Fall in Love with Munich in a Private Old Town Walking Tour
Description
The tour is designed to make your acquaintance with Munich in a brief, but many-sided manner. We will pace along a 1,5 km route to discover together Munich’s old town, assembling piece by piece parts of the city’s past and modernity into a colourful puzzle of history, architecture, brewing traditions and gastronomic symbols, royal heritage and folk costume, bygone hotspots of Nazism and strongholds of religion, witty Bavarian humour and centuries-old legends. You will find out how salt and wine helped the city emerge and why a child monk is its symbol. You will visit the world’s most famous beer hall to eyewitness the local beer drinking culture and discover the story of the Oktoberfest. You will learn how an ancient dance connected the 16th-century plague epidemic and the modern-times Coronavirus pandemic and how the bow tied on the apron of a dirndl can encourage to or discourage from flirting with a woman. All that while enjoying Munich’s sights and taking in its atmosphere.
Tour Options
Itinerary
I will meet you under the central arch of the Isar Gate and introduce you to the story of Munich’s medieval fortifications. You will witness the disguised remains of the main medieval city wall, will learn the legend of the city foundation and will discover how trading one single product generated the raise of a metropolis. Additionally, you will learn the story of Munich’s most beloved comedian, whose museum is hosted by the towers of the Isar Gate and will find out why time in Bavaria runs backwards.
We will spot the place where Adolf Hitler held his first public speech that lead him to joining the German Workers’ Party and you will discover the incredible story the building developed in time as key location for the Nazi Party.
We will pass by the oldest tavern in town and I will explain you the story of its resilience and how it managed to preserve its status of oldest tavern in town for more than half a millennium.
We will visit the former royal brewery and presently most famous beer hall in the world – the Hofbräuhaus, and you will get acquainted with its centuries-old story and will meet its beer angel. We will go inside the main hall, where you will have the chance to admire the interiors, spot the peculiar regular tables and have a look at the beer mugs of regular guests that are kept in special cells, delving on the way into the story of the beer purity law, the Bavarian brewing tradition and the Oktoberfest, as well as discovering the secrets of the Munich beer gardens.
We will sight the former royal bakery and will discover the legend of the pretzel and its symbolic connection to Munich.
We will visit the inner courtyard of the first residence of the Wittelsbach royal family in Munich, will learn the legend of the Royal Zoo and its unexpected role in the life of the Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV and will find out how Munich’s flag got its colours.
We will walk past a historical gourmet store with longstanding royal tradition, which is nowadays one of the largest delicatessen companies in Europe. Along with some curious details from Dallmayr’s history, I will be happy to share useful insider tips for food lovers and coffee addicts.
We will cross the Coopers’ Street, where you will learn Munich’s most famous legend commemorating the celebration of the 16th century pest containment with a traditional dance, performed in the Bavarian capital until nowadays.
We will visit Munich’s cathedral learning the legend of its construction and its interesting correlation to the peculiar interiors of the building. We’ll sight the Devil’s footprint and will discover the secret of the wind surrounding the cathedral all year around, irrespective of the season.
We will admire the Fischbrunnen (Fish fountain), Munich’s most famous fountain, and you will be introduced to the local traditions of Wallet Washing and Butchers’ Jump connected to it. I will disclose you the spot where the Munich white sausage was invented and the curious circumstances of its invention. And of course we will take the time to delve into the story of St. Mary’s Square, the majestic buildings of the New and Old Town Halls it is flanked by and the Glockenspiel – Munich’s world-famous mechanical clock reenacting two momentous scenes from the city’s history to various tunes of a carillon.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(232)
Victoria is amazing! She is so knowledgeable and reordered our tour to make sure we saw the glockenspiel play. Her recommendations were all superb. Highly recommend!
Victoria is a delightful - informed and animated. Her tour a lovely introducion to Munich!
This was an absolutely amazing tour. Victoria was waiting for us under the old gate of Munich and from the second we started was warm, knowledgeable and fun! She had lots of wonderful pictures on her iPad to help with the fantastic stories she told and was uber prepared for us (she had an umbrella for the rain and tissues for runny noses). She also gave us some killer brewery and restaurant recommendations.
