 11 fun day trips in and around Munich with kids

Princesses, dinosaurs, and Lego: three things Miss M loves the most (not necessarily in that order).

Luckily for us, you can easily find all three things on day trips in and around Munich. Here are our suggestions for some fun day trips with kids in and from Munich, based on the recommendations of our four-year-old (now 7 y.o.).

Disclosure:
Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read our full disclosure for more information. 

Where to stay

The obvious place to stay when doing so many day trips in and around Munich is in Munich itself. We can thoroughly recommend the Motel One hotels and have stayed in almost all of them. The service and cleanliness are great, beds are very comfortable, and each one has its own fun theme.

Children under 6 can stay for free in their parent’s room and enjoy a free breakfast, too. Children ages 7 to 12 can also stay in their parent’s room for a small price. Fill out their travelling with children enquiry to see if they have a suitable room available for you.

Booking.com

Day trips in Munich

You don’t even have to leave Munich for a great kid-friendly day trip. Here are our five tips for day trips within Munich

1. Olympia Park

The site of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games is now home to many tours and events, including concerts, exhibitions, and sporting events.

Concerts

Check out the calendar of events when you know you are going to Munich to see if there are any shows you might want to see. Just as an example: over the next few months, there are concerts by Pink, Depeche Mode, The Weeknd, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as a flea market, an exhibition about 100 years of Disney, and FMX sports. On two recent trips, we saw Ed Sheeran and Metallica in the Stadium. In Summer, the Park also hosts circuses and fairs.

Roof climb and flying fox

Do the stadium roof climb and flying fox. This tour will give you views that you won’t find anywhere else in Munich. To do this tour, children should be at least 10 years old and have a minimum height of 1.40 metres and a minimum weight of 30 kg.

Olympic Tower

Climb the Olympic Tower. Towering 291.28 metres over the park and the city, it is the tallest structure in Munich and its best-known landmark. The viewing platform is 190 m above ground and provides great panoramic views of Munich and even across the borders and into Austria.

Go for a swim

Take a dive in the pools where the 1972 Olympic swimming and diving events were held. Recently renovated, the “Schwimmhalle” has five swimming pools, a sauna area, and a fitness centre. In Summer, kids can use the free-climbing wall, trampolines, and table tennis and play on the playground.

Sea Life

Watch the sharks and other reef inhabitants feed, visit Nemo, and feel the underwater world at the interactive rockpool experience at Sea Life. Tickets are much cheaper online, so buy them in advance. Miss M loved the rockpool but was reluctant to touch everything at first.

BMW World

If you (or your child) like cars, go admire the vehicles at BMW World and the BMW Museum. Both contain various exhibitions on topics such as group brands, innovative technologies, brand milestones, or specific car types, such as roadsters and art cars. Entry to BMW World is free; Tickets to the BMW Museum cost EUR 10 for adults and EUR 7 for children.

Tip: Even on a trip to the Olympic Park with my father (a mechanic and car lover), we only visited BMW World as both would have been too much.

2. Allianz Arena

Home of FC Bayern Munich, a visit to the Allianz Arena is a must for any lover of soccer and is our second recommendation for day trips in and around Munich. Most games are sold out well in advance, but if it is not a game day, you can do a behind-the-scenes tour of the arena or visit the FC Bayern Museum. Or both!

Peter is a fan and has done the tour a number of times. We have also been to matches (Miss M went for the first time last weekend) and the Erlebniswelt. What I like about the museum is that it gives club developments a historical context.

The Erlebniswelt has a special kids’ corner, with a build-your-own trophy experience and an indoor skills pitch.

3. Deutsches Museum

I must admit, it has been a few years since I last visited the Deutsches Museum, but it is impressive, even for adults.

Artificial lightning, a replica mineshaft, a copy of the Alta Mira cave paintings, and the planetarium are the highlights of the show. Some exhibitions are currently closed for renovation. However, even without these exhibitions, you would have to walk more than 9 km to see the whole museum.

Since we were there last, the Museum has added a Kids’ Kingdom, designed specifically for children aged 3 to 8 years. It has a range of experiments for kids to explore, such as balance and pulley games, a giant guitar, and a building site with giant Lego blocks. I know we could lose Miss M in the workshop for a number of hours!

