Visiting a museum in Munich with children does not have to be expensive. On Sundays the big state museums charge one euro, under-18s get in free at many venues, and on certain evenings each month admission is free for everyone. Here are the dates for the coming weeks.
The nearest first. On Thursday 5 November the Lenbachhaus is free from 6pm to 10pm for its “extra+” on the first Thursday of the month. On Friday 6 November the Villa Stuck’s “Friday Late” is also free, 6pm to 10pm, with an evening programme. On Sunday 8 November the state museums charge €1 for their permanent exhibitions.
€1 on Sundays: who takes part
According to the City of Munich, the Sunday rate applies at the Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne, Museum Brandhorst, Sammlung Schack, Glyptothek, Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Museum Fünf Kontinente, the State Museum of Egyptian Art, the Archaeological State Collection, the State Coin Collection, Museum Mensch und Natur and the Sudeten German Museum. Most open on Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Special exhibitions, events and media guides are often excluded and cost extra. The Neue Pinakothek remains closed for renovation; some 19th-century works hang in the Alte Pinakothek and the Sammlung Schack.
For families another point matters more: the Pinakothek website states that admission is free for children and teenagers under 18. The city says the same applies to every museum on the €1 list as well as the Botanical Garden Nymphenburg, the Jewish Museum, the Lenbachhaus, Villa Stuck and the Residenz. On a Sunday, parents pay €1 and children nothing. On other days, the combined day ticket for the four Pinakothek venues costs €12.
Always free, plus late evenings in November
Permanently free venues include the NS Documentation Centre (Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–7pm), the Museum of Casts of Classical Sculpture, the Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus, the Palaeontological and Geological museums, and the City Museum’s interim show “What the City” at the Zeughaus (Tuesday to Sunday, 11am–7pm). The Botanical Garden’s outdoor grounds are free in winter; the greenhouses require a ticket.
More dates this month: on Wednesday 18 November the Kunsthalle München stays open until 10pm (“AfterworkKH”), and from 6.30pm students with ID get two tickets for the price of one. On Friday 27 November the Haus der Kunst is free at “Open Haus”, 4pm to 10pm. Tuesdays at the Kunsthalle are normally half price.
A note on planning: opening hours change on public holidays and during renovations, and special exhibitions are usually not covered by the deals, so check the museum’s website before you go. Holders of the München-Pass get further reductions at many venues.
Sources: muenchen.de – free and low-cost museum days, Pinakothek.de – FAQ