Dear Lyndsey, Thank you for the warm words, the pleasure was absolutely mine, I was happy to meet you and walk you through the centuries of Munich history! Thank you for your interest for the stories of Munich and your delightful company! Sending you warmest greetings from summer Munich and hoping to have the pleasure to meet again whenever you will be visiting Munich next time!
Our tour guide Victoria was wonderful: deeply knowledgeable about Munich’s history, and so friendly and welcoming. We had a great tour with interesting anecdotes about the historical sites in Old Town Munich.
Dear Lindsey, Thank you for your praising words, it was a joy meeting you and Rory and helping you discover the history and legends of Munich, thank you once more for the lovely time spent together enjoying the old town! Wishing you a great vacation ahead and hoping to have the pleasure to meet again next time you will be visiting Munich!
Great tour of Munich. Victoria was a great tour guide
Thank you so much for the kind review, dear Troy, the pleasure was totally mine!
Victoria was fabulous! Communication was excellent. The tour was fun, educational, and wonderful with kids. We were post overnight flight with little sleep, and in 98 degree heat and she went out of her way to keep us in the shade, show us water fountains to cool down in, etc. 100% worth the money and more! We learned so much and had a wonderful time!
Dear Emily, Thank you so much for your absolutely touching words, it was a pleasure meeting you and your beautiful family and discovering the history and secrets of Munich together, while navigating through the heat ;) Luckily the heat wave added that special touch to our tour, letting us discover the historical fountains and I hope it will be one more lovely memory you'll be taking back home with you! It will certainly be a special memory for me and I thank you for the delight of having created it together! Sending you my most heartfelt wishes for a lovely vacation and would be happy to meet again whenever you will be visiting Munich again!
Victoria was our guide for a historical walking tour of old town Munich and she was wonderful! She was incredibly knowledgeable about Munich’s rich history and took us to multiple interesting places. She was very warm and friendly, skillfully answered our many questions and even provided some restaurant recommendations when I told her about my sweet tooth. We had a great experience.
Dear Lindsey, Thank you so much for your warm words, the pleasure was totally mine, I was happy to meet you and to share the beauty and secrets of Munich with the two of you, thank you so much for your interest for the details and the lovely time spent together discovering the old town! Sending you warmest greetings, wishing you a lovely vacation ahead, and hoping to have the pleasure of meeting again in the future!
★★★★★ The title of this tour is not an exaggeration. Book this one first — not last. We did Victoria’s private old town walking tour as our first activity in Munich, and it set the tone for everything that followed. She knows the city the way people know a place they genuinely love: not just dates and architecture, but the stories underneath, the details you’d walk right past without someone pointing them out. Her iPad with historical photographs was a nice touch — history lands differently when you can see what it looked like before. Victoria was very knowledgeable and her restaurant recommendations actually reflected what we said we were interested in. You’ll spend the rest of your trip seeing Munich through a much better lens.
Dear Corinne, Thank you so very much for your generous words of appreciation! It was a delight meeting you and your beautiful family and enjoying Munich together, so thank you once more for your interest in the history of my city and for your enthusiasm for the local culture and traditions! Sending you my warmest greetings and wishes, and hoping our paths will cross again in the future!
Doing a private walking tour of the Old Town in Munich with Victoria was awesome. From the moment my wife and I met Victoria we were totally engrossed in the information she provided and the way she delivered it. It was like going for a walk with your best friend who was an expert in that area. Thoroughly recommend a tour with Victoria.
Dear Robert and Lucy, Thank you so much for your touching words, the pleasure was totally mine, thank you for the delight of your company and for the two wonderful hours spent together discovering the beauties and secrets of the old town! I hope you had a comfortable flight and are enjoying home and the beautiful memories from your lovely vacation. Sending you my warmest wishes and would love to meet again next time you will be visiting Munich!
Victoria is passionate and well informed, and a delight to spend time with. Her insight goes beyond the obvious and provides interesting and amusing history of iconic places and people.
Dear Maggie, Thank you for your warm praising words, I was happy to meet you and help you discover the history and the multifaceted beauty of Munich! Sending you my warmest wishes for a lovely vacation and hoping to have the pleasure of meeting again whenever you will be visiting Munich next time!