Tickets cost EUR 15 for adults and EUR 8 for children. Entry is free for children under 6 years of age.

4. Nymphenburg Palace

Unless you are planning to see Neuschwanstein on a day trip from Munich, a visit to Nymphenburg Palace and Park makes a great day trip in Munich and satisfies any princess tendencies. It is a huge complex and it is difficult to see it all, especially with a young child.

Construction started on the ‘Nymphenburg Summer Residence’ in 1664. Since then it has grown from a cubic palace with some outbuildings to a palace with north and south wings and an extensive garden.

You can visit 21 rooms in the palace – most in the South and Queen’s Apartments. You can view the palace on your own or hire an audio guide handset. Unfortunately, unlike the audio guides for the Palace on Dam Square, the audio guides at Nymphenburg are not free.

For me, the more impressive part of Nymphenburg is the park and garden – all 180 hectares of it. It includes fountains and pump houses, woods, meadows, 20 hectares of water, and four separate palaces. These are all quite unique and special in their own way. Also worth visiting is the Marstallmuseum, or Museum of Carriages and Sleighs, which houses 40 carriages and sleighs, as well as the Bäuml collection of porcelain.

Tip: There is so much to see that you will have to be selective, especially if travelling with children.

In Summer there is an extra enticement – gondola rides on the Middle Canal! A ride costs EUR 15 per person for a 30-minute ride. I know Miss M would love it!

Finally, Nymphenburg even has a dinosaur museum, at least at present! Part of the permanent exhibit of Biotopia (previously the Museum Mensch und Natur (Museum of Humans and Nature)) looks at the history of life on earth and dinosaurs. It closed at the start of 2020 will hopefully reopen in mid-2025.

5. Hellabrunn

If your child is like Miss M and loves animals, a visit to Hellabrunn is a must. If you’d like to know more, check out our post about this wonderful zoo.

Day trips around Munich

We found all three elements that Miss M loves in Munich (discounting the renovations…). It is even easier to find each element on day trips from Munich.

1. Neuschwanstein

A castle is a castle, but Neuschwanstein is the quintessential fairy tale castle. It is one of the most frequently visited castles in Germany with 1.4 million visitors annually. It was also Walt Disney’s inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom. It also makes it the most popular of our recommended day trips in and around Munich.

Unsurprisingly, it is always incredibly full. Entry is only via public tour, with over 6,000 tour tickets sold per day in Summer. Don’t be surprised if the only tickets available are for a tour that commences hours later than you intended.

Reserve your tickets online (only possible up to two days in advance). Please note: there are a lot of stairs on the tour.

High visitor numbers are a burden on the castle. Certain parts of the interior may be covered with scaffolding or furnishings may have been removed for repair or replacement. You will also be extremely lucky to get a photograph of the outside of Neuschwanstein without some scaffolding. I have visited Neuschwanstein at least 5 times over the years and am yet to see it with no scaffolding.

The walk up to the castle is also rather steep. If you can, catch one of the horse and cart rides up the hill (cheapest if you buy a return ticket). Kids love it. In Winter, passengers are given blankets to keep warm and the ride itself is quite magical. 

There are also hikes that you can do around the castle. The views from the Marienbrücke (Maria Bridge) of the castle are fantastic, but the hike is not easy for small children. If you have a pusher or stroller and want to go for a walk, try the route around the lake. 

2. Dinosaur Museum Altmühltal

Our little dinosaur aficionado loved this Museum, which is a mix of:

• traditional museum with fossils, 
• a walk through the woods (and the time periods) with life-sized dinosaur models that kids can touch, and 
• a ‘research’ area with dig pits. 

I think we’ve been 3 times – quite an accomplishment if you don’t live in the area. If you have a little dinosaur fan, this is definitely one of the day trips for you in and around Munich. You can find a detailed review of the park here.

3. Tegernsee

Nothing is as Bavarian as the Tegernsee, at least according to locals. In Summer, this may just be true. The blue sky and white clouds reflect clearly in the lake so that it looks like a huge Bavarian flag. 

Tegernsee has fantastic playgrounds (e.g. Rotnach-Egern) or you can ride the cable car up to the top of the Wallberg. Kids over five years of age can challenge themselves to complete one of the high-wire courses at the Kletterwald Tegernsee (April to mid-November). Ride the toboggan track and reach speeds of up to 40km/h (from mid-April to the end of October). Take a ride around the lake on one of the boats. In Winter, go sledding on one of the many bobsled tracks in the area. 

If you can, hike up to the top of one of the hills. The views are worth it.

4. Garmisch-Partenkirche

Garmisch-Partenkirchen has a number of family-friendly activities.

It hosted the 1936 Winter Olympic Games and you can still visit various Olympic sites. Take a cable car up to Germany’s tallest mountain, the Zugspitze. Alternatively, take the Alpspitzbahn to Osterfeldkopf and view the amazing panorama from the AlpspiX – two viewing platforms that hang over the side of the mountain in an x form.

The platform is not much fun for those who are afraid of heights (but kids seem to love it).

The historic town centre of Garmisch and Partenkirchen are sweet and worth strolling through. Both have cafes with delicious cakes and ice cream. 

If you like nature, don’t miss the 700m-long Partnach Gorge (Partnach-klamm). Accessible in both Summer and Winter, the Gorge, with its freezing Partenach River and iron bridge, is open to tourists from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Summer and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Winter and is easy enough for kids to do.

5. Legoland

Halfway between Munich and Stuttgart is Legoland and the final element of our princesses, dinosaurs and Lego trifecta.

Legoland is an amusement park, where everything is Lego-themed and, to the extent possible, made of Lego. It is designed for children aged two to 12 and has rides and attractions for each age group. Adults wonder at the Lego creations, especially the cities (and Star Wars statues) in Miniland.

We spent a day in Legoland one Summer on the way to Italy and visited again a couple of years later (in the middle of the pandemic where we had to disinfect our hands before going on each ride). Miss M cannot wait to go again. We found the dinosaur rides early on (yes, there were dinosaurs) and then made our way around the park, riding on as many rides as time (and height) permitted. At some stage in the next couple of years, we plan to go again on our way to (or from) Munich and can make a day of it. 

There are often deals online or discounts and 2-for-1 vouchers on Ferrero-branded chocolates or even Mcdonald’s Happy Meal boxes that are definitely worth using.

6. Bergtierpark

A 2020 update

The Bergtierpark in Blindham (Aying) was a new find that was perfect for wet weather.

The park is a small zoo about 35 km from the centre of Munich with a collection of regional and farm animals. The animals are not that exciting, though Miss M really enjoyed being able to feed the deer – she thinks she may have even seen deer for the first time! You can also enter some of the pens to feed the animals – definitely up close and personal!

Entry to the park is only EUR 10.00 for adults and EUR 9.00 for children 15 and under. The park only works with cash, so make sure you bring some. You can also buy some food to feed the animals for a small amount.

Barbecues are set up in the forest. You can use them for free, but need to bring everything (except the grill) yourself – heat beads, tongs, and whatever food you plan to grill. There is also a small range of food on offer at the shop – coffee, sandwiches, cakes, and ice creams. There are also various places where you can sit and have a (BYO) picnic.

However, the big drawcard is the barn. In 2015, the park converted an old barn into a wonderful indoor playground of over 2,000 m2. It is huge and magical.

The ground floor is for smaller children with various mini playgrounds, sandpits, and other climbing areas. The first, second, and third floors (or is it even four?) are a paradise of suspension bridges, swings, rocking platforms, stairs, ramps, hidey holes, games, and huge slides (4 stories!). From the windows, you can see the park and the Alps beyond. Miss M could have stayed for hours.

The only negative: the area is not heated (and not insulated). Dress warmly. Socks must be worn at all times.

Princesses, dinosaurs & Lego: find all three on day trips in and around Munich

With a little creativity, you can find all three elements – princesses, dinosaurs, and Lego – in Munich. It is even easier to find this trifecta on day trips from Munich. There is more than enough variety to find various day trips in and around Munich that will satisfy all ages and interests.

What day trips would you take in or around Munich?